Singapore Bak Kut Teh @ Ng Ah Sio Pork Rib Soup Eating House

August 24, 2019, 6:36 am

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There were moments of tension - the car was rolling along CTE (Central Expressway) and we haven't made up our minds on where to eat 😱 There were simply far too many options in Singapore foodie paradise - some suggestions were passed over because we have eaten there recently, other proposals got cool responses because we weren't thinking of ever going back there again. Then, we struck upon the idea of Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh.



We all know the Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh legend - one of Singapore's top brands that count foreign Prime Ministers, Presidents, Generals, and pop stars as regulars. But, none of the four of us Singaporeans have ever eaten there before 😅




Maybe as locals, we take Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh for granted because we felt that it is always there and will always be around. We will eat there one day, just don't know which day. So, today will be the day. (One of Singapore's bak kut teh pioneers, Ng Ah Sio Pork Rib Soup was founded in the 1950s.)

Or, perhaps Ng Ah Sio has the reputation of being a tourist trap - I have no idea. Anyway, when we arrived, a tourist bus pulled up. As good Singaporeans, we quickly secured a table and put in our orders, just moments ahead of the tourists 😃



The decor, furnishings and atmosphere inside Ng Ah Sio were quite pleasant - we were comfortable and happy.



Despite the full house, our food came rather quickly - everything on the table well within 15 minutes of ordering. Everything here for S$82.



First things first, the Singapore style pork rib soup.



The soup has a tea colour and medium body. It tasted savoury peppery with underlying garlic taste and subtle sweetness from the pork. (It reminded me of the soup from Song Fa, another famous Singapore bak kut teh though Ng Ah Sio's soup leaned more on the savoury than peppery.) The flavours though quite robust, were not overpowering. We were able to taste the natural sweetness of the pork.



We had both the Premium Loin Rib and Superior Short Rib. The meaty pork ribs were slightly firm with a bit of chew to the bite (though not hard). There were slight natural porky sweetness, especially in the visceral fat.



Among the sides, we like the savoury braised pork skin as it was tenderly crunchy (not soft).



We like the stewed pork trotter because the skin, fat and meat were tender and juicy with mild savoury sweet flavours.



We like it that they were very generous with soup top ups. The staff were also friendly and helpful. We did feel quite thirsty for a while after the meal, but today's extra hot and humid weather may have something to do with it too.



We walloped everything 😄 and hung around a while to sip Chinese tea as per bak kut teh tradition.





Restaurant name: Ng Ah Sio Pork Rib Soup Eating House
Address: 208 Rangoon Rd, Hong Building, Singapore 218453
GPS: 1°19'03.4"N 103°51'09.9"E 🌐 1.317606, 103.852748
Nearest MRT station: Farrer Park
Tel: 6291 4537
Hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm

Non Halal




Date visited: 24 Aug 2019

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El Fuego by COLLIN'S. Fine Western HALAL Restaurant @ Jewel Changi Airport

August 24, 2019, 10:11 pm

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I was invited for lunch at El Fuego by COLLIN'S, a fine Western HALAL Restaurant at Jewel - Singapore's newest, still hot, dining and shopping hotspot.



Coming to Jewel Changi Airport, I can't help but be drawn to the spectacle of the iconic indoor waterfall. Jewel is linked directly with Terminal 1 (which is connected by monorail with Terminal 2 and 3.) 




I can spend an entire day at the Jewel just gawking at the awesome waterfall tower. 

Anyone can get carried away, mesmerised by the waterfall. Fortunately, my phone rung, reminding me of my appointment at Elfuego at L2-216.

Elfuego is a nice comfortable, welcoming, family friendly space. I was granted the privilege to meet the kitchen crew. 



I was immediately struck by the youthful energy, enthusiasm and confidence of Team Elfuego. The oldest member is 27 years old. 



This is quite an extraordinary squad. Team leader Head Chef Koh Han Jie clinched the championship for French cuisine at the prestigious Young Talents Escoffier 2018 held in Zurich. On the road to the championship, Han Jie won the national and Asian qualifying rounds in Singapore and Hong Kong respectively. 

Just 26, Han Jie already has Marina Bay Sand's Bread Street Station, Sky on 57, three Michelin Star Maison Pic (in Valence, France) and Les Amis under his belt.

That's not all. 



Han Jie's sous chef is his younger brother Han Wei, 23. Han Wei is gifted like his elder brother. Following his elder brother's foot steps, Han Wei represented Singapore at the Young Talents Escoffier 2019, winning the national and Asian rounds in Singapore and Shanghai. He clinched the Vice Champion title at the world finals in Paris.

Wait, there's more.



Sous chef Neo Jun Hao, 24 is equally impressive. He brought home to Singapore from Jeunes Talents International Final in Bordeaux, France 2019 two coveted titles - Vice Champion and Best Dish Award.

Chatting with the accomplished young culinary stars was awe inspiring, humbling and also made my stomach growl 😂



Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche appetiser. Green apple slaw, pickled shallot, fresno chili, dill vinaigrette, Mekong apple juice. Blend of gently savoury, sweet flavours and appetite whetting citrusy taste. Price $23++.



Beet cured King Salmon gravlax. Pickled kohlrabi, burnt orange, citrus vinaigrette. I loved the briny savoury taste of cured fish zested up and brightened with refreshing fruity flavours. Price $20++.



Elfuego is a MUIS certified HALAL restaurant. The talented, innovative Team Elfuego substituted ingredients to create HALAL compliant French classics. 



Irish Oysters with cucumber granita. Price $18++ for three pieces.



Freshly shucked briny oysters complemented with refreshing bright tasting cucumber. 



Charcoal Grilled Australian Lamb Shoulder main course. Price $78++ (about 1.2kg). 



Marinated with thyme oil, rosemary etc and sous vide cooked for 12 hours. The large lamb shoulder is finished in a charcoal fired oven before it is served boneless.



I love the tender moist savoury meat which was well infused with mild savoury and subtle herbal flavours. My favourite was the visceral fat for the mild natural gamey taste it added to the dish. 



We had a couple of légume sides simply salted and grilled or sautéed, to go with the meat.



Strawberry dessert, price $14++. Macerated strawberry, white chocolate cream, strawberry mousse, strawberry consomme, speculoos sabre, basil oil



The strawberry tower represents an auspicious fountain. Mix of sweet tangy flavours with soft, tender and crunchy crisp textures.

Note that El Fuego does not serve the usual carbs like pasta, risotto, paella etc



Glad to experience the cuisine of Singapore's world class young talents. I came away satied by the hearty meal and brimming with pride with Singapore's place in the world's culinary stage thanks to our young chefs. (Now, if only, we are 10% as good in football 😂 )

Keep up the great work Team Elfuego 👏👏👏

Disclosure: Please note that this was an invited tasting.

More Singapore food adventures with Johor Kaki 👈 click





Restaurant name: El Fuego by COLLIN'S
Address: #02-216, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore
GPS: 1°21'35.6"N 103°59'25.8"E 🌐 1.359888, 103.990502
Tel: +65 6513 0716
Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm

MUIS Certified HALAL



Date visited: 23 Aug 2019

Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita. Authentic Lombok Food in Batam

August 26, 2019, 5:18 am

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Arriving in Batam from Singapore by boat, feeling a little famish, our local buddies whisked us from Harbour Bay ferry terminal straight to Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita in Batam Centre.



As some of us may know, Ayam Bakar Taliwang is the signature dish of Lombok island in East Java, Indonesia. Following a devastating earthquake in Lombok in 2018, the owners of Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita uprooted, and moved to Batam to rebuild their lives. Initially with a single shop lot serving ayam bakar taliwang and other East Java specialities, the business soon thrived and expanded to two shop lots.




The Lombok ayam bakar taliwang. It comes served with a dish of sambal chili and vegetable soup.

The grilled chicken meat was moist (not juicy), a little firm and chewy to the bite. The savoury spicy marination was well infused into the fibres, complemented by more robust savoury spiciness from the sambal chili paste smothering the chicken thigh. If that is not enough for you, the sambal chili in the dish adds a further sharp spicy hot sting. The accompanying savoury tangy vegetable (carrot, corn etc) soup and boiled white rice helped to moderate the chicken's spicy heat as well as complete the dish.

The ayam bakar taliwang was good, but the memorable dish for me here was the next dish - ikan bakar taliwang i.e. the fish version.



The same set of sambal chili, vegetable soup and a large grilled fish with bands of char, fully sheathed in a thick fiery looking coat.



The grilled fish was meaty, its white flesh moist, tender and subtly naturally sweet.



Eat the fresh, moist tender sweet fish enveloped with savoury spicy paste together with this extra spicy sambal chili along with plain white rice, and it was a wow, just wow.

Mix of tender fish, soft rice, crunchy long beans, with blend of sweetness, savouriness and successive assaults of hot spicy sting of increasing intensity. As I am writing this on a cold rainy evening in Batam, I am yearning to go back to Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita for more punishment masochist culinary pleasure.



We also had a sop daging which is beef soup. The bowl of soup was filled with large chunks of beef, some beef bones and vegetables. The flavour of the soup was similar to that in soto ayam - savoury with pronounced spice notes.



Drink the soup and eat the beef with the nerves in your taste buds kicked to full alert by the ultra spicy sting of this sambal chili, and you will appreciate the layers of beefy goodness in the meaty soup. The somewhat mild tasting savoury spice soup, suddenly tasted rich with layers of spice flavours. Even the underlying beefiness leached from the meat could be discerned in the soup. (So many words just to say.. shiok lah.. 😂 )



The obligatory fried tempeh with every Indonesian full meal. The ones at Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita were thick like energy bars and clean tasting (even though it's fermented soy beans). Nice complementary side for the robust tasting dishes we had.



Eh? This tempeh (served at Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita) is exported and available in Singapore supermarkets like GIANT, Sheng Siong and NTUC woh 😃 I shall look out for them, when I am home.



Total bill came to IDR 188,100 (SGD18.50). The most expensive dish was the ikan bakar taliwang at IDR 80,000 (SGD7.88) but to me it is the winner here 😄



Recommended for you 👍 Good place for authentic Lombok cuisine in Batam. Everything was nice, and the dish that moved me the most was ikan bakar taliwang.

More Batam adventures with Johor Kaki 👈 click





Restaurant name: Ayam Bakar Taliwang Pelita
Address: Komp Suri Graha, Jln. Sriwijaya No. 8-9, Kp. Pelita, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29432 (directly across the road from Hotel Merlin & Bank BTN)
GPS: 1°08'40.9"N 104°01'07.8"E 🌐 1.144683, 104.018835
Tel: (0778) 425120
Hours: 10:00am - 9:00pm (Sunday 6:00pm - 9:00pm)

Halal




Date visited: 25 Aug 2019

Best Satay Stalls in Batam. Warung Sate Kendal

August 27, 2019, 5:45 am

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Buddies took us for dinner at Warung Sate Kendal at Simpang Orchid at Batam Centre which is the satay hub of Batam. This is the go-to place in Batam where satay lovers go enjoy good satay with locals.



The first thing that struck me as I was getting out of the car was the toasty aroma of spiced meat roasting over charcoal fire. There were several satay stalls along Jalan Simpang Orchid (Jalan Bakal) blowing white smoke into the aromatic cloud. 




Warung Sate Kendal is the most popular judging by the crowd inside the large family friendly stall. It is also our local buddies' favourite.



The pieces of meat skewered with a skinny wooden stick were grilled over flaming charcoal fire. Action at the long BBQ station was frenetic as Warung Sate Kendal is a busy stall.



Oil dripping onto the hot coals sent hissing, white greasy smoke into the air carrying with it aromas that drew passers by into the street side stall.



We were on a morning till midnight food trail, so we just ordered chicken, beef and lamb satay for tasting. Next time, I shall also order their mutton soup which I saw many locals eating. (I also heard that it is very good.)



The freshly charcoal grilled satay came laid on top of a shallow pool of dark savoury sweetish kicap manis sauce along with a heap of raw cut onion, cucumber and tomatoes.



The stems of chunky meat were long (twice as long as those in Singapore). Well grilled with bits of char here and there at the edges. The spice seasoned meat were juicy, especially the beef and lamb. Chewing into the tender juicy beef and lamb, I can taste the mild spices and their natural gamey flavour plus a bit of toastiness. The dark sauce added a bit of savoury sweetness, but I didn't use it much, preferring the satay's own flavour.



There was a small dish of saltish spicy hot sambal chili, if you like your satay spiked with a hot sting. I didn't use it much.



We had another set with thick peanut sauce. The peanut were ground quite fine and boiled till rather soft with just a bit of grainy feel on the tongue. It tasted mainly savoury salty with peanut and spice flavour subtly underlying - quite different from those nutty sweet spicy sauce in Singapore and Malaysia. It was almost as if salted fish was added to the peanut sauce. 



As we were already overloaded on carbs for the day, we ordered a couple of this obligatory lontong or rice cake. I am glad we did, this was the best rice cake that I've had in a long time. The rice cake was soft, just half a notch firmer than chwee kueh. I could taste the clean rice flavour along with a bit of leafy taste from the palm leaves used to wrap the lontong.



All the satay and drinks we had came to a total of IDR128,600 (SGD12.50).



Recommended for you 👍 A good place to enjoy authentic Javanese style satay together with locals. (But, please taste this with an open mind as this is different from Singapore or Malaysia satay.)

