No Name Hainanese Curry Rice: Maximum Ommph, Minimum Fuss
Crispy Fried Pork
There is really only one word that would adequately describe this meal and that word is SHIOK! Somehow "really tasty", "yummy", "delectable" and all the other adjectives don't really capture the emotional response as well as the word "SHIOK" or even better, "D__n SHIOK!". It just rolls off your tongue and I think it must also cause the release of endorphins when you say it. It really is almost like uttering a vulgar expletive because it does give release to your pent up emotions inside when you taste something that hits the spot. I reckon the Singapore Tourism Board should intentionally market it to tourists so that it has the same level of recognition as "Oishi!" and "Aroy Mak!".
This meal can be found in the most predictable of places, viz in an old run down coffeeshop reminicent of Singapore in the 60's. It is so unassuming that the stall doesn't even have a name, let alone a signboard. They don't even bother to light up the dreary trays of food! It goes to show that for Singaporeans, when it comes to food, it is all about substance over style, Shiokability over show.
The Crispy Fried Pork here is really D__n Shiok! Unlike some other stalls which I have tried, the crispy pork here is like eating Keropok. It is crispy right through and when you add it to the plate of rice covered with the deluge of curry, lor and cabbage gravy, it really is heavenly. Give me just these two things and I am a happy man. 4.75/5
Rice with Curry, Lor and Chap Chye Gravy. 50 cents
Now I always say that the only thing better than really good food is when the really good food is cheap as well. So here is probably the cheapest way for you to fill your tummy, still have change for your dollar AND still be able to say SHIOK! Yes, I have confirmed that they will actually sell you a plate of rice with 3 gravies for 50 cents and it comes with a plate and utensils.
Hainanese Curry Chicken
Now the star of the show is the Crispy Pork. The rest of the dishes like the Curry chicken 4/5, Braised Pork 4.25/5 and Stewed Cabbage with "Lion Head" 4.25/5 are all very good but not as outstanding. However, taken as a whole package, it makes for a very satisfying meal.
Conclusion
Shiok Not Enough! Veeeery Veeery Shiok!
No Name Hainanese Curry Rice
Blk 40 Beo Crescent
6.30am to 3pm
Closed Wed
72 comments:
yes, I agree. To me, it is definitely one of the best, if not the best, curry rice around. We had 2 large servings of the shiokalicious crispy pork chop when we ate there. I like the soft and flavourful cabbage too.
Ok! I am gonna try this next week! A BIG Clap for your effort for scouting & pioneering all the food in Singapore!
I was already planning to revisit this place tomorrow. I've been eating the curry peng from here for years. Nice to see that somebody out there has discovered this gem. :) The braised cabbages taste very unique!
looking at the crisy pork makes me wan to try cook it! awesome..wondering what's the recipe?
ah yes... finally u went to the place where the real solid stuff is. further down the same block there's also a quite ok fried hokkien mee stall and shiok shiok roast meat and roast duck with superb chilli sauce. can finish the day off with a cuppa shiok shiok kopi at the drinks stall inside market(opposite porridge stall).
Well passerby, you should write in an recommend all the shiok stuff you frequent so I can go try it.
HKM is called Yang Zhou Fried HKM. At Blk 22 some blocks away, there's a very good char kuay tiao, Meng Kee. The CKT here is really good stuff too. They sell CKT in the morning. Duck rice at the same coffeeshop is quite nice. :)
Whoops sorry I mean they sell CTK chai tow kuay in the morning! Black nicer than white.
so you managed to make a trip there :) u had me drooling again~ I loved this curry rice~~ the crispy fried pork was truly very SHIOK~~ Also need to mention that their "shi zi tou" - meatball is also very very good :)
Ice, yes I read about Meng Kee in the forum, but our kakis too full that day to try! Need to blog a few more gems from Beo Crescent. Apparently there is a soup place there, Rickshaw noodles and Teochew porridge supposed to be very good.
I am half Hainanese and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hainaese curry rice!!!
Thanks for recommending this!
I must go find out where Beo Crescent is and make my way there when I go home next week!
Looks sooooo shiok.
This curry rice stall has been around for at least 15 to 20 years. Not bad lah.
