132 Mee Poh. The original East Coast Mee Poh Man

With ieatMaMa, ieatMrs, ieatjr and ieatprincess



Just what is so darn special about Mee Pok Tar? Is it such an icon of Singaporean hawker fare that a whole nation can be mesmerized by a satire about "Mee Pok Tar Mai Ter Kwa"? (Dry flat noodles and hold the liver please)

The other thing I can't understand about Mee Pok Tar is this. This is such a simple dish and yet people are willing to wait an hour to eat it. Really, if you think about it, it is just noodles blanched in hot water with pork lard and chilli added to it. What possesses someone (in this case my mom) to wait 40 minutes for a bowl of Mee Pok Tar?



I asked the smiling Uncle just what makes this stall so special that it was voted best Mee Pok in the East Coast area by Lifestyle? He opened up a big bag of medium sized prawns and told me in typical Teochew Hao Lian fashion (Teochew pride - Hey if you insist on doing something well, you should have the right to brag about it) that these are the freshest black prawns available in the market. Fresh (Chngee), fresh, everything from the pork to the prawns is very very fresh.



And because they insist on the freshest ingredients and doing everything the same way he has been doing it for the past four decades, people are willing to illegally park their BMWs to wait for an hour to satisfy their Mee Poh craving.

My first impression is that this Mee Poh just tastes very lively and fresh. The first mouthful of the piping hot, fantastically QQ (Al Dente) flat noodles and you know you are savouring freshly fried pork lard with the combined flavours of freshly blanched prawns, pork and fish balls. It is rumoured that the chilli has got buah keluak in it to give it that special smoky, savoury flavour.



I took this picture just to show you the quality of the soup. Done the traditional way, only pork leg bones are used in preparing the stock. Aunty frowns upon the use of scallops, old mother hen and other less traditional stuff to sweeten the soup.



Uncle is the original Mee Poh Man of East Coast having started his business at the old Siglap Market almost 40 years ago. The popularity of his Mee Poh had spawn at least 3 other stalls in the area. The really good news is that the 2nd son, Chan, will be taking over the business. Ah, at least I am assured of being able to enjoy a good bowl of Mee Poh in my golden years!

Conclusion

Who am I to argue with all the people sitting around eating Poh Piah and waiting for at least 30 minutes for their Mee Poh Tar? 4.5/5


132 Mee Poh Kueh Teow Mee
53 Upper East Coast Road (Opp the POSB)
Opened 7am till 3.30pm (usually sold out before then)
Closed Mondays and Alt Sundays
Do remember to bring along your newspaper, laptops and palmpilots and do something productive while you wait!

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Rare Teochew Kueh - Ever heard of Chi Kak Kueh?

With ieatMaMa and iwatch_ueat



Ever heard of Chi Kak Kueh? Neither have I, and I dare to pride myself as Teochew Ah Bah! (Half past six one only) I was just walking around Tekka Market Food Centre looking for stalls with Adrian Pang's or Seethoh's face on them. Amazingly, for such an established Food Centre, there were very few with newspaper cuttings. It was then that I chanced upon this stall and spied this unusually coloured Poong Tor (Rice Dumpling - or so I thought).

Mom screamed with delight as if she just found her long lost son and got really excited. I found out later that the excitement was over this rare Teochew dessert whose colour is attributed to the Chi Kak leaves which you hardly buy in Singapore anymore.



The stall owners explained that the kuehs here are made by their 85 year old mother who does an annual pilgrimage to Swatow Province in China to buy back a year's supply of Chi Kak leaves to make the Kueh. She wasn't at the stall because she is at home busy making Kuehs for the next day. The Chi Kak gives the skin a distinctive flavour which is hard to describe except that it tastes a bit like Kee Chang (a type of Rice Dumpling). The filling is made from sweetened mashed green beans. Tastes a bit like Ang Ku Kweh, but we certainly did not strike lottery the next day (Hokkien Poem that says when you eat Hot Ang Ku Kweh, you will strike the lottery) I can't honestly rate this because I have never tasted anything like it before so it is hard to make a fair judgement. Mom gave it a 4/5 cos she had tasted better ones before.



Aside from all the traditional Teochew Kuehs like Poong Tor (Rice Dumpling), Soon Kueh (Turnip filling) and Orh Kueh (Yam cake), they also steam their own Chai Tau Kuey (erronously known as Carrot Cake, it is made from Radish). Most stores nowadays buy theirs from a factory.