More Batam adventures with Johor Kaki 👈 click





Restaurant name: Warung Sate Kendal
Address: Jalan Bakal (near intersection with Jalan Raja H. Fisabilillah), Taman Baloi, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29432, Indonesia (near Orchid Park Residence)
GPS: 1°07'27.1"N 104°01'33.4"E 🌐 1.124187, 104.025955
Tel: 0857-6500-2495
Hours: 8:00am - 11:00pm

Halal




Date visited: 25 Aug 2019

Famous Swees Epok Epok. The Best Curry Puffs in Batam

August 27, 2019, 7:38 pm

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As our car rolled by Swees Epok Epok off Jalan Imam Bonjol, our local buddy casually pointed out that it is the most famous curry puff shop in Batam. "Can we get some?" I uttered reflexively.



As we had a prior appointment, we made a trip back to Swees Epok Epok the next day.




Two stories of bright airy space at Swees Epok Epok based mainly on the popularity on their famous epok epok - this place is always packed during tea time. Swees was a humble street side stall before moving into this huge premises recently.




Every epok epok is freshly hand made and deep fried at Swees Epok Epok.



They have several flavours such curry chicken & potato, sardines, yam. We just have the classic chicken & curry potatoes (to save tummy space for more food to taste during our whole day food trail).

First impressions based on the shape, size, colour and style of the folds reminded me of Singapore's Old Chang Kee curry puff.



The difference was quite obvious once I bite into Swees' epok epok.

Swees' epok epok has a thick, stiffer shell with flaky layers. Old Chang Kee's shell is thicker and is just one crumbly sheet i.e. 1 layer. Personally, I find flaky, multi-layered, crispy shells more interesting. Swees' shell is also cleaner tasting than Old Chang Kee's. 

Swees' epok epok's egg and curry potato filling is sweeter and less spicy (compared to Old Chang Kee's curry puff).



My dream curry chicken & potato pastry would have Swees' epok epok's multi-layer flaky shell stuffed with Old Chang Kee's spicier curry chicken & potato filling.



Kari Epok Ayam or Curry Chicken with Potato - IDR 3,000 (29 cents SGD)

Sardine - IDR 3,000 (29 cents SGD)

Talas or Yam - IDR 3,500 (34 cents SGD).

Food Geek Notes: Epok epok or curry puffs? Epok epok were inspired by Portuguese style pastry brought to the Malay Archipelago in the 1500s. Epok epok shells are thin and have a stretchy, chewy bite. The British brought their way of doing pastry when they arrived in the Malay Archipelago in the 1800s. Adding butter to the dough in the way of English pies made the shells crumbly and flaky. Filling the flaky, crumbly shells with curry chicken and potato gave us curry puffs. Both epok epok and curry puffs are sold in food stalls today. However, the terms epok epok and curry puffs are now used interchangeably by custom, even though they are really different pastries. Fun fact - next time you eat a stretchy, thin, chewy shell epok epok, remember the humble snack in your mouth is a half millennium old historic artefact 😮 (Source: Makansutera)

Recommended for you 👍 When you are in Batam, do come and check out Swees Epok Epok's famous curry puffs.

More Batam adventures with Johor Kaki 👈 click





Restaurant name: Swees Kopi Tiam
Address: 🏠 Nagoya Citywalk Northwalk, Block B, No 1, Jalan Imam Bonjol, Lubuk Baja Kota, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29444, Indonesia
GPS: 1°08'32.3"N 104°00'24.1"E 🌐 1.142293, 104.006697
Tel: +62 812-6645-7717
Hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm


 
Date visited: 26 Aug 2019

Martabak 818 in Batam. Indonesian Style Ban Chang Kueh or Apom Balik

August 28, 2019, 5:36 am

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When you come to Batam, or anywhere in Indonesia, you have to treat yourself to a martabak manis. It's a form of ban chang kueh, or apom balik, or pancake but the Indonesians have taken it to another level altogether.

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My first martabak manis was the famous Martabak Markobar back in 2015. Truth be to told, mine wasn't a love at first bite fairy tale nor even love at first sight with the ultra Instagrammable pancake. My first thought was it was too gimmicky. I didn't like the blink blink, dazzlingly colourful toppings that scream plastic "food". Those first bites in 2015 also didn't have the sponginess I fell so hard in love with now.





Then last year (2018), the spongy pancake from this late night road side stall in Tanjung Pinang named "1889 Martabak Bangka" completely changed my mind about martabak manis. Now, every trip to Indonesia must include a bite and taste of martabak manis in the itinerary.



Every Indonesian has a personal favourite martabak or at least know a famous one. When we asked our local buddy Chris to bring us to his favourite in Batam, he took us to this Martabak 818 stall in Nagoya.



The batter is freshly beaten, and the pancake is made only on order.



The pancake removed from the hot plate, piping hot can be topped with any combination of toppings. The common toppings are margarine, condensed milk, shredded cheese, chocolate rice, boiled corn, crushed toasted nuts, peanut butter, matcha, OREO, M & M, Kit Kat, Nutella, you get the idea. The beauty of martabak manis is the toppings are limited only by our imagination. From time to time, there will be new trendy toppings that trigger extra long queues at the stall.



The whole martabak was cut and packed neatly into a paper box. Martabaks are sold as whole pancakes, never as wedges. I had a martabak with red bean paste topping for IDR50,000 (SGD4.80).



The folded pancake was around 2 inches thick. The golden brown skin was crisp while the inside was tender, moist and spongy as it was full of air pockets like honeycomb.

The boiled bean paste was soft and smooth, spiked with tender nuts here and there.



I like it that Martabak 818's spongy pancake was just gently sweet with underlying pandan leaf flavour and aroma. The red bean paste was also mildly sweet. The embedded nuts were the nutty tender sweet type.



I also ordered a crispy version which is made by simply scrapping out and discarding the "pulp" from the "normal" thick pancake. For the crispy one, I had chocolate rice and crushed toasted peanut toppings.



Same thing, the crispy martabak was cut and packed in a paper box. Price IDR25,000 (SGD2.40).



I like this crispy version as much as the thick spongy one. The thin pancake was crispy like a snappy cracker and tasted just mildly sweet. It was delicious with the toasty crushed groundnuts and sweet chocolate.

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Recommended for you 👍 Martabak manis is a signature Indonesian snack to include in your foodie trip to Batam.

More Batam adventures with Johor Kaki 👈 click

Restaurant name: Martabak 818
Address: Ruko Nagoya Paradise Centre Blok H No. 2, Batu Selicin, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29432, Indonesia
GPS: 1°08'25.8"N 104°00'16.3"E 🌐 1.140503, 104.004518
Tel: +62 811-7568-188
Hours: 3:00pm - 11:30pm

Halal




Date visited: 26 Aug 2019

History of Maxwell Food Centre - From Chinese Burial Ground to Famous Hawker Centre in Singapore

May 11, 2020, 6:00 am

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Maxwell Food Centre is not the largest hawker centre in Singapore but it is one of the most famous and busy because of the popular food stalls here and its central location in Chinatown. But, the 92 year road to glory was not a straightforward one for Maxwell Food Centre - there were quite a few unexpected twists and turns, blind corners and even some drama along the way.

Map of Singapore dated 1836

Few people today know that Maxwell Food Centre site was one of Singapore's earliest Chinese burial grounds (in the 1800s). It was ringed by South Bridge Road to its north, Maxwell Road to its west and Mount Erskine Road to the east. To its south were nutmeg and clove plantations at the foothills of Mount Wallich, Mount Erskine and Scotts Hill (today's Ann Siang Hill).



If you ever wondered where are Mount Wallich and Mount Erskine now, these two hills no longer exist.

👆 Get to know Singapore through its food. Image credit: Wikipedia

In 1907, the graves were exhumed, Mount Wallich and Mount Erskine were flattened, and their soil taken for the Teluk Ayer reclamation project. Singapore's Central Business District is built on reclaimed land from its first reclamation project. (Source: Singapore Infopedia)

The original entrance at Maxwell Market built in 1929

When the graves were exhumed, the land was earmarked for a marketplace. In 1925, the track to its west was upgraded and named Maxwell Road (in honour of John Argyle Maxwell, a wealthy Scottish merchant who lived in Singapore at the time). So, when the marketplace was completed in 1928, it was named Maxwell Market.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

But, Maxwell Market didn't take off to a roaring start. The street hawkers plying around Tanjong Pagar, Teluk Ayer and Kreta Ayer preferred to stay outside the market to avoid paying rent.

During the 1930s, without sufficient permanent tenants, Maxwell Market became a "multi purpose" community event hall of sorts where Teochew operas were staged during the Hungry Ghosts Festival.

When the Japanese came (1942 - 1945), they reduced rental at Maxwell Market to entice street hawkers to set up stalls inside. Food here were sold at controlled prices during the Japanese occupation.

When the British returned, Maxwell Centre continued to be a place for affordable meals. Maxwell Centre housed the first "Family Restaurant" set up by the Social Welfare Department in 1946 to sell 8 cent meals to the needy.

But, for the next decades Maxwell Market languished half empty occupied as street hawkers continued to shunt it to avoid paying rent. In 1972, when Lau Pa Sat closed for renovation, the government moved its 73 market stalls to Maxwell Market, turning it into a wet market.

Maxwell Market in 1986. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

But, it was only a brief injection of life. When renovations at Lau Pa Sat were completed, the wet market stalls returned home and Maxwell Market went back to a state of limbo (which it remained until 1986).

China Street in the 1930s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

In 1986, the government moved 70 street hawkers operating in the side and back lanes around China Street into Maxwell Market. This was the last phase of the government programme launched in 1968 to resettle all street hawkers into purpose built hawker centres.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Maxwell Market closed for a year of remodelling and reopened in 1987 as Maxwell Food Centre - a full fledge hawker centre with all food stalls and no wet market stalls, making it the last hawker centre in Singapore's first hawker centre building programme.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

When you come to Maxwell Food Centre, you will see a certain Hokkien imprint as the area around today's China Square like Hokien Street, Nankin Street, China Street etc was the Hokkien enclave. You will see several old school Hokkien food stalls from among the first batch of Maxwell Food Centre hawkers still in operation today.



China Street Fritters stall #01-64 founded in the 1930s, moved into Maxwell Food Centre together with their China Street compatriots in 1986. Today, the jovial Ng brothers run the popular stall serving ngoh hiang 五香 - a Hokkien dish. They still use their father's methods i.e. everything - the fried 5-spice seasoned meat roll, pork sausage, pork liver sausage, fried egg slice etc are all handmade at the stall. Robust savoury flavours in crispy, greasy bites add up to a comforting, hearty meal when eaten with stir fried bee hoon (rice vermicelli), fried tofu and century egg.

Photo credit: National Archives of Singapore

Another stall that moved to Maxwell Food Centre in 1986 was Mdm Pang's Fuzhou oyster cake 福州豪饼 which she found in 1962 at Tras Street.

Fuzhou Oyster Cake

Today, Mdm Pang's daughter Ms Voon still serves Fuzhou oyster cakes at Maxwell Food Centre stall #01-05. This stall is one of the last handful of hawkers in Singapore still selling this traditional snack from Fuzhou, China.



Ms Voon's Fuzhou oyster cake has a thin slightly crisp browned crust filled with minced pork, small prawns, small oysters and chopped parsley. It tastes mildly savoury sweet from the moist fillings with a bit of crunch and nuttiness from the couple of peanuts studded on the crust.



Here's how Anthony Bourdain described Fuzhou oyster cake when K. F. Seetoh, founder of Makansutra took him on a dazzling makan (eating) tour of Maxwell Food Centre. (Page 233, The Nasty Bits, New York Times Bestseller in 2006.)

China Street Rickshaw Noodles

China Street Cook Food Rickshaw Noodles stall #01-87 also moved here in 1986 from around China Square. Founded in 1943, it was one of five stalls serving affordable rickshaw noodles (kan chia mee in Hokkien) to rickshaw pullers (mostly Fuzhou folks) plying around the city shirtless and bare foot at that time. Today, this stall is one of only two left in Singapore serving this humble dish.



The stall #01-87 is now run by Mdm Soh whose mother Mdm Teo Aw Teow started the back lane business. Rickshaw noodles are probably in its last legs now.

It is a very simple dish - just limp generic yellow noodles in a vegetable (chye sim) soup with some dried shrimps giving it a bit of savoury umami boost. Mdm Soh still snips the noodles like her mother did, so that rickshaw pullers can just slurp up the soupy noodles and be on their way. No need for spoons or chopsticks. (Perhaps Katong laksa got the idea from rickshaw noodles, I am not sure.)

Image Credit: National Archives of Singapore

Hand pulled rickshaws were the main means of public transport in the city until they were replaced by trishaws and electric trams. During its heydays in the early 1900s, there were over 22,000 rickshaw pullers in Singapore. Rickshaw pullers were very poor and rickshaw noodles provided cheap fuel to power their aching muscles.

Rickshaws were mainly phased out by the 1940s, but rickshaw noodles persisted as a form of low cost meal. Mdm Soh's business is sustained as there is still demand for economic meals and a taste of nostalgia but probably not for much longer.



If you are looking for Singapore's oldest bak kut teh stall, this is it at stall #01-89 - Nankin Street Bak Kut Teh 南京街肉骨茶. It was founded around 1910 or 1920s - no other bak kut teh in Singapore comes even close in vintage. The soup is Hokkien style i.e. savoury herbal with dark soy sauce and Chinese medicinal herbs as its main ingredients. It is made with pork bones, the kind with little meat that defines bak kut teh of the old days (not pork ribs which came about only from the 1960s when Singapore began to be more affluent). Nanjing Street Bak Kut Teh has its roots in the famous 李旺世肉骨茶 Ong Say Bak Kut Teh of Nankin Street which was packed to the rafters and spilled over to the five foot way during its heydays before the building was demolished to make way for China Square (hence they moved to Maxwell Food Centre in 1989).