There are better ones at Bukit Merah View, Tiong Bahru(2 stalls), and Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.
used to have s soup stall... v nice but too bad its closed down
agreed! i have been patronising this place since i was a kid! the pork chops can be double up as a beer snack too lol~ btw, do try toa payoh's carbonara at blk 8, lor 8. it's creamy and cheap and filling. one of toa payoh best kept secret...
My Hainanese hubby would love this! The crispy fried pork looks yummy!
I thought Beo Crescent is in Jurong, kakaka.... it's in Tiong Bahru.
Looks damn shiok man... The picture of curry gravy on the rice is making my heart race :)
yeah dude recommended some goodies for you to go review on. :) have food will travel!
Another traditional curry rice which has history back since my father's time is Xin Je Le Huan at Hougang. My usual fix for a quickie, even at 3am. Must try de chock (porridge).Iz at de same row as midnight curry, but on de next block. Opp de petrol station. This stall is a little bit related to Midnight curry.
Ice,
The CKT at Block 22 also features carrot cake...depending on the cook's mood, he dishes out either. The black carrot cake is quite good.
The duck noodle/rice stall just adjacent used to be excellent. But recently I think the standard dropped...I suspect the store changed owners and cook. The soup used to be super fragrant with herbs, but not a bit mild. The duck was smooth, almost powdery, but these days very ordinary.
The same store has a power ice lemon tea.
There also used to be a Super Power Curry rice at Block 29, but sadly no more. This was done by the cze char store, and the curry is not economy rice style...but cooked to order, and super spicy! Both pork and chicken are good.
Arrgghhhhh..... This was the makan session I missed. Wahcow! Lets go again!!!
Oh yes the ice lemon tea. It used to be so much better actually. I always buy it + dabao 2 more! Standard dropped since the coffeeshop changed hands. "I drink only ice lemon tea." :)
Pity the duck rice. It's very sad that standard of food everywhere is dropping nowadays.
Ah...Sin Chie Toke Huan at Hougang...
This brings back good memories from more than 20 years ago. There used to be 2 Hainanese Curry Rice (along with Hainanese Pork Porridge) shops along 6 miles Goh Ah Bee Stretch. Chie Toke Huan is the only surviving one.
Wa that first picture literally got my stomach rumbling! I'm so there!
By the way, is the pork tender? Had a rather bad experience recently chewing on a really tough pork fillet recently, so I'm quite wary now.
No Veron, it is super light and crispy right through. Like Keropok. Not tough at all, very easy to eat
Didn't know this stall still around, went there a few times at night but couldn't find it, no wonder it closes at 3pm. Used to eat it 3-4 years back, one of the best Hainanese curry rice I've ever eaten. And yes, the pork chop is simply delicious.
Aiyoh! If the Hainanese HKM uncle from Golden Mile FC reads this, he gonna be so sad. There're racists and there are now dialectcists. What is this world coming to?
I better not let my hainanese frens see this... Aiyoh...
Hainanese loves to fight? Since when? I am a hainanese woman and do not think I have nee going around fighting people haha and certainly not online esp. Also on the contrary hainanese men are known to be more domesticated than any other race. Many can cook well and are very good handy man at home keke
I think Anonymous must be a Hainanese too since he's so familiar with them. Hahahhaha.
hi, may i know where is Sin Chie Toke Huan located at? is it near the punggol nasi lemak? thx thx
some one called ??....moohahhaahah
cactus...its already so crowded on normal days....les just blogged them leh, think will be overflowing...next week next week..
ice..you just went today ? long queue ?
esther,
sin chie toke huan is located right across the mobil station further up punggol nasi lemak.
wahcow: Today is Wednesday, closed remember? Tomorrow. :)
SO many rave comments of their fave Hainanese curry rice here...so must be really yummy good for the tummy; wait till the crowd has simmered before I go but if everyone thinks like me, the crowd will never simmer...
Hainan island used to be called the Tian Ya Hai Jiao(The end of the earth) right until the 70s. In the past, politicians who refused to kowtow to corrupt officials are captured and exile to the island. So in theory, all you hainanese's ancestry are politicians so to speak.
