Yong Xiang Carrot Cake : pan-fried Png Kueh and Soon Kueh

This was one of the stalls with a queue on a Sunday, serving the white and black version Fried Carrot Cake as well as pan-fried Png Kueh and Soon Kueh. My late Grandpa used to pan-fry the leftover Png Kueh and Soon Kueh for breakfast the next day. The pan-fried ones are equally enjoyable, it is also my personal favorite. 

I joined the queue and waited for a while before ordering. Most of the customers ordered the white Carrot Cake with their pan-fried Png Kueh and Soon Kueh and I did that too though I wanted the black Carrot Cake initially. I ordered the white Carrot Cake, a Soon Kueh and 2 pieces of Png Kueh. The Uncle that took my order asked, "Do you want to add an egg?" I nodded my head. The auntie that was doing the cooking will use the metal spatula to cut the Png Kueh and Soon Kueh into big pieces and pan-frying them on the hot pan before adding an egg then the chilli then cooked it a little longer before serving. 

My dining companion tried it and said, "The pan-fried Png Kueh and Soon Kueh are something special, it is an interesting choice for breakfast though not commonly found." The presentation was a little messy and not quite appealing but it was comforting, certain parts of those pieces were nicely crisped but still soft. 

My dining companion then took a mouthful of the white Carrot Cake and said, "It tasted quite ordinary, those pieces of carrot cake were quite soft with enough egg added for the eggy taste but could hardly taste the cai po."

YONG XIANG CARROT CAKE

29 Bendemeer Road #01-35 Bendemeer Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays)

Siang Siang Chwee Kueh : not Singapore's Best

When we walked past this past, my dining companion said, "See! There is a queue." It is indicated on their signboard that they are Singapore's Best. I joined the queue and ordered 4 pieces of chwee kueh for $1.60. I did not ask for chilli. And, the middle-aged man that was manning the stall asked, "You do not want chilli, right?" I thought the usual question should be, "Do you want chilli or not?" I replied, "No chilli." I wanted to share with my dining companion and he does not take chilli. 

He took a bite and said, "The chwee kueh is soft and tasted not bad. I do not like the chye poh though." I did not like it as well. Unlike some of the other, the coarsely chopped chye poh was not soaked in oil thus not greasy but it has the unappealing raw chye poh taste though. It tasted light and not particularly salty but lacking in fragrance. It might taste better if chilli is added. 

There was also a slight confusion. I remember clearly that I handed over a $10 note but I was only given $0.40 as change. When asked, he insisted that he did not receive the $10. I decided to leave it as it is. 

SIANG SIANG CHWEE KUEH

Block 85 Bedok North Street 4 #01-31 Feng Shan Food Centre SINGAPORE 460085

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 9.00 pm

Kim's Kueh : traditional Teochew Kueh

This stall is started by Kim, a generation X hawker and there used to be another stall serving traditional Teochew kueh at Jalan Berseh Food Centre by another generation X hawker but it has already closed down. Both stalls cited the same reason for wanting to preserve the recipes handed down by their mother and grandmother for that traditional handmade kueh. Many of such stalls that started by the earlier generation have not been surviving mainly due to there is no one to take over. I usually come here for the traditional Png Kueh ($1.20) and Soon Kueh ($1.20). There are also Gu Chai Kueh ($1.20), Mixed Kueh ($1.20), Cabbage Kueh ($1.20) and Glutinous Rice ($1.50), the pan-fried ones are $0.10 extra per piece. 

While waiting for the order of Fried Hokkien Mee, I ordered one of each to share with my dining companion and bought another 4 more Png Kueh to pan-fry at home. The lady was kind enough to separate the dark sauce and chilli in a saucer when I told her that my dining companion prefers to have it plain. He tried the Png Kueh and said, "The glutinous rice is not as fragrance as I liked it. There is no taste of dried shrimp." I guess the main reason for omitting the dried shrimp is the cost. The price has to be kept affordable to survive in an aging residential estate. 

KIM'S KUEH

Block 18 Toa Payoh Lorong 7 #01-232 SINGAPORE 310018

Operating Hours: 7.30 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

多记 驰名猪肠粉 芋头糕 : the popular breakfast choice

It was sold out when I was there for the first time, the last customer bought the last portion right before me at 10.30 am. It was also sold out when I was there for the second time at 10.05 am, the light of the signboard was already off. The third time, I managed to reach there at 9.30 am. I saw from afar that the light of signboard was on. I got excited as that was a good sign. I walked a little faster and there was just another customer in front. The third time is the charm and it is really third time lucky. This stall has been around since the 1970s. 