Tada! Plate of black carrot cake, everything made in this small little stall. You can taste the difference in the texture as well as the taste of the carrot cake itself. Otherwise, fried egg and black sauce tastes much the same everywhere. 4/5

Conclusion

Happy to have found yet another stall where our culinary heritage is still preserved. Worth a try if only to experience what a Chi Kak Kueh tastes like.


Yan Seng Cooked Food
Stall 01-389, Tekka Market Food Centre
Open 6am till evening

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Kiam Chye Ah (Chicken Soup) for the Soul!

Feeling down and need some Kiam Chye Ah (Salted Veg Duck - Teochew panacea) for the Soul?

Well, let me tell you the story of Khotee. I first mentioned her in my blog on Care Corner Orphanage, where I highlighted the plight of Thai orphans being sold into the sex trade.

Khotee is one of those special kids who is so full of life that you would hardly imagine that she is HIV positive. So, if you are feeling that life has dealt you a bad blow, her story might just make you feel a lot better about your own life.

Khotee was found in a hospital when she was five years old. She was abandoned by her HIV positive parents who at one time were with her at the hospital receiving HIV treatment. When she was brought to the orphanage, she was suffering from tuberculosis and kidney infection. At one stage, she was almost at the brink of death.

It was then that her miracle occurred. One day, she had a vision of a Man in white whom she identified as Jesus. He said to her: "I am with you all the time, and I am looking after you." After that she started to make a miraculous recovery without the use of medications. By the time this picture was taken, she had already been on the path to recovery for about a year and had gained some weight. But you can still see the scars on her face from the skin infections due to her weakened immune system.

She understands that even though she is currently on AIDS medication, many kids with HIV die at an early age. But she is fully prepared. "I am ready to go home to be with my Heavenly Father" she would say. Her charisma and cheerfulness is contagious and an encouragement to all the other kids and workers in the orphanage.

Fast forward 3 years.........

As I was writing about Care Corner Orphanage, I remembered Khotee fondly. Such was the impact of that short meeting with her. I wrote to Pastor Ricky last week concerning her. One part of me was afraid that she might have already passed on. But what I found out was Good News! Praise be to God! She is very much alive and well and has grown up to be quite a pretty young lady. Here's a video of her:



This is what she said: (Translated from Thai)

"Once I was very very sick. I was on oxygen for many days to help with my
respiration. God healed me and said to me because of His Grace."

How can someone who has had everything go wrong in her life be still so full of joy? Well, the short answer is that she knows God loves her and has a place prepared for her in Heaven where there will be no more disease and no more suffering.

Perhaps, the difference between Khotee and you and I is that for her, Death is something just round the corner, so she has already prepared for it. For us, it might be an event that will only occur many years down the track. So far down the track (or so we assume) that we can KIV(Keep in View) it for awhile. For Khotee the fear of Death has lost its grip on her. You see, she understands that when she puts her faith in Jesus, she became a new creation. 2 Cor 5:17. When this happens, the perishable (our bodies) has been clothed with the imperishable (our reborn spirit), and the mortal with the immortal. Thus "Death is has been swallowed up in victory"! 2 Cor 15:54 For Khotee this IS the reality. For her, to live is to live for Jesus and to die is to gain immortality. Php 1:21

I hope that this short story of Khotee's life inspires and encourages you.

There are many more kids like Khotee in the orphanage that need help. A HIV child's monthly medical expenses can come to $200 a month and this does not include lodging, food and other expenses.

The great thing about Singapore is that our dollar can buy so much in Thailand. $100 here might buy you a really nice Cze Char dinner for the family. Over there, it can feed, house and provide education for a child for a whole month. So if you are feeling down about yourself. Do something positive and help someone else. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

You can find out more about CareCorner Orphanage by clicking Here. Or you can write to me at leslie.tay@gmail.com

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Sri Kamala Vilas

After my last blog on Sri Vijaya's Thosai, the MakanGurus at the forum suggested that I also try Sri Kamala Vilas which served, in their opinion, even better Thosais plus they also served a pretty mean Chicken Masala.

Phwa, with a recommendation like that, I rushed down to Sri Kamala's Vilas faster than a guy needing to pee after being stuck in a really cold lecture theatre for 3 hours!