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

One of the stalls that moved here in 1986 was China Street Hum Jin Pang. Hand kneaded, rolled and pressed dough fried into delectable crispy golden brown fritters like yau char kwai (fried crullers), ham chim peng (salty fried bread), char chin tui (fried sesame seed crusted balls filled with crushed peanuts or red bean paste) etc.

 

China Street Hum Jin Pang is in the second generation now, run by Ms Li Shu Hui who is in her 50s. Since her father's time, customers volunteered to help out fry their own fritters. It's a China Street tradition still preserved to this day in Maxwell Food Centre. Come join the fry-it-yourself fun - China Street Hum Jin Pang stall #01-28 opens at 3pm daily.

Heng Heng Ondeh Ondeh

Second generation owner Mr Ang's mother founded Heng Heng Ondeh Ondeh and she moved from China Street to Maxwell Food Centre stall #01-31 in 1986. Today, Mr Ang and wife still make everything - ondeh ondeh, lo mai chi, tapioca cake, kueh kosui, pulut inti etc by hand. They start work at the hawker centre at 4am, so customers can get their traditional kueh at 7am onwards. My favourite here is their pillow soft lo mai chi which are chewy sweet mochi balls filled with gula Melaka and crushed toasted peanut or grated coconut flesh 😋



Third generation 75 Peanut Soup stall #01-57 is another transplanted China Street stalwart. Mr Peh now runs the 70 year old stall founded by his grandmother (from Anxi, Fujian, China). They serve red bean soup, mung bean soup (tau suan) and signature peanut soup. Peanut soup is rarely found in Singapore nowadays as it is tedious to make and margins are razor thin. The peanut soup requires 4 hours of boiling and constant stirring / heat management. Served with optional crushed peanut filled mochi balls (glutinous rice balls) which regulars skip as they are generic off-the-shell store bought.

👆 Get to know Singapore through its food. Image credit: Wikipedia

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

In 1986, two chicken rice stalls set up at Maxwell Food Centre. One of them was Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall #01-10 (the other was Heng Heng Hainanese Chicken Rice). Ms Foo Kui Lan and husband's chicken rice stall was doing well, steadily building up its following with their succulent poached chicken and aromatic rice.



Then, Anthony Bourdain discovered Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in 2006, twenty years after it opened at Maxwell Food Centre.

Anthony Bourdain featured Tian Tian chicken rice in the fourth season (2008) of his wildly popular, widely acclaimed No Reservations travel and food show.

Then, everything changed.

Immediately, throngs of tourists descended on Tian Tian everyday to have what Anthony Bourdain pronounced "exceptionally fragrant and flavoursome".



Five years later in 2013, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice was selected for a cook-off with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (organised by Singtel). Katong 328 Laksa and Jumbo Chili Crab were also involved in the cook off which, by the way, Tian Tian and Katong 328 Laksa won against Gordon Ramsay.



So, everyday without fail, there is a long line of tourists and locals waiting for their taste of Tian Tian Hainanese chicken rice.

Tian Tian's star continues to shine clinching Bib Gourmand honours in the Singapore Michelin Guide every year since its inaugural edition in 2016.



To me, Tian Tian's savoury brown sauce slathered over the chicken is the highlight of the dish. The chicken meat can be smoother and can have more chicken flavour. The rice can feature fuller grains. But, this is the undisputed most famous chicken rice stall in the Singapore, if not the world.

Wait. So, what happened to Heng Heng Hainanese Chicken Rice stall #01-40? - the other original Maxwell Food Centre chicken rice stall?


Heng Heng is also doing well, thank you very much, says a contented looking Mr Koh.



Still flying low profile under the media radar, Heng Heng have their own following, though not quite the cult status of Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Heng Heng Hainanese Chicken Rice

I like Heng Heng's chicken better because the meat is more tender and has more flavour. The rice is aromatic though some grains are chipped, and overall it's too wet for my liking.

Then, did you spot this gentleman in Anthony Bourdain's show working inside Tian Tian chicken rice stall? Rewind the video, if you didn't 😄



He is Ah Tai, who was Tian Tian's head chef for over 20 years but left in 2013 to set up his own stall after he was fired following a dispute with Ms Foo's daughter.

Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice

Many people prefer Ah Tai's chicken rice stall #01-07. It tastes more like Tian Tian's chicken rice before they became famous. The chicken is succulent, tender, juicy, smooth. The brown sauce isn't like Tian Tian's - milder savoury sweet and more sloshy. The rice is fuller, more nutty, nicely aromatic.

Usually, there's no need to queue as business is nowhere nearly as busy as at Tian Tian.

 

But wait, there's more. There are now 8 chicken rice stalls at Maxwell Food Centre making it the headquarters of Singapore's unofficial national dish. If you are a chicken rice fanatic, you can try them all, one stall at a time.

Fu Shun Cantonese Roasts

Opened here in 2008, Fu Shun Shao La Mian Ja at stall #01-71 is considered a new kid on the block. It has a strong following as it is the only Cantonese roast meat stall in Maxwell Food Centre and one of the best in Singapore. Competitive pricing and more critically, Fun Shun's roasts have robust savoury sweet smokey flavours well sealed and infused in their huge chunky meaty juicy greasy servings that are worth dying a little for.

Yi Jia Fish Soup

More than 20 years here at Maxwell Food Centre, this fish soup stall #01-66 is one of the perennial favourites, judging by the constant queue. I've been eating here as long as it was here. Just simple fresh fish in a nice gently savoury soup that lets the sweet white flesh speak for itself. Yi Jia has fish roe and milt too for those who fancy such exotic parts. Try fish milt if you haven't, it quite nice actually is nicer than what most people might think.

Ramen Taisho

Over the years as the original Maxwell Food Centre hawkers retire and vacate their stalls, new hawkers take over. Slowly there is a change in make up of the stalls, adding more variety and flavours. There are now Indian, Peranakan, Malay, Western, Korean and even gourmet coffee and Japanese ramen stalls.

Ramen Taisho stall #01-32 probably serves the best value ramen in Singapore. You get restaurant quality artisanal ramen in a thick full bodied tonkotsu broth at hawker centre prices - mostly under SGD10. Owners Hock Soon and Kalene have been running Ramen Taisho since 2016 after 3 years of study trips to Japan to learn the craft.

Of course, not every stall at Maxwell Food Centre was there from the beginning and stayed till now. During the last 33 years, some came and went, but left their mark on the Maxwell Food Centre story.

Lim Kee Orchard Goreng Pisang

One of them was Lim Kee (Orchard) Banana Fritters. I call them fried banana diplomats of Singapore because foreign dignitaries like generals, prime ministers, presidents and sultans would request for it when they visit Singapore. Kings and the public alike are fans of Lim Kee's goreng pisang with crispy crust outside and sweet melted banana custard inside.

Lim Kee was in the Orchard and Somerset area for 60 years before coming to Maxwell Food Centre in 2008. Ten years later, their journey finally ended in 2018 in Maxwell Food Centre when the owners hung up their woks for the last time and retired.

Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Teow

Another was Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Teow.

Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Teow was ran by Melissa - she is the great great granddaughter of Tan Chee Kok who founded the legendary Hock Lam beef noodles.

In the 1920s, Tan Chee Kok came to Singapore from Swatow (China) where he was a popular Teochew beef noodle hawker. After Tan Chee Kok's beef noodle stall got a firm foothold at Hock Lam Street in Singapore, he sent for his son Tan Chin Sia to join him. Tan Chee Kok & Tan Chin Sia's stall was known as Hock Lam Street Beef Noodles.

In 1971, one of Tan Chin Sia's daughters, Tan Sok Eng opened her own beef noodle stall at Empress Place hawker centre beside the Singapore River. One of Tan Sok Eng's sons, David, took over the Empress Place stall when she retired.

 

In 2019, David together with his daughter Melissa set up stall at Maxwell Food Centre, continuing the century old legacy of Hock Lam / Empress Place beef noodles.

Unfortunately, Empress Place Teochew Beef Kway Teow was forced to close in Apr 2020, as measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections made the business unsustainable.

See you soon at Maxwell Food Centre 😄

Say hello when you bump into me lah 👋

 

👆 Get to know Singapore through its food. Image credit: Wikipedia

References:

Roots (by National Heritage Board)
Singapore Infopedia (by National Library Board)
Ah Tai Chicken Rice
Tian Tian Chicken Rice
Heng Heng Chicken Rice
Fuzhou Oyster Cake
Rickshaw Noodles
Hock Lam Beef Noodles
History of Singapore Bak Kut Teh
History of Singapore Chicken Rice

Date: 11 May 2020

History and Origins of Hainanese Curry Rice 海南咖喱饭

May 12, 2020, 11:11 pm

≫ Next: What is Wenchang Chicken? The Original Hainanese Chicken Rice

≪ Previous: History of Maxwell Food Centre - From Chinese Burial Ground to Famous Hawker Centre in Singapore

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If there is one dish that well represent the Nanyang immigrant spirit, one of the first dishes that come to my mind would be Hainanese curry rice.

 

But first, let's set the record straight, right off the bat.



Hainanese curry rice is a fairly recent creation - a dish the Hainanese invented early last century (1900s) in British Malaya (which includes present day Malaysia and Singapore). There is no such dish in China's Hainan island itself. If you go to Hainan today and ask locals about Hainanese curry rice, you will get a blank or head scratching response.


Image credit: Wikipedia

Hainanese people come from Hainan island in southern China.

The Hainanese were latecomers to British Malaya with most heading south to Nanyang only after the 1870s to the 1920s. By this time, the other Chinese clans Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, and Hakka were already well established geographically (territorially) and vocationally (commercially).

Image credit: Wikipedia

When the Hainanese first arrived in Singapore in the 1870s, the other Chinese clans already occupied the "Chinese Campong" west of the Singapore River in accordance with the Raffles Town Plan published in 1828. As such, the Hainanese had to settle in "no man's land" between European Town and "Arab Campong".

View of North Bridge Road looking from Purvis Street. Seah Street is the side street on the left. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The Hainanese enclave consisted of Seah Street (Hainan First Street), Purvis Street (Hainan Second Street) and Middle Road (Hainan Third Street). Middle Road is the birthplace of Singapore's unofficial national dish, Hainanese chicken rice.

The Hainanese were not only marginalised geographically but also vocationally. Many ended up as cooks in ship galleys, British military bases, hotels and domestic workers in the homes of British officials and wealthy Peranakan families. 

Raffles Hotel in the 1900s. Image Credit: Wikipedia

The resourceful Hainanese quickly learned British and Peranakan dishes from their employers. Not only that, Hainanese were also innovators. Bartender Ngiam Tong Boon created the iconic Singapore Sling in 1915 while working at the Raffles Hotel's Long Bar. Raffles Hotel is right at the intersection of Beach Road and Seah Street, at the very edge of the Hainanese enclave - how convenient.

So, it didn't take long for Hainanese cooks to discover that traditional Hainanese stewed dishes, Peranakan curries and British fried cutlets combine perfectly together. Like so many things about food history, there is no known record on when and where this happy union of three cuisines that resulted in Hainanese curry rice, first took place.

 


It's easy to deduce how Hainanese curry rice came about, but we are less certain about the time and place - the dish is found in Hainanese communities in both Singapore and Malaysia. I am still looking for evidence on when Hainanese curry rice first appeared on Hainanese dining tables and when it was first sold commercially.




Hainanese curry rice combines traditional savoury Chinese stews and braised dishes with spicy Peranakan curries. There is an Anglo layer in the form of deep fried chicken and pork cutlets.

At least four types of sauces are splashed over the heap of boiled white rice - the magical cocktail ponding at the bottom of the shallow plate. Traditional Hainanese savoury sweet dark stewing sauce, sweet spicy starchy gooey curry, spicy hot sloshy curry and sharper tasting curry that is almost like sambal chili (but wetter). In the mouth, it is an explosion of layers of spicy, savoury, sweet flavours.

The rice is eaten with lots of side dishes like Hainanese stewed pork belly, braised eggs, braised tofu, Peranakan curry squid, curry chicken, curry prawn, British fried chicken cutlet, fried pork cutlet. Presented together on a long table in the Peranakan Tok Panjang tradition, you can imagine it is quite a feast and celebration of colours and flavours.

 

This interview with Mdm Er, owner of 阿生咖喱饭 Ah Sheng Hainanese curry rice stall at the Central Market in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia has some leads on the origins of Hainanese curry rice. Founded in 1938, this is probably the oldest Hainanese curry rice stall still in operation anywhere.

Mdm Er's father left Hainan island for Singapore with his father when he was 12 years. Like many of his Hainanese compatriots in Singapore, he worked in a Peranakan family home where he learned how to cook Nyonya dishes. Later he accepted a job offer in Miri and moved to Sarawak. In 1938, he started 阿生咖喱饭 stall. Today, his daughter Mdm Er still runs the popular Hainanese curry rice stall at the Miri Central Market.

Besides Hainanese curry rice, this stall also serves Hainanese chicken rice. Yes, chicken rice stalls are everywhere in Singapore and Malaysia but authentic Hainanese style chicken rice is very rare now.



 

Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice in Tiong Bahru is one of the most popular Hainan curry rice in Singapore. It's a half century old shop. Their signature curry is made with a complex blend of spices, herbs and aromatics like blue ginger, yellow ginger, lemongrass, red onions, and secret ingredients. They still make fried pork cutlets crusted with biscuit crumbs.






