Fragrant Prawns. Price starts from $12
Remember the feisty lady from Siang Hee who has a passion for creating new dishes? Well, she has been at it again and when I went back to eat at her stall, she was enthusiatically telling me about her latest endeavours. I really like this lady because she is so passionate about her food and loves to experiment with new flavours. I think we like birds of a feather, blog together.
Anyway, I just like to tell you about this new dish which she calls fragrant prawns (美味虾). I don't think you can get a flavour like this in any Cze Char restaurant or even at home. It's a bit spicy, a bit sweet, a bit savoury and when you taste it, I guarantee it would make you think of something that you had eaten before when you were a kid. It took me a while to figure it out, but I realised that it tasted like curry chicken flavoured Twistees! Oh yes, you can imagine how addictive these prawns can be! 4.5/5
Har Cheong Gai: Price starts from $8
Ah Yoke has also been improving on her Har Cheong Gai recipe. I am so encouraged to see that there are some hawkers who are continually trying to improve on their recipes. Far too often, most hawkers just keep doing what they do even if their business is not great. But not this hawker, it seems that she is always thinking of new ways of improving her dishes everyday.
For her new Har Cheong Gai recipe, she changed her Prawn Paste to a brand from Hong Kong. She also tells me that in order to get the flavour deep into the bit between the two bones, she marinates the wings over two days. Lastly, she uses seven different flours to make the batter so that it comes out thin yet super crispy.
Her Har Cheong Gai is very enjoyable and you can order a plate and just sit in front of the TV and finish it all. Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside with that slightly sticky juice oozing all over and of course the taste of prawn paste that is evident but not overpowering. If only all chicken wings could taste like this! 4.5/5
Luo Han Guo Pork Ribs: Prices start at $8
Cactuskit visited Ah Yoke a few months back and suggested to her the idea of Luo Han Guo Pork Ribs and so she started experimenting with this new flavour. I quite like it but can't really taste the Luo Han Guo. Since it is my first time tasting this dish, I can only say that it is good and definitely worth eating. But I can't say if it is the best Luo Han Guo pork ribs around. I suspect that it should have more of that Luo Han Guo taste though. 4/5
Crispy Prawn Rolls: Price from $8
Now if you think the menu is beginning to look like the Cze Char version of Old Chang Kee, I don't blame you. Ah Yoke seems to excel in the deep frying department and so all her new dishes seem to be deep fried. I guess a lady who can use seven different flours for her Har Cheong Gai must really be a deep fry expert.
But this last dish was a bit too jialak for me. The Crispy Prawn roll is prawns wrapped in bean curd skin and fried with a light and puffy batter. It was really crispy but for me it was one fry too many. It would have been nice if it was the only deep fried dish. But nice nonetheless. 3.75/5
Conclusion
Ah Yoke tells me that she has created at least 10 different new dishes over the last few months. Judging from the few that I have eaten, I would say that this is one of the most innovative Cze Char places around. So if you are looking for new Cze Char dishes to eat, this is the place to go!
Ieatishootipost readers note:
When you visit the stall, just mention that you are a blog reader and she will take care of you.*
*It is important to mention to stall owners that you actually come to their stalls because of the blog because after the first few customers, they will begin to realise just how many readers we have and start to treat us all a little special. It really makes it much easier to then approach the stall owner to organize a makan session. So everyone please play your part ok?
Update: 9 March 2012
WEF 15 March 2012, the stall will be operating from Serangoon Garden Food Centre, Stall 20, 49A Serangoon Garden Way 555945
Siang Hee Restaurant
Blk 89 Zion Road
#01-137
S160089
11am to 10.30pm
Closed Alt Mondays
97364067 Ah Yoke
Posts
83 comments:
It has been awhile since I ate at Siang Hee. Time to revisit to try the Fragrant Prawns and Har Cheong Gai, which look yummy.
Siang Hee is still one of the best value for money Cze Char stall around Singapore.
She really did the luo han guo pork ribs. I'm both honoured and very impressed. Must visit soon! : )
Looks like a re-visit is round the corner.
And it just dawned upon me - that if only she could operate a little later to catch the zouk crowd =) Pre-clubbing dinner/supper.
Yo ah yo~
I was there sometime ago and I really like their food. The Assam Fish Head was very good too. Definitely will visit them soon to try their new dishes.
Drummer, she is the cook, and they operate from late morning. How to tahan till midnite? ; )
The chicken wings look like another version I like. Bee Kia of Thomson Rd.
Oh they are as good as, if not better than the famous one at the XO fish head bee hoon restaurant in Holland Drive.
I went back about a month back, and she recommended lou han kuo pork ribs...we tried it, and loved it...but agree with Les...not much taste of lou han kuo...but tasty nonetheless.
Will go try the fragrant prawns...
For a while, Siang Hee was becoming like a broken record...every visit we would end up eating great food at reasonable prices, but always the same dishes...so it is great she is innovating new dishes.
Onward Siang Hee...certainly one of my favourites.
Omg, curry Twisties! The thought of a prawn dish with that flavour profile is making me drool. Still 1 hour 'til lunch!!