I joined in and queue, waited patiently. When it was my turn to order, I said, "$2 Chee Cheong Fun and $2 Yam Cake." The lady replied, "The Yam Cake has finished." And, I said, "$3 Chee Cheong Fun then. Eating here." She asked, "With everything?" I smiled and nodded. She handed me the disposable plate with my Chee Cheong Fun and a pair of disposable chopsticks. 

I could not wait and took a picture of the Chee Cheong Fun then sent it to my dining companion on Line. He replied, "Finally get to eat. Nice or not?" I replied, "Nice!" The rice flour rolls were cut into pieces using a scissor in a fast motion then served in a pool of sweet sauce then drizzled with chilli sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. They do not make those Chee Cheong Fun but got them from a supplier. Though factory-made, it was soft and did not taste like it. Such an old school taste is just so delightful and it left me feeling happy.

多记 驰名猪肠粉 芋头糕 

335 Smith Street #02-216 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335

Operating Hours: 7.00 am till sold out (Closed on Mondays & Wednesdays)

Kalsom Kuih Muih Curry Puff at Yishun Park Hawker Centre

Zaidi Zainal and Kalsom Kamis, his wife, have been running a stall at Yishun Park Hawker Centre for over a year. This stall was in the news when 6 youths stole $1,064 from the cash register. That sum is equivalent to selling 600 pieces of those handmade curry puffs. The couple was forced to raise the prices of each curry from $1.20 to $1.50 trying to recoup the losses. 

I ordered the Curry Puff and Sardine Puff, the size is bigger than the usual puffs out there. 

My dining companion tried both and said, "I would prefer the Curry Puff to Sardine Puff. The Sardine Puff is too tomato-ish and with too much onion." 

I would also prefer the Curry Puff a bit more. It consists of a generous amount of potato with a piece of a boiled egg at the right level of spiciness.

KALSOM KUIH MUIH CURRY PUFF

51 Yishun Avenue 11 #01-01 Yishun Park Hawker Centre SINGAPORE 768867

Operating Hours: 2.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

AMK Curry Puff : they are back to Ang Mo Kio

They are back. They are back to where they first started. Mr Leo Chin Sang, founder of the AMK Curry Puff was part of the team that started Tip Top Curry Puff in 1979 before incorporating the ABR Group. He went to start AMK Curry Puff in July 2013 at a coffee shop at Toa Payoh Central before passing away about 2 years ago. I talked to Mr Leo then but he did not really want to elaborate on what happened. The Tip Top Curry Puff has renamed to Tip Top The Puff Factory after the incorporation and has remained in the coffee shop before moving to occupy the corner shop at Jubilee Square recently. I wrote an article for Makansutra in 2014 on this.

I asked, "The stall at Toa Payoh still around?" That lady nodded and said, "This is our second outlet. We have just opened about a week ago." I said, "I was told that the elderly Uncle has already passed away." She replied, "He was my Uncle." I also said, "I grew up in Ang Mo Kio and I remember there used to be a group of Aunties making curry puffs here." She pointed to the side of the stall and said, "Yeah. Right there." 

She added, "We decided to come back to Ang Mo Kio when they moved out." She said, "Hope to see you again." I decided to order a Sardine Puff and a Curry Puff at $1.50 each. Those puffs are still handmade and serve fresh. 

The Curry Puff was a pure disappointment. I could not taste any chicken chunks in it, the filling that mainly consists of potato was not as packed, not fragrant and not spicy. The crust tasted a little too dry, lacking the distinctive butter taste with a different texture. 

The Sardine Puff was equally disappointing. I did not like the crust as well, the filling that consists bits of sardine and shredded onion was very little, enclosed in a thick crust. 

Something is just different, it is smaller in size at a higher price. It just used to be much better but not so now. It left me feeling disappointed. 

AMK CURRY PUFF

Block 722 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 SINGAPORE 560722

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 8.00 pm

Shanghai La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Alexandra Village Food Centre

Zhang You Zhu, the owner and Zhao Guilan, his wife, came from Nanjing and have been in Singapore for more than 10 years. Her husband was a chef in Nan Jing before moving to Singapore and worked in a restaurant for about 10 years before starting their stall in 2011.

The queue started to form even before the stall was ready as their operating hours start from 11.30 am. I joined the queue and waited for a while ordering. I decided to go with Xiao Long Bao ($4.50) and Szechuan Spicy Wanton ($10 pieces for $4.50). 