So, how does it compare? Well, the thosai masala is a little different. The curry and the white and red coconut sides are definitely better then Sri Vijayas. I never really appreciated the two coconut side dishes until now. Here it just tastes really fresh and has that extra kick in it. The curry here is also more shiok.



BUT, I prefer the pototo filling and the thosai over the other side. Don't get me wrong, the Thosai Masala here is fantastic and mom loved it. She, like the other makangurus preferred this version. For me, I liked the crispiness of the Thosai as well as the less mushy potato filling over at Sri Vijayas. 4/5



However, the Chicken Masala here is a die-die-must-try! It is as famous as it is shiok. Though it looks fiery, it is maybe 7/10 only the spicy scale, so I can still handle it. Tastewise, everyone loved it and you can see this dish on almost every table there.

Conclusion

Curry wise, you will be able to get meat curries over here and the curries are really good. For just Thosai Masala, I still prefer Sri Vijaya's but that's just me. The Teh Tarik over the at Sri Vijaya is still better as it is done the traditional way. Over here, the tea has already been premixed and comes out of one of those dispensers. Both places have their own strengths and weaknesses, so I guess you have to try both places and decide for yourself!

8.25/10 (T3.5+V3+S1+E0.75)

Sri Kamala Vilas Resaurant (not to be mistaken with Komala's Vilas)
Block 662, Buffalo Road (Tekka Market)
#01-16
Opened daily till 9.30pm



PS: This place is reputed to be TianTianChi's (another MakanGuru) favourite curry place, as well as the Grand MakanGuru's (eslim) place for Thosai.

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Bali Nasi Lemak Satisfy your late night curry craving

It's late at night and you are feeling a little hungry for a something seriously lemak (rich and savoury) because you have been trying to go on a salad and fruit diet for the whole day. What do you do? Well, you could turn on the computer, log onto ieatishootipost and check out the After 10 label. Then a big smile will come across your face when you discover this blog. Cos salvation is at hand! There is a Nasi Lemak place dishing out Nasi Lemak with a seriously shiok curry till 2 am!



I really liked Hainanese Style Curry Chicken Wings. The curry gravy is darn shiok and sure to satisfy your umami(savoury) craving. This place is also famous for its Black Chicken Wings. These are fried chicken wings coated with a sweet and savoury, Kecap Manis based sauce. The sauce is very shiok but I found the chicken wings a bit overcooked that night so it was a bit too dry.




The rice was fragrant, but not the best I have tasted. Sambal chilli was the sweeter version which I always prefer with my Nasi Lemak. Forummers have raved about the Petai (Topmost pic) but I don't think I have developed a taste for it. I find it too bitter for my palate. All the curry dishes here are very very good. Aside from the curry chicken, the brinjal and the Sayur Lodeh (Mixed Veg Curry) were excellent.

My only other complaint is that they don't use a Bain-Marie to keep the food warm, so only the rice is warm. It would have been great if the curries were not cold.

Conclusion

Good place to satisfy your Nasi Lemak craving with some really excellent curries. Would have been perfect if the food was warm and the fried stuff were not over fried. 4/5





Bali Nasi Lemak
2 Geylang Lor 15 (Geylang side)
Opened 6.30pm to 2am


Acknowledgement: Highlander and TianTianChi who mentioned this in the forum

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Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu Chinatown Complex Temp Mkt Part 4 of 5

If you want to taste a REAL fish ball, you just have to head down to this stall. Just look at the all the craters on the fishball. It looks almost like the face of the moon! Actually, that large crater at the 5 o'clock position almost reminded me of the Death Star in Star Wars.



Neh, I prove to you that they actually make their own fishballs! Good fish balls are made from Hang Zhe Her (Yellow Tail - See that yellow tail?) and Sai Tor Her (Wolf Herring/Parang). The fish shown above is the yellow tail -- see its got a yellow tail.




The fish paste is then used to fill all the Tau Fu and Tau Pok (Tau Fu is the fresh bean curd and Tau Pok is the fried bean curd shown in the picture). Everything still done by hand.




The difference between this stall and others is the addition of ikan bilis which gives that extra savoury taste to the soup. The texture of the fish ball is very light and it is not overly bouncy like those you get from the factories. The other thing is that they serve the Yong Tau Fu with only chilli sauce with no option of the sweet sauce.