Scissors Cut Hainanese Curry Rice is the other famous name in Singapore. Over the white rice they snip all the side dishes like braised pork belly, tofu, curry squid, chicken cutlet etc into bite size pieces with a pair of scissors, hence the name of the shop. Over everything, they splash dark braising stock and different curries until all look like a gooey black, brown, red ugly mess on a red plastic plate.





Another shop you can try in Singapore is third generation old Tian Tian Hainanese Curry Rice in Telok Blangah.



Over in Malacca (Malaysia), the former Jonker Curry Rice now Malim Jaya Curry Rice is an institution away from the tourist hotspots.






Lu San in Muar, Johor (Malaysia) is in the third generation now with 70 years of history which puts it at around 1950s vintage. It has the full complement of Hainanese stews and Malayan curry dishes. Lu San has salted fish inside their curry for a bit of salty savoury undertones. They also have tofu and fish ball soup to complete the meal. Fans like the blending of savoury sweet flavour of braising stock and the spicy savoury taste of Lu San's curry which together is a hallmark of Hainanese curry rice.





This Hainanese curry rice stall in Klang's Jalan Goh Hock Huat was founded about 47 years ago i.e. in the 1970s. It's signature is mildly sweet spicy tasting curry thicken with potato starch. The starchy curry is gooey, some say gluey. The curry over rice is eaten with braised egg, tofu sticks, pork belly in a pool of savoury sweet braising stock. Most customers will have a bowl of pork soup with intestine and pork blood curd to complete the meal. Popular with Klangites but folks from out of town might find the gluey sweetish mildly spicy curry an acquired taste.







The search for the origins of Hainanese curry rice continues. Please let me know in the comments, if you have leads or insights.

References:

Singapore Infopedia (By National Library Board)
Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice
Lu San Hainanese Curry Rice

Date: 13 May 2020

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What is Wenchang Chicken? The Original Hainanese Chicken Rice

May 14, 2020, 1:04 am

≫ Next: Le Palais Taipei 3-Michelin Star Restaurant 2018 2019 君品酒店- 頤宮中餐廳

≪ Previous: History and Origins of Hainanese Curry Rice 海南咖喱饭

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Wenchang chicken is the mother of Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice, considered its unofficial national dish.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Wenchang is a county level city on Hainan island, off the southern coast of China.



In Wenchang, they say 无鸡不成宴 which means "It is not a party without chicken".



Wenchang chicken 文昌鸡 is one of Hainan's Big Four signature dishes which include 加积鸭 (duck), 东山羊 (lamb) and 和乐蟹 (crab).

During the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), an official from Hainan brought some Wenchang chicken to the Forbidden City in Peking for the emperor to taste. The emperor was so impressed, he proclaimed "This chicken from a civilised place, home of outstanding people and rich culture; they smell and taste so sweet, they truly deserve to be called Wenchang chicken!” 鸡出文化之乡, 人杰地灵, 文化昌盛, 鸡亦香甜, 真乃文昌鸡也!

With such a raving review from none other than the emperor himself, Wenchang chicken became famous throughout China 😄




Wenchang chicken is made with a local breed of chicken - based on the Ming emperor story, this breed has been around for at least 400 years. This breed was first raised in 潭牛镇 Tan Niu town of Wenchang county.

The reddish brown feathered, pale feet bird has a small head, short neck, small wings, small and short feet but round body. It is a relatively small breed known for its tender meat. A full grown Wenchang chicken weighs about 1.5 kilos, 1.8 kilos maximum.

For 120 days, the birds roam free, feeding on fig fruits dropped from 榕树 banyan trees, insects, worms, whatever they find on the grassy ground in tropical sunny Wenchang. For the next 60 days, they are kept in coops and fatten with rice husk, peanut, sweet potato, grated coconut flesh, etc.

Wenchang chicken is cooked in many different ways e.g. stir fry with coconut milk, stewed in fermented bean paste sauce etc. But, the most famous method is by poaching or dunking to make "white cut" chicken 白切鸡. Wenchang chicken is synonymous with the "white cut" chicken dish.



The whole gutted and cleaned bird is cooked by dunking in boiling stock made with water, ginger, garlic and spring onion. The bird is dunked in the stock for 5 minutes, removed and air cooled briefly, then dunked again, repeating the process 3 or 4 times till the bird is cooked.

Another technique calls for the bird to be first boiled for 5 to 10 minutes in plain water. Then, it is transferred to a pot to be poached in stock for another 25 minutes at 60°C to 70°C, well below boiling temperature of 100°C.



Alternatively, it is dunked in boiling stock a couple of times, then boiled for 10 minutes, followed by poaching for 10 minutes with the heat completely turned off.

The techniques (timings etc) vary from household to household, chef to chef but the idea is the same - to make sure the bird is cooked to just the right doneness without overcooking, in order to lock in its natural flavours. The skin must not break as otherwise all the flavours would leak into the soup, leaving the bird tasteless.

(Wenchang chicken is sometimes referred to as steamed chicken but steaming is never used in cooking this dish. Wenchang chicken is also never cooked by just boiling alone. There is also no need for marination. The dish rely wholly on the bird's natural flavours for taste.)




The resulting chicken is chopped and served in large chunks with bones intact (garnished with chopped parsley). Wenchang chicken is a small boned bird. It is never served deboned or boneless.

Wenchang chicken is also never dunked in ice and water, a practice common in Guangzhou on the mainland.

The pale yellowish skin is thin, smooth and have a slight spring to the bite. The thick fall-off-the-bone meat is tender, slightly chewy and very juicy. Rich with naturally sweet chicken taste and aroma. Juices flow and flavours burst with every delightful bite, making eating Wenchang chicken a real pleasure.

Wenchang chicken is eaten with a dip. It is made by blending diced garlic, parsley (cilantro), and sugar held together with light soy sauce. Calamansi juice is squeezed into the dip.

There are variations to the dip such as adding ginger, salt, chicken stock, peanut oil etc but it always has garlic and calamansi juice.

Personally, I prefer to eat the chicken without any dip. I rather have the dip flavour the rice than let anything throw the balance of delicate natural chicken flavours off. (I know a few food gurus have stated that the rice and dip are more important than the bird itself in this dish.)




The chicken is usually eaten with plain boiled rice. Alternatively, it is eaten with flavoured rice prepared by first frying the grains in chicken oil and garlic (sometimes also peanut oil, ginger and parsley). Frying releases the flavours and aromas from the garlic, ginger, etc. The rice is then boiled in chicken stock, so each aromatic grain is enveloped with a thin oil film and infused with chicken flavour.

The story of Wenchang chicken continues in Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore River in the 1920s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

From the 1840s to 1920s, many Hainanese left Hainan island for British Malaya (which includes today's Malaysia and Singapore). The Wenchang chicken dish followed the immigrants to Nanyang (as southeast Asia was known then to mainland Chinese).

During the decades that followed, from a comforting hometown dish cooked and eaten at home, Wenchang chicken became the unofficial national dish of Singapore which is famous around the world. 

For the history of Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore👈 click




Date: 14 May 2020

Le Palais Taipei 3-Michelin Star Restaurant 2018 2019 君品酒店- 頤宮中餐廳

May 15, 2020, 12:53 am

≫ Next: 10 Differences between Chicken Rice in Singapore and Hainan China

≪ Previous: What is Wenchang Chicken? The Original Hainanese Chicken Rice

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Le Palais is the only 3-Michelin Star restaurant in the Taipei Michelin Guide - an honour it achieved consecutively in the inaugural 2018 edition and again in 2019.




Le Palais serves classical Cantonese cuisine done to exceptional standards.




Chefs Ken Chan 陈伟强 and Matt Chan 陈泰荣 each have 30 years of culinary experience under their belt. The chefs emphasise the importance of using fresh premium ingredients, and bringing out their best qualities through careful preparation and cooking. The down to earth chefs are dedicated to innovation and daily improvements to their craft creating surprising delights with familiar dishes.



Le Palais' signatures include their *Peking duck. Flamboyantly presented, the spectacle of the flaming golden brown duck is always greeted with delighted ooo....s and ahhh...s.

The Peking duck is made with 3.5kg birds from Yilan county. The duck is roasted till the skin becomes a gleaming crisp golden brown coat. Alluring aromas filled the air when the liqueur doused on the duck is set alight. It adds a delicate sweet overlay on top of the crisp golden brown skin's toasty savouriness.

The Peking duck is served in three courses.




For the first course, the crispy skin with a bit of juicy fat beneath is shaved off the duck and eaten wrapped in a thin crepe with a stalk of cucumber, spring onion, and special savoury sweet sauce. You can also eat the savoury roast duck skin with a stick of fried mozzarella cheese and fragrant sweetish osmanthus sauce wrapped in translucent, tissue thin crepe.

Tender juicy duck meat wrap is served as second course from the Peking duck. Alternatively, the duck breast meat is sliced thick and juicy, and eaten by itself. The duck bones are made into a porridge for the third course. The third course can also be made into duck bee hoon soup.




La Palais also have another signature duck known as *先知鸭. It is a crispy roast baby duck made with 28 day old birds. The golden brown roast duck is presented whole and the staff will cut the duck into bite size pieces with a pair of scissors. You can hear the skin crackle and smell the escaping aroma as the scissors snips through the bird. The bird is dressed with a squeeze of fresh lime before eating. Savoury crispy skin with tender juicy savoury sweet meat.



Other popular dishes at La Palais include stir fried grouper with asparagus, stewed abalone with goose web, *stir fried sliced tofu with chicken & ham, *stir fried pork tendon with XO sauce, *stir fried mala spicy "jumping" chicken, stir fried beef with kai lan, roasted sucking pig, *pork collar char siew, crispy fried chicken, stewed cabbage, lobster with 15-year old chai poh (preserved turnip), Cantonese style steamed grouper, sweet and *sour pork belly, Yangzhou fried rice, bird nest soup, etc.

They also serve familiar dim sum dishes like *fried carrot (radish) cake, liu sha bao (salted egg yolk custard bun), *char siew bun, shrimp dumpling, fried sesame seed crusted mochi balls with sesame paste filling, *chee cheong fun, Malay sponge cake etc.

*Must order

Most likely you have tasted many of these dishes before, but it is unlikely that most of us have tasted them done to this exceptional level before.

La Palais have a good range of premium teas which you can enjoy with your dishes.




Decor wise La Palais looks like a typical posh hotel Chinese restaurant with plush furnishings and chock a block with props like chandeliers, vases, decorative plates, bowls, gilded mirror, calligraphy, paintings, dim orange lightings with flood of sunlight from the large windows draped with drop down curtains on one side. Personally, it doesn't feel very memorable in the aesthetics department. 

Customer chatter is audible in the restaurant - I am used to such as this is normal in Chinese restaurants but just so you know 😄 Service is impeccable.

Pricing is competitive at average NTD2,000 (SGD100) per pax spending for tasting menu. La Palais is probably among the most affordable 3-Michelin Star restaurants.



Restaurant name: Le Palais 君品酒店- 頤宮中餐廳
Address: 103, Taiwan, Taipei City, Datong District, Section 1, Chengde Road, No. 3, Level 17 (Palais de Chine Hotel)
Nearest MRT: Zhongshan (Green Line)
Tel: +886 2 2181 9950#3261
Hours: Lunch 11:30am – 2:30pm Dinner 5:30pm – 9:30pm

 





Date: 15 May 2020

10 Differences between Chicken Rice in Singapore and Hainan China

May 15, 2020, 6:12 am

≫ Next: History of Singapore Bak Kut Teh. From Coolie Tea to a President's Treat

≪ Previous: Le Palais Taipei 3-Michelin Star Restaurant 2018 2019 君品酒店- 頤宮中餐廳

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Sin Kee Famous Cantonese Chicken Rice

ok.... everyone knows that Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice originally came from Hainan island (in China)... .

Have you ever been curious about what chicken rice is like back in Hainan? and is there any difference between chicken rice in Singapore and in Hainan itself? I did wonder lor... 🤔

I heard it said many times that Hainanese chicken rice as we know it in Singapore does not exist in Hainan. It turns out they are indeed different but maybe not as different as I had thought at first.



Let's start with the name - even the name is different.

Pink denotes Wenchang. Image credit: Wikipedia

In Singapore, the dish is known as Hainanese chicken rice 海南鸡饭 (because it came from Hainan). In China and in Hainan, the dish is known as Wenchang chicken 文昌鸡 (because it comes from Hainan's Wenchang county).




No one in China and Hainan calls the dish Hainanese chicken rice. No one in Singapore calls the dish Wenchang chicken 🤷‍♂️

Image credit: Researchgate (citation link not working)

Then, the bird.

In Hainan, if it is not the Wenchang breed of chicken, it is not the Wenchang chicken dish. That's that.

The Wenchang breed of chicken is raised in Wenchang county (specifically in Tan Niu town 潭牛镇) for at least 400 years. It is a small bird, plump, and rotund like a ball as its body is round while its head is small, neck short, wings small, legs short, feet small. 

The birds roam free for 120 days, feeding on figs that fall from Bayan trees, insects, worms and whatever they can find in the grass. The next 60 days, they are kept in coops and fatten on a mixture of sweet potato, crushed peanut, rice husk etc. A small frame bird, a full grown Wenchang chicken ready for market is 1.5kg, 1.8kg at the most.

In Hainan, if it is not Wenchang chicken, then it is not Wenchang chicken. No two ways about it.