On the island, these politicians do nothing all day long except talk about politics. Hainanese are famous for an aggressive fighting character and also interest in politics, believed be culturally or genetically passed down from our fore father times. It just lives in Hainanese blood. As such you may a lot of hainanese in Singapore having interest in politics. Infact a lot of our MPs are. People like George yeo and Mah bow tan are Hainanese. who says they are only good at cooking chicken rice?
Hainanese food is essentially an integration of it's local food and the west as in the early 90s, they work onboard as cooks for the british who colonised India and culturally cross-breeding western cuisine into theirs. Hence you get the famous hainanese toast, hainanese pork chop, curries etc.
That's really great info Anonymous! I might like to use it in a future post perhaps. Who should I credit it to?
Correct there. It used to be called Tianya until the late 80s when it obtained provincial status then it changed to call Sanya. If you look at the map far of China, it is right at the bottom of the mainland, so those sent there is meant to be kept in a prison island away from the society in those times. I went there with my dad in 1999. It feels good to return to the place where my granddad comes from. Before we touched down, my father told me not to speak a word of english there as it would mean a show of disrespect to my long distant relatives because they cannot understand.
From what i know, hainanese language is a mixture of cantonese, hokkein and teochew as a lot of hainanese are teochews or guangdong peoples. The hainanese culture is not that strong because it is far away from the mainland hence is too weak to develop it's culture on itself as you can see it is a dying dialect group in Singapore. But one thing no one doubt, hainanese excel in culinary field. When you find a stall, you can be sure the stall will have good customer be it a pork chop rice or hainanese western food. It is just not something you can open a stall and say hainanese. You need to have a bit of uniqueness to call your food the real hainan food.
On the other hand, teochew people serve up the best porridge because they migrated from a place in china where the soil was alluvial, not ideal for farming and stuff, hence developed the art of "more out of less" with the salting and pickling of vegetables to tie them through the long winters. Luckily they are near to the sea so they also get lots of seafood.
So much for our food history.
Interesting. But you know, if Hainanese are all migrants, why do they all have that typical type of Hainanese look? You know what I mean, you can recognize a Hainanese Ah Gong almost immediately.
BTW, I assume the two Anonymous are the same person right? Don't mind if I used your comments. Do I just call you Anonymous or you don't mind if I just used it?
The most famous hainanese expel there is the famous poet Su Tung Po. Also you forgot to mentioned the authentic Hainanese kopi.
yup ice ! i forgot ! must be the thinking of the pork chop too much.
you also have many "won-tai-fook" places to recommend....shall try to char kway teow soon also....argh.
Hainanese are belligerent. Incorruptible officials, who refused to Kow Tow to corrupt senior officials or emperors were banished to Hainan... so were great poets like Su Dong Buo... During WW2, Hainanese women in the island formed themselves as Red Women Brigade to fight the invaders..
These traits were carried to Singapore and they formed a dominant force against Japanese invaders... Following their occupation of Malaya and Singapore, Japanese listed their main targets of extermination which include, anti-Jap elements, teachers, hakka and hainanese....
i used to have a hainese old worker. he told me hainanese man usually is 3 days ding, and 4 days dong which means 7days per week is either ding or dong or very dingdong. lol!