Xiao Long Bao, typically means Little Dragon Bun, is supposed to be originated from Nan Jing. It is a steamed pork dumpling with minced pork as filling and encased in the handmade skin. We were served lukewarm dumplings that might have already steamed ahead to get them ready for the order. We did not like it as we were expecting it to be better after spotted the article from KF Seetoh of Makansutra dated 7 October 2013.

Szechuan Spicy Wanton is none other than poached dumplings served in chilli oil, it tasted more sourish than spicy but quite light and not too oily. It is quite good value for such a dish from a hawker stall. 

SHANGHAI LA MIAN XIAO LONG BAO

Block 120 Bukit Merah Lane #01-56 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150123

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Milah Hokkaido Curry Puff at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre

My dining companion told me about this stall after he went walking around the food centre. He said, "There is an interesting curry puff located at that corner." I decided to go check it out. When I was there, the "Hokkaido Curry Puff" on the signboard actually caught my attention. They are using 100% "Wonderful Traded Flour" from Hokkaido as indicated on their signboard. This is a halal stall owned by a Malay owner.

The friendly owner spotted me and he asked, "Any curry puff for you?" I asked, "What exactly is Hokkaido Curry Puff?" He pointed at the paper bag that has "Tokachi Mill Factory" printed on it together with some Japanese characters and said, "I am using the flour from Hokkaido to make all these curry puffs." He added, "There are different flavors ranging from the usual potato and sardine to cheese potato and mentaiko cheese potato." I asked, "How long have you been running this stall?" He answered, "We have been around for about 7 months." It is 1 piece for $1.20 or 3 pieces for $3.00. I decided to get one of each of the remaining flavors for a total of $4.20. 

We tried the sardine flavor and the potato flavor first, it actually tasted just like the usual curry puffs from the Malay stalls. We then tried the mentaiko cheese potato, it did not have the taste of mentaiko though we could actually see it amongst the filling. And, the cheese potato flavor did not have the taste of cheese in it. My dining companion said, "Though they claimed to use flour from Hokkaido, I could not quite tell the difference. It did not seem to have much effect in enhancing the texture of those puffs."

The size of these curry puffs is quite small. 

The owner seems to be passionate enough to keep this stall going and perhaps, give it more time and it will get better. 

MILAH HOKKAIDO CURRY PUFF

31 Commonwealth Crescent #02-64 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE 149644

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 6.00 pm (Mon to Fri) / 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Sat & Sun)

(Closed on Thursdays)

Sweet Heart Dessert : Sardine Puff and Potato Puff, must-try

A friend recommended the Sardine Puff and Curry Puff from a dessert stall at Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre. He did not recommend any of those desserts on the menu but just the puffs. I was there at about 1 pm on a Friday but the Sardine Puff have already sold out, left with the Potato Puff and Fried Popiah. The homemade Curry Puff and Sardine Puff are 3 pieces for $2, the homemade Popiah is $1 each. I was asked to self-service when the lady noticed me. I took 3 Potato Puffs and 1 Popiah for $3.00. The same friend mentioned that Sardine Puff is actually much better. 

My dining companion took a bite of the Potato Puff and he nodded his head, said, "This is simple and nice. It tasted warm and the crust was crispy."  He actually prefers this to those by Epok Epok Central at Eunos Crescent Food Centre. 

This is easily one of the better Potato Puff that I have eaten. It does not need to have egg or some fanciful fillings, this is good enough for me.

I went back for the Sardine Puff today. There were some left at 1.30 pm and also some Potato Puffs but no more popiah. I decided to go with 3 Sardine Puffs and 3 Potato Puffs. There were some customers ordering their hot desserts at that time.

My dining companion took a bite of the Sardine Puff and said, "I still prefer the Potato Puff a bit more. The puff is value for money though, it is packed with sardine filling. I do not think you can get another at this price elsewhere." I actually liked the Sardine Puff though, the filling was generous with a very mild spiciness, which is nice.

SWEET HEART DESSERT

Block 75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5 #01-06 Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre SINGAPORE 310075

Tiong Bahru Lien Fa Shui Jing Pau : the decades-old traditional snack

This is one of the stalls that originated from the Seng Poh Road Market that was opened in January 1951 before its demolition in 2004 and it is later renamed to Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre. They are famous for their steamed crystal dumplings that are not commonly found these days. There are only 3 types of fillings available, namely yam paste, sweet bean, and turnip. They are made in batches but always sold out pretty quickly, the next batch will have to wait up to an hour or so. It is priced at $0.60 for each dumpling during my last visit.

The skin of these bite-sized dumplings is slightly chewy and is translucent, it is very thin that you could actually see the filling through it and even so, it does not break easily. My favorite has to be the turnip dumplings as it goes really well with the accompanied chilli. The other 2 fillings are the sweet ones.