Uncle Niven from Singapore's famous Sin Kee Chicken Rice

Over in Singapore, we ain't so particular about the breed. So we have live birds from Malaysia and frozen birds from around the world like USA and Brazil. Any chicken breed will do though Hainanese chicken rice hawkers usually prefer larger birds of above 2kg weight as it has more flavour 🐔

In Hainan, the bird is cooked by a combination of dunking, poaching or simmering it in water and in stock with ginger and spring onion at low heat. The idea is to cook the bird to just the right doneness without overcooking it. The meat is kept tender and juicy, and all its natural sweet flavours intact.



In Singapore, it is the same - dunk, poach, simmer in low heat. But, many chicken rice hawkers take an additional step to steep the cooked bird in cold water or ice and water. The idea is to cool the bird quickly to prevent overcooking by its residual heat, and also to tighten the skin, locking in the juices and flavours. It also makes the skin smoother and slightly crunchier to the bite.

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The cold bath produces a layer of congealed fat like jelly under the skin. (In Hainan, the Wenchang chicken is just air cooled.)



In Singapore, the poached bird is often also deep fried.



In fact, deep fried chicken have consistently outsold "white chopped" chicken 白切鸡 or 白斩鸡 in Singapore nowadays 🤷‍♂️



I hope "white chopped" chicken don't become an endangered species in Singapore 😓

It's a beauty, isn't it? Wenchang chicken photo with thanks to Ben Lim

In Hainan, Wenchang chicken is only done "white chopped". Period.

Ming Kee Chicken Rice Singapore

In Hainan, Wenchang chicken is served chopped in large chunky pieces with skin and bones intact.

In Singapore, most stalls serve Hainanese chicken in a similar way, chopped in large chunks with skin and bones intact. But, many stalls now offer deboned / boneless options.

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Some also have skinless option and others even serve "healthy" boneless, skinless as default 😱🤦‍♂️

AFE Delights Boneless Chicken Rice

In Singapore, the chicken meat is served splashed with a savoury sweet dressing sauce. Every stall have their own unique blend - it is usually some combination of light soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, peanut oil, etc.

In Hainan, Wenchang chicken is never served with dressing sauce. Always served neat.



In Hainan, Wenchang chicken is eaten with 油饭 "oil rice". It is made by sautéing grated ginger and garlic with chicken fat to release the aromas. Raw rice grains are then stir fried in the aromatic oil to dry it and infuse it with aromas and flavours. Chicken stock is then poured in and the rice is cooked in it.

In Singapore, "oil rice" is cooked in a similar way but lemongrass and pandan leaf is usually added as these aromatic grasses are plentiful and inexpensive. Lemongrass and pandan leaf really lift the taste and smell of the "oil rice" to the next level 🍚

In Hainan, Wenchang chicken is also sometimes served with plain boiled rice. In Singapore, Hainanese chicken rice must be served with "oil rice", otherwise it is not considered chicken rice at all 😮

In Hainan, Wenchang chicken is eaten with dips made of grated garlic, ginger and light soy sauce. Sometimes, chicken stock is added. A squeeze of zesty sourish calamansi juice is usually added.

Chicky Fun Halal Chicken Rice

In Singapore, there are more variations in dips. Grated ginger, chili sauce, dark soy sauce etc. Hainanese chicken rice hawkers have different combinations of calamansi, white vinegar, different types of chili peppers etc to try and make their dips stand out from their competitors.



This video is a bit shaky and unpolished but it gives an unembellished look at what authentic Wenchang chicken is like in Wenchang, Hainan itself.

History of Singapore Chicken Rice. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Reference:

What is Wenchang chicken?

Date: 15 May 2020

History of Singapore Bak Kut Teh. From Coolie Tea to a President's Treat

May 16, 2020, 5:17 pm

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Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh

Bak kut teh together with Hainanese chicken rice is one of the iconic dishes of Singapore. How did the unique Singapore style of pork bone soup come about? How did it become world famous?

Making soup with pork bones is not unique to Singapore, indeed it is ubiquitous throughout China since time immemorial. Everywhere there are Chinese communities, there is some form of pork bone soup. But, the Singapore style of bak kut teh - the most famous of all pork bone soup in the world - is a fairly recent creation.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The demand for manpower by the flourishing British free port of Singapore coincided with wars and famine in China, bringing waves of Chinese immigrants from the 1850s to 1920s. Mostly from the southern China provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, many worked as coolies at the thriving port.

Singapore hawkers in the 1890s. Image credit: National Archives Singapore

For the poor coolies, there was little to eat. No pork (meat) soup but soup made of garlic cloves, soy sauce and pork bones with scraps of meat on special days, maybe.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

In the early 1900s, some hawkers began selling pork bone soup at Ellenborough Market known also the "New Market" 新巴刹 or "Teochew Market" 潮州巴刹. New Market because there was an Old Market or Lau Pat Sat at Teluk Ayer. Teochew Market because it was located in the Teochew enclave at the mouth of Singapore River. 

This was the ideal place for pork related businesses as the abattoir was also located here. Pork bones with scraps of meat could be had for cheap. (Not to be mistaken for pork ribs which is synonymous with bak kut teh of today.) The pork bone soup was popular with coolies as it was desired as a kind of essential "energy tonic" for their back breaking work in Singapore's blistering tropical heat. Bone marrow was also believed to fortify the immune system. The dish was called Coolie Tea 苦力茶.

Meat bone soup was never really a coolie's dish. Only towkay or bosses could afford meat bone soup regularly, even if it was only scraps of meat on bone.

As Coolie Tea, the meat bone was just cooked with garlic cloves and dark soy sauce.

With growing affluence, two streams of bak kut teh emerged in Singapore.

The Hokkien folks added Chinese herbs like dang gui and liquorice, and spices such as cinnamon and star anise to the garlic and soy sauce.

Nankin Street in 1981. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Ong Say Bak Kut Teh 李旺世肉骨茶 founded in the 1920s is the oldest known bak kut teh brand in Singapore. Their popular shop at Nankin Street was packed to the rafters and customers spilled out onto the five foot way during their heydays. Unfortunately, it closed in 1989 when the shops here were demolished to make way for China Square.



One of Ong Say's workers Mdm Teo opened Nankin Street Bak Kut Teh 南京街肉骨茶 using Ong Say's recipes with the family's blessings.

It's the Hokkien style. The soup is dark with lots of black soy sauce and lots of Chinese medicinal herbs. If you are looking for pioneer Singapore bak kut teh that tastes savoury herbal, it is here at Maxwell Food Centre stall #01-89.

On the other hand, in addition to the garlic cloves, Teochews added Sarawak white pepper and cut back on the black soy sauce. The famous premium white pepper of Sarawak was shipped around the world through Singapore, so there was plenty of it at the port.

Over the years in Singapore, this peppery tasting bak kut teh grew more mainstream, edging out the savoury herbal Hokkien version which became more niche.

It's a different story across the Causeway in Johor Bahru. It's the savoury herbal taste profile exemplified by Bak Cheng bak kut teh that has a stronger foothold.

It is interesting that in Singapore where the Hokkien community is the majority clan, it is "Teochew bak kut teh" that is most popular.

Yet, in Johor Bahru which is known as "Little Swatow" as the Teochews are in the majority, it is the "Hokkien bak kut teh" that is preferred.

Something to explore further.

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

From literally bone with scraps of meat, premium cuts like meaty loin ribs become the norm.   

Some time along the way as more gentrified meat bone tea got more established, the name Coolie Tea 苦力茶 faded away leaving only the name bak kut teh 肉骨茶.

In Singapore, Chinese tea and bak kut teh always go hand in hand. When bak kut teh was humble Coolie Tea, a cheap Chinese tea was provided free-of-charge to go with the meat bone soup.

As bak kut teh graduated to the towkay's choice by the 1920s, Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants pioneered pairing more premium teas with meat bone soup (with better cuts like pork ribs). Eating bak kut teh and sipping tea became a favourite towkay pastime, in a way like businessmen meeting up over a round of golf today.

Of course, as Singapore became more prosperous, most people can enjoy bak kut teh with Chinese tea at any time.

Clark Quay in the 1970s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

In 1968, Ellenborough Market was destroyed by fire and the hawkers moved upriver to the River Valley area around Clarke Quay and the foot of Fort Canning 王家山.

黄亚细 Ng Ah Sio and his father 黄美松 Ng Mui Song who started selling bak kut teh in 1955 moved here along with other bak kut teh hawkers.

Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh in 2019

In 1977, 黄亚细 Ng Ah Sio moved his shop to New World Amusement Park (Kitchener Road) and then in 1988, to Rangoon Road.

Ng Ah Sio was doing well enough, minding his own business here until a twist of fate in 2006 changed everything.

Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh in 2019

One day, he received a telephone call at the shop for a reservation for the coming Monday. Ng Ah Sio informed the unidentified caller from Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Monday was his off day. The caller hung up and that was that. (Most bak kut teh shops in Singapore are off on Monday as there is no fresh pork in the market because the abattoir closes on Sunday.)

Before he knew what happened, Hong Kong newspaper headlines were screaming blue murder that Ng Ah Sio snubbed the Hong Kong Chef Executive Donald Tsang 😱 Obviously, the sensational story caused a furore which ripples tremors were felt all the way back in Singapore.

Ng Ah Sio's business boomed due to the unintended fame or notoriety. Many people were curious to taste what was this bak kut teh that turned away Hong Kong's Chief Executive.

This incident catapulted Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh, and Singapore bak kut teh in general onto the world stage. (Reminds me of a public relations adage that there is no bad publicity, all publicity is good publicity. I don't quite agree though.... .)

Ng Ah Sio's fans included many dignitaries such as Taiwan's former President Ma Ying Jeou (hence the title Coolie Tea to a President's Treat).

Founder Bak Kut Teh in Taipei

Now, many Singapore bak kut teh restaurants have outposts around the world. For example, all the Big Three - Founder, Ng Ah Sio and Song Fa - are in Taipei.

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Ms Gwee Pek Hua worked for Ng Mui Song at his River Valley shop in the 1960s. She later started her own shop Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh which is one of Singapore's top brands today.

Lau Ah Tee worked for his uncle Ng Mui Song in the 1960s. Lau Ah Tee's shop in Boon Keng is still one of the best bak kut teh in Singapore.

Chua Chwee Huat was a pig farmer before he founded Founder Bak Kut Teh in the 1970s. He developed his own recipe independently and Founder is now one of Singapore's Big Three bak kut teh brands.

Song Fa is another top bak kut teh brand in Singapore. It was a push cart stall along Johore Road founded by Yeo Eng Song in 1969. 

References:

The Untold History of 黄美松
Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants






Date: 17 May 2020

Ebony & Ivory. History of KL & Singapore Hokkien Mee (Rochor Mee)

May 18, 2020, 2:12 am

≫ Next: Deciphering the History of KLANG Bak Kut Teh between Myths, Grandfather Stories & Marketing PR

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Singapore Hokkien mee and Kuala Lumpur Hokkien mee have the same name and the same roots, but they are as different as black and white. And, both Hokkien mee cannot be found in Fujian, China. How come?

Image credit: National Archives Singapore

From the 1850s to 1920s, the last days of the Qing dynasty in China were wrecked by rebellion, wars and famine. At the time, the British Empire was at its height. British Malaya was booming with tin, rubber, spices and trade. It had a huge appetite for labour to work its mines, plantations and ports. Multitudes of Hokkien (and Cantonese) coolies came to British Malaya (which include today's Malaysia and Singapore) to slave in the ports, plantations and mines.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Wong Kian Lee (alias Ong Kim Lian) came to Kuala Lumpur in 1905 and first settled in Kampung Bahru.




At first, Wong Kian Lee sold a common pale looking soupy stir fried noodle dish from his Fujian hometown, Anxi 安溪. When more people sold fried noodles and competition got stiffer, Wong developed his own style of noodles.

Seven Best KL Hokkien Mee

He used thick fat noodles, put in lots of dark soy sauce and lard, stewed and fried it with exceptional wok hei. His creation soon caught on and when asked what is the name of his signature noodles, he simply called it "Hokkien mee" as he came from Fujian.

In 1927, he moved to Chinatown (Petaling Street) and founded Kim Lian Kee. 

Kim Lian Kee Petaling Street

Kim Lian Kee is still there at Petaling Street. Run by the third generation with mostly Myanmar workers at the wok now. But, this is still my favourite place for KL black Hokkien mee. Though dingy and run down, I actually find this historic place charming and prefer to eat here than Kam Lian Kee's more upscale outlets 😄

Sea Park Ah Wah Hokkien Mee

Kim Lian Kee's Hokkien mee is widely emulated and the dish is one of Kuala Lumpur's food icons now. It is thick wheat noodles stir fried in a super heated charcoal fired wok.

KL Hokkien Mee

The thick noodles are stewed and stir fried in a porky stock with dried sole fish and dark soy sauce till it is almost dry and all the flavours are infused into the strands. Lard is liberally used. Pig liver, squid, prawn, pork, cabbage, lots of lard cracklings add flavour to the robustly savoury noodles with caramelised toasty smokey tones from wok hei.

Geylang Lor 29 Swee Guan Hokkien Mee

In Singapore, Hokkien mee have the same roots but evolved differently.

Instead of going black, it went white.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The first stall that sold Singapore fried Hokkien mee was at the five foot way of The 7th Storey Hotel (demolished in 2009 to make way for Bugis MRT station) at Rochor Road.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The area around Rochor Road and Bugis Street was the original party headquarters of Singapore.

From Leslie Tay's interview with Ng Hock Wah, his father Ng Seng came to Singapore from Xiamen in the 1940s. Ng Seng was a coolie at an iron workshop and at night he would fry noodles as a pastime, throwing in whatever ingredients he could get. Mostly scraps of pork, sometimes squid and prawns. When his concoction became popular, he quit his coolie job and started a hawker stall below The 7th Storey Hotel in the 1950s.