For anyone who wants to learn some hainanese language
Greetings
1) Dua2 Keh2 Ho3 - Hello everybody||大家好
2) Tar3 An2 - Good morning||早安
3) Ngou1 An2 - Good afternoon||午安
4) Meh3 An2 - Good night||晚安
5) Boh3 Kai2- Thank you||謝謝
6) Boh3 Jiong2 Keh4 Kee3 - You are welcome||別客氣
7) Boh3 Ho3 Yi1 Shu3 - Sorry||不好意思/對不起
Daily routines
1) Jiak3 Bui2- Eat rice||吃飯
2) Seh4 Tui3 - Drink water||喝水
3) Siang3 Yak1 - Bath||沖涼
4) Sua4 Geh3 - Brush teeth||刷牙
5) Hoi4 - Sleep||睡覺
6) Pak3 Seh4 - Study/Go to class||讀書
7) To4 Gang2 - Work||做工
8) Nam3 - Play||玩
9) Mui2 - Ask||问
10) Kio3 - Call||叫
11) Pa4 - Hit||打
12) Yio4 - Take||拿
Meals/Foods
1) Tar3 San2 - Breakfast||早餐
2) Ngou1 San2 - Lunch||午餐
3) Meh3 San2 - Dinner||晚餐
4) Diao1 Meh3 - Supper||宵夜
5) Bui2 - Rice||飯
6) Sai3 - Vegetable/Dishes||菜
7) Ho2 - Soup||湯
8) Meh3 - Porridge||粥
9) Deh3 - Tea||茶
10) Hai3 Nam3 Koi2 Bui2 - Hainanese Chicken Rice||海南雞飯
Animals
1) Gao3 - Dog||狗
2) Niao2/Bah3 - Cat||貓
3) Du2 - Pig||豬
4) Koi2 - Chicken||雞
5) Ah2 - Duck||鴨
6) Goh3 - Goose||鵝
7) Niao4 Siu3 - Rat||老鼠
8) Kou3/Gu3 Tin3 - Fly||牛神/苍蝇
Relatives Greeting
Older Uncle / Wife - Peh Deh / Peik Nin
Younger Third Uncle / Wife - Taa Deh / Taa Nin
Older Aunty / Husband - Ah Boh / Boh Deh
Younger Aunty / Husband - Ah Mai / Tio Deh
Daily Seen Things
1) Din4 Nao3 - Computer||電腦
2) Din4 Wueh2 - Telephone||電話
3) Din4 Ti1 Kee3 - Television||電視機
4) Ji3 - Money||錢
5) Bit4 - Pen||筆
6) Xia2 - Car||車
7) Ka1 Xia2 - Bicycle||腳車
8) Bua3 - Plate||碟
9) Wa3 - Bowl||碗
10) Jiang2- Cup||杯
11) Meh3 Du2 - Chopsticks||筷子
12) Kam2 Geng2 - Spoon||湯匙
13) Suak4 - Fork||叉
14) Hang3 - Pail/Bucket||桶
15) Geh3 Sua4 - Toothbrush||牙刷
16) Geh3 Gao2 - Toothpaste||牙膏
17) Ta2 La2 - Towel||毛巾
18) Min2 Peh3 - Handkerchief||手帕
19) Oi3 - Shoes||鞋
20) Bing2 Du1 - Fridge||冰厨
21) Doh4 - Table||桌
22) Ii3 - Chair||椅
23) Tar2 Kou3 - shirt n pant||衣裤
24) Deng2 - light||灯
25) Pueh1 - blanket||被
26) Jium3 Kao3 - pillow||枕头
Numbers
Jiak1 Nor1 Ta1 Ti1 Ngou1 Lak1 Sit4 Boi4 Gao3 Tap1 - 1~10||一二三四五六七八九十
Gai3 Tap1 Be4 Sai2 Ban2 - (sa-in Malay :P ),ten,hundred,thousand,ten thousand||个十百千万
Body Parts
1) Pi2 - Nose||鼻
2) Sui3 - Mouth||嘴
3) Geh3 - Teeth||牙
4) Kao3 - Head||头
5) Kao3 Mo3 - hair||头发/头毛
6) Yi1 Giak1 - Ears||耳朵
7) Min1 - Face||脸
8) Mak1 - Eyes||眼睛
9) Ji1 - Tongue||舌头
10) Siu3 - Hands||手
11) Ka1 - Legs||脚
Hey Doc,
I must admit that I'm a bit cheesed off that you managed to find my favourite 'kali png' stall and blogged such a favourable review of it. Not that I've got anything against you. Just that some other food blogger blogged about my favourite nasi padang stall recently and they've been selling out earlier and earlier and I've not been able to get my nasi padang fix!
Well, I guess it is important to share. Truth is, I have tried some of your recommendations, and although I do not always agree with you, some of them have been truly great eats.
I think this kali png stall has another outlet, or a really good copy cat, at ABC market. Can't remember the unit number but its situated at the back, near the kway chup stall. Food tastes almost as good and they sell out later! Just look out for your favourite deep fried pork chop/lard bits. They are one of a kind.
The one at ABC is franchise of the jalan besar stall.
How about this Nasi Padang stall? :)
anony: So the ABC one is not curry rice from Beo if it's a franchise of Scissors Cut? Not so sure if I understood what you meant.
Wahcow! Wah! I went, I shoot, I ate, I post today. :) Had the pork chop, meatball and cabbages. Still as good as before. Agreed! The pork chops are so addictive!