Make sure you mention ieatishootipost and she might just make sure your prawns are a little bigger!
Let us know what you think!
speaking of czr char...you should do a poll on where you can find the best hor fun ieat!
Finally you went down. She's been asking me if I have told you about her new dishes.
She is really nice!
Giving me special treatment whenever I call to book 2 huge tables.
-Pong-
Yes Ma'am, you asked me to go down during the Durian Degustation and I did!
Pong makan next week after work....you'd have to wait for me though... :)
Ma'am sound old leh.
Good that now she won't keep asking... hee hee
On lah Liverpool.
-Pong-
food looks dam shiok but why do tze chars insist on using wings for har cheong gai? 8 dollars for 8 winglets just doesnt cut it for me. it is a sign of slackness. if i wanted deep fried wings, i'd buy ..... err deep fried wings, not har cheong gai.
(Frozen) Winglets have a lower cost price according to the poultry seller.
Most people like winglets.
Don't know why.
I buy them for my Har Cheong Gai too. =)
-Pong-
I tried the Crispy Prawn Rolls too, but didn't like it.
Still prefer my Pumpkin Prawns.
-Pong-
omg, e Har Cheong Gai looks so tempting!!! :)
Pong, how come your name is oink oink? : )
Siang Hee is definitely on the top few of my list to revisit now. Still need to print the pix I took of her with Leslie. She requested thru Leslie. Aunty killer. : )
Seems all fried stuff hor....heehee not into that but Hubby will love it...will tell him about this new post. Thanks !
Strictly speaking the winglet is the best part of the chicken for this particular dish because of the tender juicy flesh surrounding the radius and ulnar bones of the chicken. You can't really get the same effect with other parts of the chicken.
I can take you and your hubby there and introduce you to Ah Yuk and her helper. Very nice people.
The new dishes look good! Have tried the har cheong gai and lou han kuo pork ribs.
I like both and her dishes are extremely good value for money.
Damien! Been a long time since you joined us for a meal. Come join us lah.
And if I didn't recall wrongly, it was you who recommended Siang Hee to us? The rest is history... : )
Yes it was Damien who first discovered this place.
Not married yet already not coming for makan sessions, after married don't know how.
He's always busy dating. Met him twice with his girlfriend outside for makan liao.
Once was with his future in laws as well, in Cafe De Hong Kong! : )
cactuskit, i love to eat and i am quite a lazy person too, piggy not too nice, oinkoink more unique, just like my forum picture.
-Pong-
Ah I see.... Like to eat I agree. Lazy? Nah, I've never seen a lazy but committed dragon boater.
Heh.. i'm actually very nuah at home.
Ok, to lessen confusions, I've change my profile nick.
Great! Now you're Pong again. : )
Agreed wings are my favorite parts too.But compare to fresh chicken parts and frozen wings,the fresh chicken has more juices and textures.
Actually, the wings are preferred by many because its covered with skin. Shiok when fried.
Well yes fresh is always better than frozen.
However, it also depends on how you thaw the frozen meat. The best way is a slow thaw in the fridge overnight. If you thaw it quickly, the meat tends to be dry. Worse if you use microwave to thaw.
Hmm.. Leslie giving more tips ehh.
After trying his home made pizza and tau huay, I know that the man knows what he's saying. Slow thaw it is then...
How i wish i could be dating all day long and have the carefree nature of a teenage boy :)
Just embarked on a new project and all my waking hours are devoted to it.
Will definitely catch up with all soon!
Not forgetting to add that the herbal soup in the same coffeeshop as Siang Hee is super shiok!
The stall close pretty early so best to go during lunch where you can order it together with Siang Hee's mostly fried dishes - both compliment each other extremely well :)
Yes hope to catch up with you over makan soon, brother Damien. : )
Don't overwork.
Thks for the soup tip. Is it from the roast meats stall?
When I was dinning there, I see quite a lot ordering soup there too.
Guys, damien, cactus kit,
shall we go down to Siang Hee for a re-makan ? i went once after leslie blogged about it....now reading it makes me want to do an improptu lunch thing tomorrow.....
any takers ?
herbal soup from the neighbouring stall......noted and written down in my head
damien's recommendations are always spot on. =)
New dishes? Nah, wild horses will not drag me there to revisit. Like I say in a previous post, that woman has an attitude problem. Lone diner get the brush off. Big group like Pong get the special. :{
Good food? so what.
If not for her helper, who was very nice, I would not have visited twice, never mind 3 times. But 'nuff said.
BTW, Liverpool, her hor fun is not bad, one of the better one that I have had and only $3.
thanks chaozhouzi...will try if I am around the area
chaozhouzi, you should be able to see a trash icon after the time stamp below you comments :)
it's tough being a hawker u know....everyone has their problems and bad mood days... agreed the solo customer is not likely to get better service than a table of eight or four diners but this is to be expected. Also when any eatery is busy with a lot of orders, it is common for standards all over to drop
i had gone with 2 people before (including myself) and was impressed with the cooking. I guess for me, as long as the food is good and value for money, i would disregard the ambience (hot coffeeshop) and bad manners of the waitress/serving staff.
of course i do draw a line with bad service....i don't ever go to the XO fish bee hoon at holland drive anymore because of the attitude of the owner but that is a different story.
hehe, live and let live right.