Toa Payoh Come Daily Hokkien Mee

According to Dawn and Jean Yip whose parents ran a shop at Bugis Street in the 1950s, Ng Seng's Hokkien mee stall was very popular. Hokkien mee was a slightly premium hawker dish - it was sold at $1 when wanton mee went for 30 cents i.e. it was three times as expensive. $1 was a princely sum in 1950/60s Singapore 😱 

The stall owner Ng Seng, creator of Singapore fried Hokkien mee was already an old man in the 1950s. It was known then as "Rochor mee". The noodles were stir fried and stewed in rich stock over charcoal fire until it was nearly all dried up and all its flavours infused in the wet noodles. The stock was made with pork bones and prawn shells. There's squid, prawns, pork belly, and lard cracklings in the noodles.

Hokkien mee was served in opeh leaf (dried betel nut leaf midrib) which imparted additional flavour and aroma to the hot noodles.

Tiong Bahru ABC Market Hokkien Mee

Rochor mee was then widely emulated throughout Singapore (but somehow never made it across the Causeway). Jean and Dawn Yip said that the ones at Laguna Park and Toa Payoh were the closest to the original Rochor mee but both have already closed. (Source: National Archives of Singapore)

Jean and Dawn Yip's account was corroborated by Vincent Gabriel's description of 1960s Bugis Street. Gabriel said that the hawkers got discarded bits of pork from the Bugis Market and used these to make pork lard and also blanched pork which they used liberally in Rochor mee. Hearing this alone makes me salivate 😋 Like that win already lor 😄

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Somewhere among these street side stalls at Bugis Street was the father of Singapore Hokkien mee. By the 1960s, there were already several Rochor mee stalls and there were long queues for them. (Source: National Archives of Singapore.)

Today, both ebony (KL black Hokkien mee) and ivory (Singapore Hokkien mee) are popular and ubiquitous in Malaysia and Singapore respectively. I love both black and white, and have them whenever I have the opportunity.

Not sure why the name "Rochor mee" disappeared and the dish was renamed "Hokkien mee" instead. Perhaps when stalls selling "Rochor mee" proliferated, the stalls not located in the Rochor area wanted to use a different name for the dish. But, that doesn't explain why it is called "Hokkien mee". Perhaps, it's because the creator Ng Seng and most hawkers selling it were Hokkien folks.

In the 1960s, there was already a dish called Hokkien mee - it referred to what we know today as "prawn mee". Today, when you go to Penang and ask for Hokkien mee, you will be served "prawn mee".

Any insights to share?

Please share with us your memories of KL Hokkien mee and Rochor mee.







Date: 18 May 2020

Deciphering the History of KLANG Bak Kut Teh between Myths, Grandfather Stories & Marketing PR

May 19, 2020, 5:11 pm

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Four Eyes Bak Kut Teh

The origin of Klang bak kut teh 巴生肉骨茶 is as clear as their famously delicious dark brown, viscous, savoury herbal stock. The vacuum left by lack of records is filled by myths, grandfather stories and creative marketing spiel - so the origins of this iconic dish is in the realm of speculation, fertile ground for contention. (So, I am treading on sensitive ground yeah.... .)

Teck Teh Bak Kut Teh

One version (reported by The Star newspaper) has it that the Teh of bak kut teh came from the Teh in the name of Lee Boon Teh 李文地.

Kee Hiong in Singapore by Lee Boon Teh's grandson

Lee Boon Teh was a pioneer of Klang bak kut teh and is the most successful one. His seven sons and many grandchildren now run numerous different bak kut teh brands in Klang, Kuala Lumpur, all over Malaysia and in Singapore. If you go to Klang and eat a random bak kut teh today, chances are you are eating at one of Lee Boon Teh's family's restaurants.




But, this origin of teh doesn't hold water and is a little hard to swallow for one simple reason - Lee Boon Teh came to Klang from Fujian only after the Second World War which ended in 1945 - that's nearly half a century after bak kut teh appeared in Klang.



For founding the most successful name in Klang bak kut teh, yes, it is Lee Boon Teh. For the origins of Klang bak kut teh though, we need to delve a bit further back in Klang's history.

Image credit: National Archives Singapore

The last imperial dynasty of China was in its death throes in the 1800s to 1911 when it finally collapsed. Rebellions, wars, and famines displaced millions in China which became worse after the Qing dynasty fell. Many people from Fujian (and Guangzhou) left for British Malaya to work as coolies.

British Malaya was booming, hungry for labourers to work its plantations, mines and ports. Many from Fujian province ended up in British Malaya's Port of Singapore and in Port Swettenham (today's Klang).

So, bak kut teh in both Klang and Singapore started out with the Hokkien version. The savoury herbal Hokkien version remained the mainstay in Klang today while in Singapore it was edged out by a peppery "Teochew" version that emerged later in the 1950s.

For the history of Singapore bak kut teh 👈 click

In a conference paper presented in 2017 by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Master in Ethnic Studies student Lee Han Ying, she highlighted the similarities between 红烧牛排骨 braised beef ribs, a food icon from the Fujian port city Quanzhou and Klang bak kut teh. She noted that the two dishes are practically the same in terms of spices and taste profile except for swopping beef for pork.

Klang bak kut teh must have drawn some inspiration from Quanzhou cuisine - that's for sure as Quanzhou was many coolies' hometown.

But, bak kut teh was created more to meet the specific needs of coolies in British Malaya at that time - and, less of an attempt to replicate a hometown dish with a few tweaks for nostalgic or sentimental reasons. Bak kut teh is unique because the circumstances that created it in Klang (and Singapore) is unique.

Port Swettenham in the 1920s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Present day Klang bak kut teh is rather different from the coolies' bak kut teh in old Port Swettenham in the early 1900s. As there are no written records, we can only rely on grandfathers' stories and deductions from developments in a parallel universe - bak kut teh in the Port of Singapore of the same period.

Image credit: National Archive of Singapore

A coolie's life was hard, even brutal. Lonely, far from home in a strange land. Toiling on unfamiliar foreign soil with high humidity and blistering sun. Almost penniless but owed a fortune in exchange for passage from China. Lived in dilapidated premises 20 or more to a room. Their joints ached from heavy loads, their bones wrecked by rheumatism from soaking in the rain and sleeping on damp floors. Muscles sore and painful from sprains and torn ligaments. Falling sick from malaria, cholera, and homesickness was common. Many turned to opium for solace.

But no, the coolies cannot afford opium. They only smoked second hand opium i.e. re-smoking the towkay's ashes which still had some residual effect.

The side effects were a weakened body and, dry and sore throat. But, coolies still had to work because of the money they owed. They needed energy to carry their heavy loads and something to smoothen and moisten their dry throats.

Traditional Chinese medicine shop in Singapore. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

According to grandfather tales, a Chinese physician from Quanzhou concocted a remedy from their hometown. Pork bones with little or no meat (yes, bak kut is literally just pork bones) boiled with dark soy sauce and Chinese medicinal herbs. There was an abattoir upriver in Klang which was a source of discarded or cheap pork meat bones (which were otherwise thrown into the Klang River causing crocodile infestation). 

The bone marrow was supposed to fortify the immune system. The scraps of meat here and there in the bones provided energy and some collagen to lubricate the joints. The dark soy sauce replenished minerals lost from heavy sweating. The medicinal herbs like liquorice and dang gui moisten the throat and, regulate and balance the qi in the body.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The coolies would buy the medicinal herbs from the medical shops or street side vendors, and boil cheap pork bones with dark soy sauce to make their own bak kut herbal tea at home.

OK... now I am in the realm of speculation. It is called bak kut teh as it has bak kut 肉骨 and teh 茶 because it is a liang teh 凉茶, herbal tea - hence, bak kut teh 肉骨茶.

Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh

Tea drinking is always associated with bak kut teh culture.

Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh

But, going by the liang teh 凉茶 theory, that pot of Chinese black tea at the side is not the teh in bak kut teh. Yeah... I am going to receive a lot of brickbats for saying this... as this is contrary to conventional bak kut teh wisdom.

The teh in bak kut teh is not the bridesmaid but the bride herself. 

From this originally energising and health fortify tonic for poor coolies, bak kut teh evolved into a popular dish which in many ways is unrecognisable from its humble roots.

Teck Teh Bak Kut Teh

The first restaurants selling bak kut teh as a dish first appeared around the 1940s. Lee Boon Teh's Kedai Makanan Teck Teh was one of the first.

From here on, the humble poor coolie's improvised health tonic evolved into a local staple and gourmand's favourite. Klang people eat bak kut teh for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper or anytime of the day and night 😄 There are hundreds of bak kut teh restaurants and stalls in this relatively small city.

Lai Hing Sam Mei Bak Kut Teh

Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh

You know..... from the lowly bak kut or meat bone, the cut could go anywhere - in Singapore, loin ribs became the cut of choice. In Klang, it was meaty parts of the leg - knuckle, trotter, shank, shoulder, and my favourites are elbow, known locally as kar wan 脚弯 and hind trotter or sai kuat 小骨.

Few now judge a bak kut teh restaurant by the medicinal merits of their dish but they are instead rated based on how tasty their food is. So, bak kut teh now boasts premium cuts of pork and minimal medicinal herbs are used. The taste profile of Klang bak kut teh is today mainly savoury sweet with little, if any herbal taste at all.

Dry Bak Kut Teh @ Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh

In the intense competition for customers, Klang bak kut teh restaurants are extremely creative. There are too many variations to mention, and some like stir fried "dry" bak kut teh have become mainstream. That's a long way from its roots which is a herbal soupy tonic 😄

For the old health tonic medicinal kind of bak kut teh, the only one I know that still exists is at Singapore's Maxwell Food Centre stall #01-89.

The stall Nankin Street Bak Kut Teh 南京街肉骨茶 has its roots in Ong Say Bak Kut Teh 李旺世肉骨茶 which was founded in 1920s Singapore. It was doing a thriving business but closed down when its shop at Nankin Street was demolished for redevelopment in 1989. The founder's family passed the recipe to one their workers to continue the Ong Say Bak Kut Teh legacy.

The stock is dark with black soy sauce and has a pronounced medicinal herbal taste. The bones are really bones with just bits of attached meat (not fancy loin ribs). As expected, Nankin Street Bak Kut Teh has a low profile and you won't find it mentioned in any recent viral "top 10 best bak kut teh in Singapore" list.

But, it is a historical artefact of what bak kut teh was like in 1920s Singapore, and perhaps not that far off from Klang bak kut teh of the same era. (Can anyone who has tasted old school Klang bak kut teh share what it was like?)

Today's Klang bak kut teh is not for the faint hearted

Please help fill the gaps in Klang bak kut teh history with your insights. Thank you.

My favourite Klang bak kut teh places👈 click

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Crawler from Klang for insights on Klang bak kut teh history.

Date: 20 May 2020

MAD ABOUT SUCRE Home Delivery

May 21, 2020, 12:15 am

≫ Next: Original Bak Kut Teh of our Fathers. Re-creating Coolie Tea

≪ Previous: Deciphering the History of KLANG Bak Kut Teh between Myths, Grandfather Stories & Marketing PR

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Hearing the good news that Mad About Sucre is opened for home delivery, we ordered lunch quickly as MAD is one of our favourite Singapore restaurants. Yeah.... we are crazy MAD fans.

Booking is so easy online 👆 click

Just a few clicks and our lunch was on its way 🍴😋

43 days into *Circuit Breaker, home delivery might actually persists as part of Singapore lifestyle post CB.

* Circuit Breaker are social distancing measures implemented by the Singapore government since 7 Apr 2020 to stem the spread of COVID-19 infections. During CB, no dining in is allowed at restaurants. Only takeaway or home delivery are allowed.



When lunch came, I thought they sent us Gucci bags. These were the nicest home food delivery bags we ever had 😄



So nice hor... .

Actually, pretty as the boxes were, it's not for vanity's sake. They help keep the food warm inside.



Everything here plus a cake and bottle of Riesling (not in photo) for $221.50, inclusive of delivery. 

We could see that MAD About Sucre took a lot of care to ensure the food arrived in good shape and not topsy-turvey with everything in a jumbled mess, sauce all over and soup leaking into the bags. They also ensured the food arrived still warm by doing only one point delivery i.e. no mass orders and pooled delivery where customers at the tail end of the route get cold food which also arrived late. (Yeah.... we kenna a few times from others before 😒 )

Pro tip: Order a bit more, past $250 to enjoy free delivery 😄



We started with the really appetising appetiser. (We ate our lunch straight out of the box. In the comfort of our own home mah 😄 )

Foie gras, fresh grilled prawns, caviar, boiled egg, fresh crunchy greens, rich egg sauce with French mustard, olive oil.



Crackly crouton, savoury caviar that pops gently in the mouth, savoury slightly gamey foie gras and umami loaded crunchy grilled prawns on a springy bed of crunchy fresh leafy greens. Held together by rich savoury sweet egg sauce, everything in harmony.

A great start 😋



Oven-baked pork ribs smothered by BBQ sauce, with carrot, corn, broccoli and potato.



Love their smokey BBQ sauce though I can't describe the complex but balanced blend of sweet, tangy and savoury flavours exactly. (It's nothing like those bottled BBQ sauce or those from chain BBQ restaurants.)



Fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy hormone-free pork ribs. I like Mad About Sucre's unique flavoursome smokey aromatic BBQ sauce that complemented the ribs' natural sweetness.



Medieval Hungarian stewed ribeye - a wholesome, homely European village classic.



