Who doesn’t like the versatile You Char Kway (YCK)? You can eat it plain, dunk it in coffee, cut it up and put it in Porridge and Tau Suan, stuff it with Sotong (squid) paste and refry it, toast it and add it to rojak. Yet, YCK making is a dying art. In the past you would see someone making YCK at any market in Singapore. Now, some of our younger readers may not even know how it is made.
Thankfully, this elderly couple who have been here at Margaret Drive FC for the past 37 years are still persisting in making YCK the traditional way. I would like to dedicate this blog to them for preserving our culinary heritage.
Ever wondered what ingredients go into the YCK that gives it that classic YCK taste? I have. Uncle tells me that the basic ingredients of YCK are: Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. Eh Uncle, you not telling me something right? How come its got that YCK taste? Must be some special spice that is put in right? Nope, he insisted its just Flour, Baking Powder and Salt…..but… he admitted that he uses a very special, good quality Baking Powder… AND… the taste of the YCK can only be achieved if it is fried together with the other stuff like the Ham Chee Pang, Heh Czi etc. The sesame seeds and five spice used in the other items flavours the oil which is not decanted, but topped up everyday. Thus, you will never be able to make YCK at home.
The process of making the YCK is pretty straight forward. After the dough is cut, one piece is placed on top of another.
Then a slender aluminium rod is used to press down on the dough to make the 2 pieces stick together. (I used to see them using a wooden stick like that from a Sau Pu Li Li {Broom made from the leaves of the coconut tree})
The dough is then stretched and put into the hot oil. It’s amazing that Uncle gets all the YCK the same length. If you get me to sit behind the chair and make YCK, I guarantee that the YCK will come out looking like they could be players in a Rugby Team.
Conclusion
You just cannot beat YCK made the traditional way. The YCK is crispy on the outside, chewy and savoury on the inside. It’s a treat just eating it by itself. 4.5/5
Unfortunately, Margaret Drive FC will be demolished in 2010, marking 40 years of YCK making for this wonderful couple. They tell me that they have a few years in them yet and will relocate somewhere else and still be doing what they have dedicated their entire lives to perfecting.
Thanks to them, we can still keep our childhood memories alive… at least for the next few years.