Conclusion

Make sure you visit them either very early or very late or you'll have to wait in line for your bowl of Yong Tau Fu. Too bad I am not a very big fan of Yong Tau Fu, fans will definitely give them a higher score. 4/5

Updated 25 June 2008
The stall has moved back to its permanent location

Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Fu
Chinatown Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street
#02-88
S(050335)
I forgot to ask them, but most of the stalls here are opened early in the morning usually cater to the lunch crowd.

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Hai Seng Ah Balling: Makan Legend Chinatown Complex Temp Market Part 5 of 5

You are looking at an culinary artform that is closer to extinction than an impotent Panda. This is the last stall in Singapore that still sells traditional Teochew style Ah Balling that is made by hand when you order. Teochew Ah Balling, like many other Teochew dishes, tend to be more Cheng (Less complicated flavours). So unlike the Hokkien Version that serves the Ah Balling in peanut soup, in the Teochew version, the soup is a simple sugar syrup flavoured with Pandan Leaves.



Except for the upgrading to plastic containers, everything here is still done the traditional way when his father first started selling Ah Balling from a push cart over 45 years ago. Mom even remembered Mr Loh when he was still a teenager helping his father along Ellenbourough St.



His hands are so fast that I had to ask him to slow down in order to take this particular shot. (Believe it or not this is the slow motion shot) Each Ah Balling takes barely 3 seconds to make!

In my previous Ah Balling post, I suggested that the name Ah Balling was derived from the Teochew phrase for the unhatched duck egg. Well, this uncle told me another story. He said that when the Ah Balling is first thrown into the boiling water, it sinks to the bottom. Then, when it is cooked, it floats to the top and looks like an Ah Bor (Mother Duck) floating on the water. Ling is the Teochew word that describes the motion of the Ah Balling bobbing around in the water. Which version to believe? You decide for yourself! But this latter version came from the Emeritus Professor of Ah Balling himself!




Conclusion

Its more about texture then taste. The Ah Balling is super smooth and chewy. However, if you like peanut soup, you might find the clear soup a bit bland for you (Like I did). Mom really loved it, I loved it more for the texture and tradition than the taste. 4.25/5

At any rate, this hawker legend still deserves his title for his dogged persistence in perserving our culinary heritage.

Updated 25 June 2008
The stall has returned to its permanent location

Hai Seng Ah Balling
Stall 02-059
Chinatown Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street
Singapore 050335
12pm to 9pm
Thursday 12pm to 6pm
Closed on Monday

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Outram Park Roasted Meat: Chinatown Complex Temp Mkt Part 3 of 5

This is quite a well known stall among the forummers. As with most of the stalls in ChinaTown Complex, they have been in business for quite a long time.




I liked the Char Siew in this stall. The meat is juicy and tender and the sauce is a bit more on the sweet side. Judging from the look and texture of the meat, I'd say they use pork collar which is why it is more springy to the bite. 4/5




The duck was pretty ordinary and just did not have enough of the savoury five spice taste. The flesh was nice and tender though 3.5/5. I felt the Sio Bak was just ordinary. 3/5




Conclusion

Pretty decent Char Siew that is worth a try if you like your Char Siew a little sweeter.

Updated 25 June 2008
The stall has moved back to its permanent location

Outram Park Roasted Meat
Chinatown Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street
Stall 13/14
11am-7pm
Closed Wednesday
62244973

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115 Dessert: Chinatown Complex Temp Market Part 2 of 5

This stall is where you can still find Cantonese style desserts like peanut paste, sesame paste, walnut paste and the starchy, gooey type red bean soup with orange peel all prepared the same way they were 40 years ago.



You don't get stuff out of a packet here. Everything is still ground with this mill that has been in existence longer than I have (since 1966). They tell me that you can't buy things like this anymore in Singapore.

I thought the taste of the desserts should have been much better given all their writeups and the antique mill. The sesame/almond paste and the peanut paste tasted a bit watered down that day. I had expected a buttery, rich peanut paste, but it just did not quite cut it for me that day. The red bean soup was still pretty good though and I liked the taste of the orange peel and the thick soup which you can't find in most dessert stalls.