Then walked over to Blk 22 and felt hungry again haha. :) Had the power ice lemon tea which isn't so power anymore.
Thnks vmuch for the tip. I did head around to give a try. I liked it. But if I had to choose, I still prefer the Hainanese curry rice over at Tiong Bahru coffeeshop instead. Its boils down to personal likes I guess cos I don't like the pork chops to be soooooo crispy. Hats off fpr the recommendation. I'd surely head on back ...cos I like the change.
Very old school!
the nasi padang along hoy fatt. if you post, i'll have to go at 11am to get my food....
http://www.camemberu.com/2008/09/istimewa-nasi-padang.html
Helo, im from Malaysia. I will be going to Spore next month with my family. I love to eat. So, if anybody can tell me where to get great local food, is very much appreaciated. Thanks in advance =)
Hi Adele,
Just look at my label: THE REALLY MUST TRY list and take your pick! Furthermore you can also join our forum and let our makan kakis advice you depending on your kind of taste.
Thanks, ieat. I shall check it out. Thanks again =)
Is this curry rice as good as the one at near balestier the famous scissor curry rice?
The curry gravy looks delicious. Does this taste similar or better than curry rice from Maxwell Market ? If so, I will pop in and try.
Hainanese curry rice... sounds interesting. I like the pork chop when it comes to Hainanese food. There is also a pretty nice Hainanese western food one of the best so far.
nice to meet ijeff & chocolat for e first time. good to see alice, uncle smart, jems, wahcow, damien, sumo, holydrummer & holybunny again! =)
thanks sumo for e ride & ijeff for my teh-o!
Thanks cow for organizing the lunch and the ride back! The curry rice was shiok. Especially love the cripy pork bits, fatty pork and cabbage.
Nice meeting you ijeff and chocolat and had a great time catching up with sumo, holybunny/drummer, jems, champagne and uncle smart :)
Forgot to add Khim too... Congrats again!
Shucks... Miss this Beo place again. determined to go soon. : (
we makan there at 2pm tom, then adjourn to Zion later :) ??
thanks for the recommendations! it looks yummy!
im a hainanese! whhooo! :)
ya agreed the crispy pork is the star of the dish !
Just had a sumpcious lunch..the pork cutlet is unbelieveable delicious...Cripsy and full of flavors.. AROY MAK MAK !!!! it would be a plus plus if the curry curry its thicker..just like the one at jalan besar..Scissor cut..i personally like that kind of texture.. :) 2 thumbs up !!
No lights, no signboard or name..
just a simple eatery far from the buzz and hustle of civilization...
Nevertheless, I did see many office workers there during lunchtime though!
Great rice, gravy did not quite agree with my tastebuds, but the pork chop was a pleasant discovery!
Kept wanting to try this stall since your review as Beo Crescent is near my place, mum's place, son's school, etc. But because am pregnant so have been cautious with cutting back on the tons of spicy stuff I usually down myself in. Finally had a good day (read - has quota for curry) and zoomed down for a carbo/curry/fried stuff load ... conclusion - I am so disappointed. How can you call something porkchop when you can't taste pork. And recently, maybe due to pregnancy hormones, rude hawkers gets to me. This stall has gone into my black list.
Forget about the teochew porridge at Beo Crescent. It's not nice at all. There's a Quan Yuan Seafood Restaurant near the porridge place. Pretty good. For Hainanese curry rice I prefer the one at 57 Seng Poh Road. The pork chops and gravy are heavenly.
True, you can open something and call it hokkein mee but you cant open a stall and start calling it hainan curry rice. You really need to know how to cook it! Unlike hokkein mee or hae mee, anyone can cook it.
I think the franchise of this stall is at Sim Ave HC.
This is my fav! There is another one in Tiong Bahru, just turn in from main road, i think is Tiong Poh road, must try their sotong...
This is one of my favourite as well ... u guys must also try the sotong and the fried prawns, simply sedap!
I had the sotong curry, fried pork and cabbage here today. The cabbage and fried pork were _excellent_, easily the best I've ever eaten. The sotong was good but wish they removed the spine from first, would be so much easier to eat. :)
it's nearby my schooL!! it's simply the BESTTTT
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