Eating ang moh food with chopsticks 😄 At home mah..... 😃

Cubed ribeye from pasture-raised beef stewed to tender juiciness with seasonal vegetables, carrots, potatoes. (Ang moh) Mum's cooking.



Together with the savoury sweet butter rice, the savoury sweet meaty stew with hints of paprika made a hearty, comforting, tasty and satisfying meal.



Healthful and delicious wild-caught barramundi fish baked with Spanish garlic and paprika sauce, served with roasted potatoes carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower.



The thick slab of baked barramundi was tender, juicy and tasted so fresh and naturally sweet.



Again, Mad About Sucre showed they are masters of flavours with the Spanish sauce - savoury, galicky, aromatic, which complemented accentuated the fish's natural flavours so well.

(We first had MAD's Spanish sauce in 2016. Still in love with it.)



Tomato stew with crabmeat.

Ah....this thick creamy tomato stew cooked for 4 hours, its sweet and slightly zesty tang enriched with slivers of hand pulled fresh crab meat. All natural flavours with no MSG or seasoning in this tasty stew.

Booking is so easy online 👆 click

Peche for dessert - not a peach, a hand crafted Peche cake made with white peach, pandan leafs and vanilla.

I first had peche in MAD About Sucre's restaurant at Teo Hong Road

Ate the peche in bites with all the layers together to savour white peach, pandan and vanilla flavours and aroma in every mouthful 😋



Complemented our scrumptious lunch with French Alsace Resiling which is great with seafood, especially fish.

Our lunch at MAD About Sucre in 2017

No dining in at restaurants during Circuit Breaker but am glad that we can still savour our favourite flavours and aromas delivered to the comfort of our own homes.

Our first visit to MAD About Sucre in 2016

Just miss chatting with Eric, sister Lena, Kelvin and crew. See you guys soon!

 

Been eating at Mad About Sucre for so long, I just realised that they had this video since 2016. Nice 😄

Booking is so easy online 👆 click

Date: 20 May 2020 (Circuit Breaker day 43)

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Original Bak Kut Teh of our Fathers. Re-creating Coolie Tea

May 23, 2020, 5:35 am

≫ Next: Malaysian Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh in Taipei 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶

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Bak kut teh 肉骨茶 is one of Singapore's food icons (along with chicken rice, chili crab, Katong laksa etc). Yet, nobody knows now what the original bak kut teh was like. There are no written records except for anecdotes and grandfather stories diluted through five generations. There is also no precursor in China as bak kut teh is uniquely Nanyang.

I try to re-create the earliest bak kut teh based on what we know about the conditions and needs of the time that led to its creation.



The death throes and the years that followed the collapse of the Qing dynasty which ruled China for 268 years were a living hell.

Chinese coolies in the 1870s. Image credit: Wikipedia

Millions were forced to leave Guangzhou and Fujian fleeing widespread rebellion, wars and famine from the 1850s to 1920s. The main destinations were the tin mines, rubber plantations and seaports of British Malaya, and the gold mines and railways of California.

Port of Singapore 1890. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Coolie tea or bak kut teh emerged in the British Malayan ports of Singapore and Swettenham (today's Klang). No records of the dates exist but bak kut teh was already prevalent in Singapore and Port Swettenham by the 1920s.

Also called coolie tea, it was created by or for Hokkien coolies. The Toishanese coolies (from Guangzhou) in California never had such a dish.

Smoking opium in 1920s Singapore. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

A coolie's life is a nightmare. Far from home and family in a strange land with oppressive hot humid climate and sudden downpours. Penniless and in debt for the passage from China. Long hours of hard labour. Opium addiction was common.

What types of ailments would a coolie, rickshaw puller, suffer from? These could provide clues on the recipe of coolie tea.

Rickshawman in 1900s Singapore. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The coolies needed energy and strength to lift those heavy sacks, pull that rickshaw. Stamina to carry loads from dawn till dusk, pull that rickshaw on multiple round trips. Ward off fever from working and running bare foot through blistering sun and sudden thunder showers. Soothe those sprained muscles and torn ligaments. Relief from pain from arthritis and premature rheumatism from sleeping on damp floors, 20 or more to a room. General weakness, low energy and dry throat from opium smoking.

Street medicine in 1960s Singapore. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Chinese physicians, traveling medicine men and self taught professed herbalists proffered their remedies. Each had their own formulations with room for old wives' cures and quackery.

Here's what might be prescribed based on the common ailments and available herbs.

🍃Strengthen immune system - Astragalus 黃芪
🍃Boost immune system - Codonopsis pilosula dang shen 党参
🍃Promote blood circulation - Angelica sinensis dang gui 當歸
🍃Promote blood circulation - Rehmannia 地黄
🍃Boost stamina - Licorice 甘草
🍃Promote liver & kidney function - Goji berry 枸杞
🍃Reduce inflammation - Polygonatum odoratum Yu Zhu 玉竹
🍃Reduce inflammation & pain relief - Ligusticum chuanxiong 川芎
🍃Joint health - Wai San 淮山



For my re-creation, I picked these 6 herbs because they are inexpensive and easily available where I live (in Singapore).

I have left out cinnamon, pepper, clove, star anise etc (common in today's "herbal" bak kut teh) as these are primarily flavourings. I am assuming that the earliest physicians were focussing more on the medicinal effects of their prescriptions to keep them as simple and affordable as possible. Such spices might also still be exotic and thus expensive at that time.



Went to the butcher stall and asked for the cheapest cut available. This came to SGD10 per kilo. Had to make do as these are likely much meatier than what the coolies had. The bone marrow, cartilage, meat and fat provide energy and promote joint health.

The Port Swettenham coolies got their's from the abattoir upriver - the pork bones were destined for the Klang River but crocodile infestation persuaded the abattoir to let the coolies have the discards instead. The Singapore coolies got their pork bones from discards from the abattoir at the Singapore River.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

There was a Pulau Saigon island in the Singapore River off Robertson Quay and Pulau Saigon Abattoir was located on this island. The channel between Pulau Saigon and the river bank was silted up, and it fused with the mainland in the early 1970s. Not that long ago, but few Singaporeans today know about Pulau Saigon.

Pork bones, herbs, and the next main ingredient is dark soy sauce. The Hokkiens use dark soy sauce frequently in their cooking. For the coolies, salts from soy sauce replace the minerals lost through perspiration at work.



The coolies boiled the pork bones, herbs, dark soy sauce and water to make bak kut teh. (I used a digital automatic pressure cooker.)



This is how coolie tea or the early bak kut teh of Singapore and Klang might look like. Just meat and bone, browned by dark soy sauce in a dark brown soup. The dish has a nice aroma from the pork bones and also from the herbs.



The soup tastes good - the soy sauce's savouriness balanced by the meat bones' natural sweetness. The herbs add layers of flavours and aromas that make this coolie dish tastes quite complex. I was using only an economic price dark soy sauce. (Despite the absence of spices, seasoning and only limited herbs used, this re-creation was not short on taste at all.)

Little wonder then that this tonic soup was well received by coolies and persisted into the 1940s / 1950s when growing affluence start leading to changes in Klang and Singapore. It caught the fancy of towkays (bosses) and then, this humble, simple form of bak kut teh gradually faded away.

Bak kut teh in Klang and Singapore were the same at first but their development started to diverge around the 1940s.

History of Klang Bak Kut Teh

In Klang (formerly Port Swettenham), bak kut teh remains a Hokkien dish as the main Chinese clan here is Hokkien. So, it's still savoury dark soy sauce with herbs and pork. But, the herbal element is much reduced, sometimes only a trace of it. The pork bones are now meaty, choice cuts from the leg and shoulder. A coolie from the 1800s or early 1900s would be rather surprised by Klang bak kut teh today. One can't possibly call such luxury coolie teh, so the name fell into disuse and faded away into memory (of grandfathers).

History of Singapore Bak Kut Teh

Around the same time in Singapore (1940s / 50s), a "Teochew" style of bak kut teh emerged. The soup has little soy sauce, little or no herbs but just garlic and Sarawak pepper. The meat bone of choice is prime loin rib known as "dragon bone" for its size and meatiness. Gradually, "Teochew" bak kut teh edged out Hokkien bak kut teh and became the mainstream in Singapore today.

Now, the original bak buk teh or coolie tea can only be had at home. Fortunately, it is easy to make and anyone can try it anywhere. It is tasty too, so it is worth a try. As for the recipe, you can mix and match and be your own herbalist 😄 Since there are no records, who can say you are wrong... right? 😜

Date: 23 May 2020

Malaysian Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh in Taipei 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶

May 24, 2020, 4:59 am

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All three biggest brands of Singapore bak kut teh were in Taiwan by 2019 but Malaysian bak kut teh shop Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶 squeaked in ahead of them, securing a foothold in Taipei since 2017. Till today, Wonderful Papa is still the only Malaysian style bak kut teh shop in Taiwan.

Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh owner 李志權 used to own Ming Tien Food Court Bak Kut Teh stall 明天肉骨茶店 in Taman Megah in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. He started selling bak kut teh since he was 13 (first helping out at his uncle's stall). 李志權 moved to Taipei in 2017 after his son married a Taiwanese lady.



李志權 and son 李濃慷 set up 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶 stall in a Taipei night market. But, business wasn't good as locals were unfamiliar with Malaysian herbal bak kut teh. Sometimes, they sold just 2 servings for the entire evening and had to throw away unsold bak kut teh.

When the night market itself closed, 李志權 and son moved 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶 to a shop space, betting their life savings on it. They persevered, upped their game. Personally hand picked their herbs from all over Taiwan and also went to the market to choose the best fresh local pork for their bak kut teh. Slowly, business started to improve through word of mouth. Media features also helped to boost awareness and business grew by leaps and bounds.

Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh's savoury sweet herbal broth is brownish with dark soy sauce and over 10 Chinese medicinal herbs. In the broth are fresh pork ribs, pork belly and other meat and bone parts.

They also have the stir fried "dry" version of bak kut teh which is popular in Malaysia. The same pork ribs, bones etc in a pot, add some broth and dark soy sauce. Together with shredded dry cuttlefish, garlic, lady's finger, white pepper and dry chili pepper, everything is stir fried until the soup / sauce is dried, caramelised and infused into the pork. The dish tastes robustly savoury sweet and spicy.

One of Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh's signatures is their peppery pork maw soup sweetened with bang kuang (jicama turnip). This is also a common stall / restaurant dish in Malaysia.

Seeing that locals like chicken, 李志權 came up with chicken bak kut teh. They also have a seafood (no pork) version with prawn, squid, fish and abalone etc. All these variations exist in Malaysia (though they never caught on to challenge mainstream pork bak kut teh).

李志權 also came up with a bak kut teh steamboat with lots of cabbage, the way locals like their hot pot. Now, Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh even have lu rou fan (stewed pork rice) to go with their meat bone soup.

What is the difference between between Singapore and Malaysian bak kut teh?

History of Singapore bak kut teh

Singapore bak kut teh has a clear looking soup which is made by boiling prime pork ribs with garlic and white pepper in water. The soup tastes savoury garlicky peppery with sweetness coming from the pork ribs. Singapore bak kut teh shops often give free refills of soup.

History of Klang bak kut teh

Malaysian bak kut teh is best represented by those in Klang town. The broth is viscous, brown in colour from dark soy sauce. Just a bit of herbs. Taste is savoury from the soy sauce, sweet from the pork and a trace of Chinese herbs. The preferred bak kut teh cuts in Klang are usually from pork leg or shoulder (not from pork ribs). The bowl often comes half filled with soup at most, and there is definitely no refills in Klang.

The Big Three Singapore bak kut teh in Taipei

Restaurant name: Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶
Address: No. 18-1, Juguang Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 22042
Nearest MRT: Xinpu (Blue Line)
Tel: +886 2 2258 6052
Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm (Monday off)



Date: 24 May 2020

History of Curry Fish Head in Singapore. An Indian - Chinese Fusion? 

May 25, 2020, 5:07 am

≫ Next: Boneless Carp Head in Yangzhou, Huaiyang Cuisine 拆烩鲢鱼头

≪ Previous: Malaysian Wonderful Papa Bak Kut Teh in Taipei 萬得富爸爸肉骨茶

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Kam Long curry fish head, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Created in 1949, curry fish head is a relatively new dish but it is deeply entrenched in Singapore food culture and its place in Singapore's culinary pantheon is undisputed (along with chicken rice, bak kut teh, Katong laksa, chili crab etc).

Many forms of curry fish dishes exist in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and India long before there was curry fish head.



Malays have gulai ikan. To make the curry, there's ginger, shallot, garlic, chili pepper, tomatoes, lemon, coconut milk, Kunyit (turmeric) leaf, etc.


The fish of choice is usually small and cooked with head intact such as golden pomfret (in above video).


 
Malays also have asam pedas fish. The curry is made with daum kesum (Vietnamese cilantro), tamarind juice, tamarind paste, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, calamansi, lady's finger, tomato, dried chili pepper, turmeric powder, dried shrimp, etc.

Fish of choice is cincaru (torpedo scad) etc., and cooked with head intact. So, eating fish with head isn't so alien in southeast Asia before the appearance of curry fish head.

 

Peranakans have their own version of asam fish which is cooked with shallot, tomato, lady's finger, torch ginger flower, lemongrass, belacan, chili pepper, tamarind juice, etc.


Fish of choice is mackerel cut in steaks.


 
Before there was curry fish head there was Kerala curry fish from the coast of southwestern India. Kerala curry is made with shallot, garlic, ginger, coconut oil, green chilies, curry leaf, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, tomato, coconut milk, cokum petals, pepper powder, etc.

The fish of choice is king fish or Indo-Pacific king mackerel cut in steaks.

