The Hakka Yong Tau Fu Stall : handmade based on a home recipe

This stall has been around for the longest time and is one of the popular stalls in this food centre, serving traditional Hakka style Yong Tau Fu using a home recipe. I used to visit this stall quite often when working and staying near here. The queue is usually quite long during lunch as well as weekends and they usually sold out before 1.30 pm. Some of the items were already gone when I was there at 12.30 pm and it only left a few choices when I went back later to take away. 

You are expected to choose your items first before joining the queue. When it is your turn, you handed the bowl to that assistant and telling her your preferences. You will be given a number and you are expected to hang around the area to wait for that number to be called in about 15 minutes or so.

Most of the items like egg, pig's intestine, brinjal, beancurd, fishball, yam and others are freshly fried to give it a slight crisp. Each item is freshly made and is stuffed with minced meat or fish paste. Some of the unique items that you should try are the fried pig's small intestine, fried tau pok with minced meat, lotus root with fish paste and fried meat roll, these are my usual favourites. Each of this handmade item is reasonably priced at 0.60 cents and it is served along with a bowl of lightly flavoured soup if you have it dry. There are bits of nicely fried garlic added to the soup for that extra flavour. You could choose to have it with bee hoon or rice for 0.50 cents. It is served separately on a plate then garnished with chopped coriander and white pepper to serve. 

THE HAKKA YONG TAU FU STALL

Block 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-25 Ghim Moh Food Centre SINGAPORE 270020

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 2.00 pm (Daily)

Ghim Moh Chwee Kueh : the decades old handmade Chwee Kueh

This is probably one of the rare few that is still making their chwee kueh on site as most of the stalls are selling those that are factory-made. The owner of this 57 years old famous stall is an elderly Uncle that started when he was 8 years old helping his mother selling chwee kueh on a pushcart near Alexandra Hospital in 1959. After all these years, he is still diligently doing so together with his wife, they passionately mixing the rice flour with water then pouring the mixture into those 1500 aluminium moulds in the early morning to steam it and they are doing it every day. They are still doing it the traditional way that has been passed down. Everything is made fresh, from the chwee kueh to the cai poh and their chilli, with no MSG added.

There is a minimum order of 4 pieces at $1.40 and to have it pack separately from the ingredients, you will have to order 20 pieces at $7.00 and pay an additional of 0.20 cents. Their chwee kueh is softer than the others out there. Apparently, it is not just by mixing rice flour with water and steaming it but takes years of experiences to perfect it. Their cai poh (preserved radish) tasted different from the others, it is done based on a traditional recipe using ingredients like garlic, pork lard and cai poh. It is not added with sugar thus it did not have the sweet taste and also, slightly saltier. However, the spiciness of the chilli has added flavour. 

Somehow, you might not get used to this traditional taste if you prefer a sweeter cai poh like those at Jian Bo or Bedok Chwee Kueh. Nonetheless, this is one of the remaining traditionally handmade chwee kueh stalls around and how much longer would they be around?

GHIM MOH CHWEE KUEH

Block 20 Ghim Moh Road #01-54 Ghim Moh Food Centre SINGAPORE 270020

Operating Hours: 6.15 am to 6.30 pm (Daily)

Wei Long Xiao Chi 威龙小吃 ："Chef is MAD but the food is not BAD"?

"Chef is MAD but the food is not BAD", this is on their signboard. I was curious to find out how mad is the chef and how not bad is the food. I was there slightly after 2 pm and the auntie was already in the midst of packing up. I was told that she only left with Chee Cheong Fun at that time but i just had Chee Cheong Fun a couple of minutes ago from other stall in this food centre and so, i did not want to eat it again. And, i asked her whether is there anymore glutinous rice and she said, if i am willing to wait then she would has to take it out from the fridge and steam it again. I pointed at the table right in front of the stall and told her that i would sit there and wait. 

The process was faster than expected, she signalled me to come forward to collect it. When she was serving it, i asked her whether her stall is related to Rong Yuan Cooked Food at Ghim Moh Food Centre as i was told that her glutinous rice and their glutinous rice tasted quite alike. She did not seem to be keen to answer the question. She was telling me that the taste is not quite likely to be the same as it is prepared by different person. She did not seem to chat further after this. 

I collected my glutinous rice and seated a little further from the stall before i took my camera to shoot some pictures. The presentation definitely reminded me of that from the other stall at Ghim Moh Food Centre. It is white in color with some bits of luncheon meat, shrimps and mushroom embedded in it then served along with a handful of ikan belis and roasted peanuts as well as some sweet tasting chilli by the side. 

I read about this stall quite a while back. I was told that the owner of this stall used to work for the other stall at Ghim Moh Food Centre before she left to set up this stall. She has exactly the same items like Yam Cake, Chee Cheong Fun and Glutinous Rice on her menu. 

To conclude, the Chef did not sound too mad and the food did not taste too bad though not particularly impressive too.

WEI LONG XIAO CHI 威龙小吃 

44 Holland Drive #02-03 Holland Drive Food Centre SINGAPORE 270044
Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 2.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Handmade Chee Cheong Fun (Da Chang Jin)

I observed this stall from a far while eating my Char Siew & Sio Bak rice from another popular stall in this food centre at a table directly facing this stall. I decided to give it a go when done with my plate of rice with a bit of space in my stomach for something extra. Though there are other choices as filling but i decided to go with Char Siew for $3.50. It was done fresh right at the stall from preparing the rice flour sheet, steamed and rolled it then adding those bits of char siew. It was then served in a pool of light tasting soya sauce and topped with a handful of preserved radish and chilli by the side. 

This was the first time that i came across preserved radish to serve with Chee Cheong Fun, this is definitely something new. I was excited at first but the excitement was short-lived, i did not quite like what i just tasted as i felt the saltiness of preserved radish did not have any particular effect in enhancing its overall taste. It was just not my kind of thing. 

The texture of rice flour sheet was smooth with a desired softness and not too thick as well. The generous filling of char siew was rather moist and quite tasty. The chilli was alright with a nice hint of spiciness to give the dish a nice kick. 

Overall, it was not too bad but not good enough to leave an impression.

HANDMADE CHEE CHEONG FUN (DA CHANG JIN)

44 Holland Drive #02-33 Holland Drive Food Centre SINGAPORE 270044

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 3.00 pm (Daily)