Hawker centres have traditionally been the place where Singaporeans can find cheaper versions of restaurant food. In the 60's, it was the Hainanese who brought Western dishes like steaks, pork chops and chicken chops out from the expensive restaurants and into the heartlands. In the 90's the same thing happened with Italian pastas. The trend continues with the latest being a slew of gourmet hamburger stalls to hit the neighbourhood.
Boon Keng Fish Head Bee Hoon: Fishmongers know fish
But, as you know, just because a fish is fresh doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best. Where the fish comes from also plays a big role and the price also depends on whether the fish are airflown or shipped to Singapore.
Da Sheng Bak Chor Mee: The Key to Better Hawker Food!
Bai Yong Sheng, 36, has been helping out at his dad's bak chor mee stall since he was 15 years old. His father had, in turn, learnt the recipe from his grandfather who used to sell bak chor mee from a pushcart! That makes him an uncommon, 4th generation hawker!
Da Shi Jia Big Prawn Noodle: The evolution of Singapore food
Singapore cuisine is undergoing puberty. In the last decade of so, it has quickly evolved from simple, austere hawker food to the stand alone restaurants with some even trying to elevate it to the level of fine dining!
The hawker mindset is slowly but surely changing, and we have the internet to thank! Gone were the days when people had look for a master to teach them how to cook certain dishes. Millennial hawkers now learn to make charsiu via the internet! This was the case for our three hawker heroes today who based their charsiu on my charsiu recipe which I spent 9 years perfecting!
Blue rice is currently the in thing! It’s actually not a new thing but an old thing, but somehow it has recently become THE thing! Blue food really does capture the imagination doesn’t it? There are not many foods that we associate the colour blue with. One can think of blue cheese and blueberries perhaps, […]
Burgs by Project Warung: Gourmet Burger $4.50 with fries!
There are two young fellas in Golden Mile Food Centre who are showing us that a gourmet burger really doesn’t need to cost $15. In fact, for $4.50, you can get a flame grilled beef patty made from freshly minced, chilled Australian beef, caramelized onions, pickled chilli and melted cheese in a soft, artisanal hamburger bun with fries included! I don’t know about you, but that is what I call a happy meal!
Sinn Ji Chicken Rice: Young, Innovative Next Generation Hawkers
There has been much debate about how to preserve our hawker culture. One idea was to set up hawker "schools" where courses are offered on how to prepare certain dishes. On paper, this seems to be a good idea.
I remember my first encounter with the BBQ Stingray. It was in a little coffee-shop in Teban Gardens in 1987. Before that, I don’t think I have ever eaten stingray. In fact, I don’t think I have ever eaten stingray in any other form since. Stingray, it seems has been created only for this one particular dish, just like no one really eats kohada in any other way other than as a sushi topping.
The Coconut Club: Nasi Lemak, Cendol, Otah and other Coconut dishes!
You would be forgiven if you thought that The Coconut Club was some sort of beach bar serving piña coladas, but nooooo..., the reason it's called "The Coconut Club" is far more prosaic. They called it "The Coconut Club" simply because the owners were nuts over coconuts!
After the meepok is tossed in the sauce, it is topped with a generous amount of sliced pork, pork balls and minced pork. Then tender sliced Japanese style charshu which has been slow cooked for 5 hours is draped over the noodles and finally, in case you still haven't satisfied your need for pig, a generous amount of crispy pork lard is laid on top of the mountain of pork.