They are likely to be the only stall that is still handmade these traditional snacks in Singapore.

TIONG BAHRU LIEN FA SHUI JING PAU

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-10 Alexandra Village Food Centre SINGAPORE 150120

Operating Hours: 9.00 am to 3.00 pm

Muffles - Sweet Treats & Bakes

Met up with May Chow to collect the kee chang with red bean paste that I ordered. She used to run a hawker stall at Jalan Berseh Food Centre but gave it up recently after 2 years. Prior to that, she used to work as a pastry chef with Mandarin Orchard and Resorts World Sentosa before starting the hawker stall. 

I asked here, "Why did you give up your stall?" She said, "I had to pay $600 every month for cleaning fee when I did not even use plates for those pastries that I served." She continued to say, "And, I realized that I spent about $14,000 during the past 2 years for nothing. She said, "It is just not worth it."

Kakak Kentang : giant fried potato ball

Started by the Dapur Ummi Abdullah Dining Group headed by Chef Ummi in November 2017, this stall at FOMO, serving jumbo fried mashed potato balls. This is the most popular stall in this latest hipster food court at Sultan Gate, in the heart of Kampung Glam. 

There are 2 choices, Bombistik and Chikabom, the regular-sized at $6.90 and the large-sized at $9.90. The Bombistik is stuffed with minced beef in tomato bistik gravy and Chikabom is filled with minced chicken, served with chicken soup soto gravy. They are also serving snacks like Abang Popiah for $2 and if you get 3, it will be only for $5, there is also Adik Char Kuay for $5.90.

When ordering, I asked, pointing at the pictures of Bombistik and Chikabom just beside the counter, "Which one would you recommend?" The lady at the counter, replied, "Both are nice." I then decided to go with Chikabom but could not quite make up my mind whether to go for the regular-sized or the large-sized. There was another customer collecting her order. I pointed to her bowls and asked, "This is regular-sized or large-sized?", the same lady replied, "That's regular.". And, I said, "Regular-sized for me then, the large one is a bit too much." I was told to just wait at the counter as I was the only customer at that time as they were already in the midst of preparing the order. While waiting, I took notice of the sample on display to show the actual size of the potato balls. 

My order was ready in few minutes. Chikabom is actually the upgraded version of bergedil, a Malay-style fried potato patty, in a bigger size and served in chicken soup soto gravy topped with shredded carrot and radish with dried shallots. The fried potato ball turned soggy rather quickly after soaked in the gravy for a while. 

It tasted just like the usual bergedil, that is available at those Malay stalls, to go with Mee Siam or Mee Rebus, or as part of the selection for Nasi Padang, at a smaller size and cheaper in price. 

KAKAK KENTANG

38 Sultan Gate FOMO Singapore 198486

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Fri)
12.00 pm to 12.00 am (Sat & Sun)

China La Mian : Cheap and nice Xiao Long Bao

I took notice of this stall when I was at this coffee shop to have duck rice. I decided to go with just the soup dumplings, more commonly known as Xiao Long Bao at 6 pieces for $4.00 as I was already half-full after having the duck rice and satay earlier. I placed my order in Chinese and was given a pager to come back later for collection. I waited for about for 5 minutes or so before collecting it. The 6 pieces of soup dumplings were served in the steamer basket. 

There are condiments provided at the counter for self-service. Go for the soy sauce and vinegar as well as the shredded ginger, place them in a saucer. There are steps on how to eat a soup dumpling correctly. First, take the soup dumpling and dip it into the sauce then place it on the spoon. Next step is to bite the tip of the soup dumpling off to release the soup, you could just suck it off but it is usually quite hot and finally eating it. It is best to eat the entire dumpling in a single bite. 

The soup dumplings were rather plumpish, its wrapper was thin and with well-seasoned minced pork as filling, the soup was light but flavorful. The flavor was nicely balanced by the shredded ginger and sour vinegar. It was quite good, almost as good as some of those restaurants but at a much affordable price.

I went back a week later on a Wednesday but it was closed then. I am interested to try the Pork Chop La Mian ($4), Shan Dong Fried Dumplings ($5.00 for 12 pieces) and the Red Oil Dumplings ($4.00 for 10 pieces). 

CHINA LA MIAN

Block 56 New Upper Changi Road #01-1314 Kopi Kia SINGAPORE 461056

Yoon's Traditional Teochew Kueh : deliciously handmade with love

I could not quite remember how did I come across their Facebook page and how did I end up liking their page. I was tempted by their delicious looking handmade kuehs for a while and have been wanting to order it. It is a home-based business founded on 12 November 2016. 