Sorry to learn that you had a bad experience there, Chaozhouzi. I've eaten at Siang Hee several times and I can assure you that Ah Yoke is not that sort of a person usually as you encountered. Must have been a bad day for her. Give the stall another chance and see if its the same. To me, she's a friendly, passionate and warm person.: )
Just saw your earlier post Derrick. Sorry, I'm immobile now. Injured my knees. Cannot join you tomorrow. Hope it'll recover soon.
oh dear cactus, hope u okay, sounds really serious man.
take care and speedy recovery !
must have injured himself chasing after taukwa!...hope you are ok cactuskit! :)
Hmm, Chaozhouzi, I've been there with 2 other friends before introducing big groups.
Maybe like what Cactuskit said, might have been a bad day for her.
Otherwise she's ok.
Her helper uncle is also very friendly.
Take care Cactuskit.
Derrick, are you going there for lunch tomorrow?
Hope its not too serious but feels pretty serious. Using clutches. Thks for all the concern. : )
pong, i am trying to rally people to go siang kee, still sourcing.....unfortunately i am alone
u got people ??? if so let me know
dear cactus, will pray for your speedy recovery okay !
Thks bro!
Have a great meal there! Wish I could join. : )
Derrick, I might be going within these few days, a friend's parents visiting SG, but probably dinner.
Will let you know.
Oh ya Derrick, hmmm, don't know when Liverpool wants to eat there, will let you know. =D
Hi Derrick,
Rallying for kakis? Tremulous after reading my bad experience? hehehe. Anyway hope you have better service.
I visited 3 times and only on the 2nd visit she was busy with a big table of 10 and I brought a friend last 2 times. If around there, will try again but no special trip there just for the new dishes.
Liverpool, thought taukwa would offers a soft landing ;)
Me and my wife have eaten at Siang Hee 3 times, and the last visit did leave me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Everything was fine, but the pumpkin prawns was really substandard compared to the previous times. :(
It was absolutely dripping and soaked in oil, the whole plate was that oily. The worse part was that the prawns used were so stale, they basically turned to mush in the mouth, no sense of any resistance, any springiness. :(
I know that prawns used in frying obviously ain't that fresh, but this one went a bit too far....it was really really bad. :(
Should let Ah Yoke know about it on the spot.
Agree. Should let her know. I've eaten there several times and never have such problems myself.
Hmmm....Guess I will next time. Mainly because I was only there with my wife, and I wasn't on that friendly terms with her like some of you guys. :D
But we did order a lot. 5 dishes for 2 gluttons. :D
Now will need some effort to convince my wife to go again...
Well, we might be organizing another makan session there soon so you can come join us!
That would be nice. We have so many makan places to go still.
Ok, I just collected the pixs I took for Ah Yoke with you. Will make a trip there to pass to her. : )
Ah Yoke would be so happy!
She's so smitten with you, I think. Hhahahahah! She'll put the picture up prominently. : )
and a picture in her wallet too! :)
Ok you are now extrapolating your own desires onto others!
yup, I agree. Ah Yoke simply adores you. I was given the impression when I last spoke to her.
Liverpool, thanks for your info about the trashcan icon. Just found out today that I have to be logged in with my google account to see it. If I use the anonymous option as previously, I do not have this option to trash my comments. Did not use google because it truncated my nick but now, no choice because of anonymous gadfly who bombarded this blog.
BTW, Cactuskit, was at the coffee shop on Thurs, I think I saw ieat's mugshot pasted up in front of the stall.
Liverpool knows everything!
the only thing I know is to irritate taukwa! :)
That one I also know!
And I think I just did too...
But you do know everything in the forum. Super institutional knowledge man!
Damien said...
How i wish i could be dating all day long and have the carefree nature of a teenage boy :)....when you're married you'll be dating the the rest of your life!...
Must show this to Grace! Good old Liverpool! : )
Actually don't you get married so that you don't have to date?
I just don't like to have to send Rockett Girl home and say goodbye all the time.
Dating defined as two spending time with each other for each other. No third party. Very important component of marriage life.
there is always a third party in dating...the food! :)
Hi foodies,
There're two cze char i'll like to recommend. One's called G7 Sinma located along Geylang Lor 3 (junction of Geylang Rd & Geylang Lor 3). It's a big place with aircon and alfresco dining. Popular dishes include the black pepper crab, spare ribs, fried scottish clam with garlic and they've got one signature dish u gotta try..dried chilli claypot frog leg (live one!), together with white porridge..yum yum..
The other cze char, called Fortune Seafood at Kim San Leng Coffeeshop is located at the junction of Old Holland Rd and Upper Bkt Timah Rd. It sells Thai assam fish head curry, herbal chicken (superb!), fried crab with salted egg..Cheap and good!
Will be visiting Siang Hee for cell this Thursday for dinner! Still owe Ah Yuk 2 photos of her and her idol, Leslie!
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