Kerala Restaurant Johor Bahru

Marian Jacob Gomez, a Malayalee from Kerala who came to Singapore in 1928, ran a Kerala restaurant shed named Gomez Curry at Sophia Street in the 1940s.

Gomez Curry was a typical banana leaf restaurant which served Kerala style curry dishes with plain white rice on banana leaf. The utensils were the customers' fingers 👐 Gomez Curry was famous for their curry chicken before curry fish head came on the scene. Conventional Traditional Kerala curry fish (with mackerel steaks) was on Gomez's menu right from the beginning.

Kam Long fish head curry, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

At that time, ikan merah (red snapper) wasn't a popular fish among locals. The fish was considered too big for Malay, Nyonya, or Indian dishes. Its bony head was oversized. At that time, its white meat was also deemed lacking in flavour (too subtle).

Fishmonger in Singapore, 1952. Note the fish heads at lower left. Image credit: National Archives Singapore

But, ikan merah was popular with Europeans as their white flesh is closer in texture and flavour to familiar fishes like cod, haddock, halibut etc. However, Europeans fillet their fish and discard the head. So, ikan merah fish heads became available at markets for mere pennies or even as discards. 

It was uncertain how Marian Jacob Gomez hit upon the idea of swopping the usual mackerel steaks with ikan merah fish heads in his Kerala curry fish dish. Perhaps, it was a suggestion from his customers. The fish heads went perfectly with Gomez's curry of grated coconut flesh, coconut milk, fresh red chilies, tamarind juice, ginger, onion, garlic, turmeric powder, fennel, curry leaves, tomatoes, eggplants, etc.

Fish head yam soup

It might be one of Gomez's Chinese customers as eating big fish heads such as the Song fish (bighead carp) has long been a Chinese tradition. There are many ways Chinese use big fish heads - they are usually stewed, steamed, made into soup etc. 

[One of the most fascinating ways is in Yangzhou, where they debone the carp fish head and serve it boneless in a soupy sauce.]

Gomez's curry fish head caught on quickly, especially with Gomez's Chinese customers. Gomez Curry prospered and later moved to larger premises at Selegie Road.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

According to M.J. Gomez's son's account, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew came to Gomez Curry one day. His face "turned red" on his first mouthful of Gomez's curry fish head. Perhaps, it was because he found the curry overly spicy.

Image credit: Singapore Graphic Archives

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Gomez's curry fish head was widely emulated. Among his early imitators was Hoong Ah Kong of Chin Wah Heng restaurant also at Selegie Road which launched their curry fish head in 1951 (hot on Gomez's heels). One of Hoong Ah Kong's tweaks was to cook the fish by steaming first before boiling in curry.

This kept the fish meat supple and juicy, and also ridded it of any unwanted odour as run off water from steaming was discarded.

Curry fish head lovers covet the gelatinous soft tissue between the crevices, in the eye sockets, cavities, lips, mouth and throat linings, membrane, cheeks, a bit of flesh here and there in the large bony red snapper head.

Another early imitator was Soon Heng Curry Restaurant at 39, Kinta Road. Chef Lim Ngee Ah blanched the red snapper fish heads before cooking them in curry. The idea is the same as Chef Hoong Ah Kong's steaming method - better control of texture, and getting rid of any unwanted odour from blood, body fluids etc.

Restoran Asam Pedas in Kluang Malaysia

Asam Pedas Mak Limah in Batu Pahat, Malaysia

Mui Seng Nyonya curry fish head

Asam pedas fish head Mak Pon Parit Jawa, Muar, Malaysia

Similar curry fish head dishes appeared in Malaysia. There were many versions such as gulai (Malay), asam (Nyonya), and asam pedas (Malay) fish head.

It is not clear whether these appeared independently / spontaneously in response to availability of unwanted ikan merah fish heads throughout British Malaya where colonial officers were stationed or they were all inspired by M. J. Gomez's Kerala curry fish head. There are no records on the Malaysian side.

Whatever it was, curry, asam pedas, gulai, and Nyonya fish head all become mainstream dishes ubiquitous throughout Singapore and Malaysia. (Some restaurants use other fish such as grouper and even farmed sea bass but personally, ikan merah is the best for curry fish head.)



Gomez Curry no longer exists - M. J. Gomez returned to Kerala in 1961 and settled in the seaside town of Kollam where he lived till he passed away in 1974.

With Gomez, Kerala curry fish made a round trip from Singapore back to India but returned as curry fish head. Apparently, curry fish head is now quite popular in Kerala - Anthony Bourdain tasted it there in 2010, sixty years after Gomez returned to India (at 12:12 minutes in video). However, M.J. Gomez's son Dr John Gomez said his father did not start any restaurants in Kerala, so it is unclear how fish head curry caught on there.

When Gomez left Singapore, he handed Gomez Curry to KT his trishaw man friend, Sebastian DeCruz the cook and Rocky the waiter but the restaurant did not last long. It closed in the early 1980s. "Standard dropped" Gomez's regulars said.

Nevertheless, Gomez's legacy lives on in the curry fish head dish. Here are some household names in Singapore curry fish head today.



There's Samy's at the old Civil Service Club at Dempsey Road which is in the third generation now. It started as a street side stall at Tank Road in the 1960s.



The famous Muthu's founded in 1969 at Race Course Road.



Banana Leaf Apollo Restaurant.


 
Kam Long curry fish head is the most famous in Johor Bahru.

References:

The Straits Times 
New York Times
ISEAS
Interview with Vincent Gabriel (National Archives of Singapore)

Date: 25 May 2020

Boneless Carp Head in Yangzhou, Huaiyang Cuisine 拆烩鲢鱼头

May 26, 2020, 1:11 am

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Boneless Silver Carp Head is an iconic dish in Huaiyang cuisine 淮揚菜 which is one of the Four Great Traditions in Chinese cuisine (which includes Cantonese, Shandong and Sichuan cuisines).

Huaiyang cuisine is known for "3 heads" - roast pig head 扒烧整猪头, stewed "lion head"狮子头 (minced pork ball), and Boneless Silver Carp Head 拆烩鲢鱼头.

Ong Lai steamed Song fish head in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The silver or bighead carp is abundant in China's rivers and is used in many dishes, usually steamed, stewed or to make soup. (It even became an invasive pest in north America.)

Seng Kee 119 Steamed Fish Head in Singapore

It is a very bony fish with many sharp bones and plates, some like razor blades.



Huaiyang cuisine which covers dishes from the cities of Huai'an, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province has a unique way of eating silver carp. In this dish from Yangzhou, the fish head is deboned and served on a large plate, boneless and half submerged in a savoury sweet soupy aromatic sauce.

The boneless version was created during the Qing dynasty for diners (high officials) who don't want to be seen in public dealing with fish bones like picking with fingers, and spitting bones back into the bowl or worse, onto the table.

The fish head is first halved (butterflied) then cooked by boiling in 80°C - 90°C water with ginger and spring onion.

When it is 80% done, the fish head is rested in cold water.

While fully submerged in the cold water, all the bones in the head are skilfully, systemically and patiently extracted one by one.

After all the bones are extracted, we are less than half way there! The fish head is removed from the water and we next have to remove the face plates from the fish head. There are 60 - 70 pieces of bones and plates altogether in a carp fish head.

All the bones and face plates are removed while keeping the shape of the fish head fully intact. A master knows the location of every bone and plate in a carp's head. A master can complete this task in 15 minutes but it takes 8 - 10 years of practice to reach this level of mastery.



The sauce is prepared with lard, fish & chicken stock, spring onion, powdered dried shrimp, mushroom, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoot, ham, crab oil, pepper, Chinese rice wine etc. Every chef have their own secret recipe.

The deboned / boneless carp fish head is put into the sauce and stewed in it briefly to infuse it with sauce flavours.

Add a few leafy greens, and serve.



The carp fish head is served half submerged in sauce. The shape of the head must be clearly visible - the mouth, lips, snout, cheeks, eyes, chin etc all must be intact and beautiful together.

The boneless silver carp head is eaten with a soup spoon (no chopsticks). The pieces of fish are eaten together with a scoop of sauce in every mouthful. It is like eating savoury sweet tofu.

The slippery smooth skin, jelly-like gelatinous tissues and membrane, soft tender juicy fish meat altogether with the soupy sauce. The fish tastes exquisite with depth of savoury sweet flavours coming in many layers.

The cheeks considered the choicest pieces, are offered to the two oldest persons at the table.

The next time you are in Yangzhou or Jiangsu province, try to taste Boneless Silver Carp Head 拆烩鲢鱼头.




Date: 26 May 2020

History of Roti John. A Legacy of British Forces in Singapore

May 26, 2020, 5:53 pm

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Image credit: Singapore Memory Project

Before there were hamburgers in Singapore there was Roti John. Though a relatively new creation, Roti John is a popular and commonly found hawker dish in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia today.



The Roti John of today is a floppy soft French loaf sliced lengthwise into 2 halves. The filling is a griddle fried egg omelette with minced beef, chicken or mutton, chopped onion, and sometimes sambal chili.

The French loaf is laid on top of the omelette and they are folded together when the omelette is slightly browned. The omelette filled loaf is served with thick dribbles of mayonnaise, tomato, chili or even mustard sauce. There are many variations, e.g. adding cheese, raw onions etc.





The Roti John of today is a hearty and filling meal 😁 It's a riotous mix of savoury, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavours from the eggs, meat, vegetables and various sauces. Soft, fluffy, tender, dripping sauces, juices and grease that run down the fingers.

Yummaey!

The first Roti John was, however, a much humbler affair. 

Union Jack Club. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

According to Pakirisamy Rajagopal's account to the National Archives of Singapore, British servicemen used to visit the Union Jack Club located behind Capitol Cinema (in the 1950s) on Thursdays (which was their pay day). The Union Jack Club was their RV point.

Union Jack Club. Image credit: National Archives Singapore

After gathering at Union Jack Club, the soldiers would head for the street side food stalls at Koek Road.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

There they would grab a quick bite before hopping to party hotspots (like Bugis Street).

Bugis Street in the 1960s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

One of their favourite quickie bites to avoid getting drunk drinking on an empty stomach was a French loaf sliced lengthwise with a fried egg folded inside.

One Abdul running one such French loaf and omelette stall at Koek Road would tout for business by shouting out in proto-Singlish to passing British soldiers "Roti! John!" which in Queen's English means "Would you like to have some bread, John?".

John being the generic name locals used to refer to any British, Australian or New Zealand soldier or sailor. (Not sure why it wasn't Tom, Dick or Harry 😝 )

According to this account, this was how the name "Roti John" came about and it became the name of the dish.

Of course, through the years, Roti John went through many iterations to today's rather elaborate dish which neither Abdul nor John would readily recognise.

Servicemen families at Sembawang Dieppe Barracks in the 1970s. Image credit: National Archives Singapore

Roti John stalls sprouted up wherever British, Australian or New Zealand servicemen were based such as in Sembawang, Changi, Alexandra and Tanglin.

Royal Air Force Canberra jet at Changi Air Base. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Terry Shiau remembers a sarabat stall (push cart stall) at Changi Village in the 1950s selling teh terik (pulled milk tea) and Roti John to Royal Air Force personnel.

Image credit: Singapore Memory Project

In a third account, a British soldier asked a stall holder in Sembawang for a hamburger (in the 1960s). The stall holder improvised a hamburger by serving him a sliced French loaf with a chopped onion and minced mutton omelette inside. The hawker invited the soldier to eat her creation saying rather politely "Silakan makan roti, John" which means "Please eat this bread, John".

Tanglin Camp in the 1960s. Image Credit: National Archives of Singapore

Taman Serasi was a popular lunch spot for folks working in the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Ministry at Tanglin camp. Located across the Botanical Gardens, it was also loved by visitors to the gardens. Everyone was there for Roti John!

Taman Serasi food centres in the 1990s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Taman Serasi food centre near Tanglin camp was the Roti John hotspot till it closed in 2001.

 


In the fourth account, it is said that Roti John was created at Taman Serasi in the 1970s by Shukor Makanan Istimewa stall to cater to the Johns based in Tanglin Camp.

Yet another account credited the dish to Cik Zawiah Anuar at Geylang Serai Food Centre in the 1970s.

On the origins of Roti John, I am personally more inclined to the Koek Road and Changi Village accounts as the rather elaborate Sembawang, Tanglin and Geylang Serai versions seemed to me more like Roti John version 2.0 and 3.0.

Disbandment parade of the British Far East Air Force in 1971 at Tengah Air Base. Image credit: National Archive of Singapore

The British forces withdrew from Singapore in 1971. They left Roti John behind and didn't take it with them to England. So today, while you can find Roti John in most hawker centres in Singapore, street side food stalls in Malaysia and Indonesia, you cannot find it in the United Kingdom, except perhaps hopefully in the memories of some ex-servicemen.



When the British forces withdrew in 1971, the Five Power Defence Arrangement was signed as a co-operative defence framework with Singapore and Malaysia. Every year British, Australian and New Zealand forces join Singapore and Malaysia forces in joint military exercises under the auspices of the arrangement.

I wonder how many of today's Johns know about Roti John and its legacy.



Roti John in Surabaya, Indonesia - far away from Singapore and a long way from Abdul's simple French loaf and fried egg.



Indonesians have taken Roti John to a whole new level 😋

Roti John stall at Ramadan bazaar in Johor Bahru

Even though Roti John is a relatively new dish, it can count as a comfort dish in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia now. It is a popular choice for breaking fast during Ramadan.

Where do you get your Roti John fix?

References:

National Archives of Singapore

Date: 27 May 2020