I managed to send a message across on their Facebook page stating my orders, which consists of a box of 10 normal-sized Png Kueh ($18) and a box of Pumpkin Kueh ($12). There are also Gu Cai Kueh, Cikak Kueh, Muah Chee and  Nian Gao available for ordering, they are available in different sizes. I received a reply from Qara soon after. I was informed that their delivery is only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for the order that is $30 and above. Self-collection is also available at Eunos area after 2 pm on those days. These kuehs are freshly made in the morning. 

I was asked whether I would be interested to try Gu Cai Kueh or Cikak Kueh since it is going to be delivered right to my door-steps. I decided to go with a box of 10 pieces of Cikak Kueh for $15.00, adding on to the earlier orders for a total of $45. I was asked to choose the flavor and I could not decide between the peanut and green beans filling. I asked whether I could have both flavors but was told only a single flavor is allowed. Qara was kind enough to make an exception by accommodating my request as She wanted me to try both flavors. 

I have to settle the payment first before she could confirm my orders. I made a transfer using an ATM and I took a picture of the transaction slip and sent it to Qara. She got back pretty fast, acknowledging receipt of the payment and confirmed the orders. I received a private message on the delivery day when she was on her way to my house. I was still out at that time and I asked her to just left it outside my house. She sent me a picture after doing so. 

I could not wait to try all of them when I collected where it was left and brought it inside the house. I tried the traditionally handmade Png Kueh first, the skin was delicately thin and soft and its filling consists of glutinous rice with peanuts and bits of dried shrimps in it. I pan-fried it later and it tasted just as good, it was still good when I left it in the fridge and had it the next day. Those were amongst the nicest Png Kuehs that I have ever eaten.

Cikak Kueh is a very traditional Teochew kueh that are not commonly found in Singapore, it is quite similar to Ang Ku Kueh but different. The skin is made of Cikak that give it its name as well as the distinctive flavor, a little difficult to describe it. The green beans paste was not too sweet. It reminded me of something that I had eaten in Taiwan, this was my first time eating it in Singapore though.

I sent a feedback to Qara to tell her that I enjoyed all the kuehs. She replied, "Thanks for the support once again, Cecilia! And, so glad to know that you enjoyed our kuehs. Chef Mum got put love into each one of them." I can actually taste that little bit of love in it. To order, go to their Facebook and send them a message. 

YOON'S TRADITIONAL TEOCHEW KUEH

www.facebook.com/YoonsTraditionalTeochewKueh

Heavenly Snacks : their Muah Chee is so addictive!

There is a muah chee stall amongst the others in Circuit Road Food Centre and it is manned by Mr Andy Tan, 52,  it has been around for a year or so. Muah Chee is a traditional snack that is made with glutinous rice flour and it is not as commonly found as it used to be, there is Hougang 6 Miles Famous Muah Chee at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh and also can be found at some Pasar Malam. His version is not quite like those available at Pasar Malam but a better quality one which it is even better than Hougang 6 Miles Famous Muah Chee that has been around for a while. He experimented with different recipes before deciding on the method of using a blender to mix the dough. He also divided the dough into individual trays before steaming it. This is to ensure that the portion is of equal size. 

There are only 3 items on their menu, the "Yuan Yang" Muah Chee ($3.00), Black Muah Chee ($2.80) and White Muah Chee ($2.50). I wanted to order their "Yuan Yang" Muah Chee but I was told it has already sold out, only the white muah chee and the black muah chee are available . I ordered one of each. 

Mr Tan took out a tin from the oven, tip it slightly to slip the muah chee into the wooden tray that is filled with ground, roasted black sesame seeds. He then cut the muah chee into the equal size by hand and tosses them into it. The reason for cutting it so small is to ensure every piece is coated evenly for more bite and flavour. The same process was repeated for the white muah chee with the peanut coating and both are packed into a red paper box with decorative toothpicks. A relatively long waiting time is expected as every order takes about 5 minutes to prepare.

The sesame coating has a nice fragrance and a well-balanced sweetness with a light crunch. The peanut coating is not as fragrant as compared to the black sesame one. The glutinous rice dough is not as greasy and sticky, it is rather soft with a nice chewiness. It also does not get stuck in between the teeth. It is a perfect snack to go in between meals and definitely, a healthier choice too. 

From the preparation to the packaging, many thoughts have been put into it as Alan is hoping that it would appeal to the new generation. 

HEAVENLY SNACKS

Block 79A Circuit Road #01-106 Circuit Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 371079

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 3.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)