Conclusion

Another stall with a strong tradition of doing things the good old way. Bit dissppointed about the sesame/almond and peanut soup, but seeing the accolades and the mill, I am willing to give them another go the next time to see if it is just a one off thing. 3.5/5

Updated on 25 June 2008

They have moved back to their permanent location

115 Desserts
Chinatown Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith St
Stall #02-206
8.30am to 5.30pm
Closed Tuesdays

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Traditional Shanghai Chee Cheong Fun Chinatown Complex Temporary Market Part 1 of 5

This is the first in a five part series on Chinatown Complex Temporary Market which will only relocate back to its original spot in 2 years time. There was another very famous Niu Cher Sui glutinous rice stall which I did not managed to take pictures because they open at 6am and are sold out before lunch time.

There are 2 chee cheong fun stalls there which are quite famous. I tried the Shanghai Zhu Chang Fen stall and quite liked it. The Chee Cheong Fun comes in 6 different fillings, ranging from Char Siew and Turnip to Mushroom. Actually I found that the fillings make little difference because it is the sweet sauce that your really go for.



The Chee Cheong Fun skin is factory made and does not have the soft consistency of freshly made Chee Cheong Fun. It is still very good. The sweet sauce is made from Hoi Sin sauce, ground sesame and sugar is is slowly stirred in a huge wok so that it caramalises nicely. Phwa, I really love the sauce!



Conclusion

Great for a side dish! Quite different in that you get a thick sweet sauce instead of the usual light soy sauce with Char Siew Cheong Fun. 4/5

Shanghai Zhu Cheong Fun
Chinatown Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street
#02-174
6am - 8.30pm
81957396

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Joo Heng: Don't miss this great Cze Char

I am continuing to discover that Singapore is a treasure trove of great eats just waiting to be discovered! When you find a great place like Joo Heng which has existed longer than this middle aged blogger has, you invariably ask yourself, "What have I been missing all my life?"




First up is the Fried Shark's Fin. This reminds me of the fried egg dish that you always get on your cold dish in a 8 course Chinese Dinner. Its Shark's Fin fried with egg, crab meat and Tau Gay (Bean Sprouts) and served with fresh crisp lettuce. It is very good but not a die die must try. At $30, you'd have to try it at least once and decide if you are willing to pay for it the next time. 4/5



The Fried Fish Slices with Bittergourd is very nice and one of the best I have tasted. They use Loi Her (Snake Head) which is a fresh water fish. You can taste the bitterness of the bittergourd which gives it a bit of bite and when combined with the chilli and black beans.. fantastic. This dish is definitely one I am coming back for. $10 4.5/5



The Black Pepper Beef is a misnomer. Its not just black pepper, the super tender slices of beef are fried in garlic, chillies, capsicums and spring onions. One of the better ones I have tasted. $10 4/5




Their version of Salted Fish Mince Pork is unique in that they added waterchestnut to give it a sweet and crunchy twist. I love it. Mince pork a bit thin and would be great if it were double the thickness. They use threadfin salted fish from Malaysia which gives it a fantastic salted fish flavour. $6 4.5/5



The Har Cheong Kai is very good but not the best around. It would have been much better if they used fresh chicken. Taste wise, it is very good, and you know that they marinade it for a long time by the amount of red colouring that has seeped into the flesh. Good, but I have had better Har Cheong Kai from Hong Kong Street Fish Head Steamboat over at Alexander Village. $8 3.75



Mr Soon is the original Chef. Although he is Hokkien, the food is not really Hokkien cuisine, but a mix of whatever is great from the other dialect groups. In other words. Singapore cuisine! They have been in business for over 40 years but moved here only 14 years ago.



Conclusion

One of those places that you simply want to go back again and again. All the dishes we tried were very good, some were exceptional. If we had ordered a sweet and sour pork in place of the fried sharks fin, we would have paid less then $50 for five really nice dishes. I was fortunate to go on a long weekend when you don't have to queue outside for a table. If you are going, do get there either before 6pm or after 9pm or risk a long queue.

Other dishes I was recommended: Lotus root soup, fried sweet potato leaves. Lots of people were also eating the steam fish head there.

9/10 (T4+V2.5+S1.5+E1) This is one of the Grand MakanGuru's (eslim) favourite places to eat. Need I say more?

Joo Heng Restaurant
360, Joo Chiat Road
63451503
11am-2pm
5pm-10pm
Closed on Monday

Ackwowledgements: Another of eslim's great recommendations

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