Yue Lai Xiang Cuttle Fish KangKong: Grandma's recipe since 1939: Bedok Corner FC Part 3 of 3

With holydrummer and iwatch_ueat


So many people were afraid that I would miss out on this stall! Well, I don't like to dissappoint people, so here it is!

The enterprising Granny of Yue Lai Xiang actually started off selling Jiu Her Eng Chye (Cuttlefish KangKong) before diversifying to Cheng Tng (See previous blog). Stall owner Mr Jason Lim claims that his Grandma is probably the first to come up with the dish if not one of the first. In the past, the dish was much more popular, but nowadays it is something not commonly found in any food centre. This begs the question why?

Economic theory tells us that in a free market economy, if there is market for the product, then there will be entry of competitors until equilibrium is achieved. So if there are not many stalls around selling Cuttlefish Kangkong, it must mean that the dish is not that popular amongst the average Singaporean. But then, this stall still pulls quite a crowd and is often sold out by 8pm everyday. So why are there no new competitors in the market? This dish, afterall seems simple enough. Or is it?



For the uninitiated (like myself), this dish is very much like rojak. The cuttlefish is first soaked and boiled and cut into pieces, mixed with cucumber, tau pok, lettuce, pineapple and doused with a sweet sauce and chilli sauce.



Jason stressed that it is important that the cuttlefish is of good quality. Here they only use Korean Cuttlefish which is supposed to be the best. The texture of the cuttlefish is springy and non fibrous. If you like sweet stuff, the chilli and sweet sauce will not dissappoint. It is still made from the same recipe handed down by Grandma. I found this to be a refreshing dish good more for an appetizer or side dish rather than a main meal. 4/5

Conclusion

Don't eat much Cuttlefish Kangkong, so my opinion may not be the most trustworthy. If you are a fan of this place, do write in and share with us how to appreciate this dish!

Yue Lai Xiang CuttleFish Kangkong
Stall 32 Bedok Corner Food Centre
Open 12pm to 8pm
Closed Mondays

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Halal Orh Luak! Bedok Corner FC Part 2 of 3

I admit that I am a very poor Orh Luak (Oyster Omelette) Afficianado. I don't actually enjoy the oyster that much. What I like, horror of horrors, is actually the egg and the sticky gooey paste! So Orh Luak has not been a regular item on my list of foods to eat.



I am including this particular stall because it is first of all Halal, which is quite uncommon and secondly because this is Orh Luak that is not too oily and finally it actually tastes quite good. What I like is that they managed to get the paste to be really nice and crispy. The oysters are a tad tiny so our Orh Luak afficianados would probably not look favourably on it. 3.75/5

Conclusion

Good for those who take Halal food and also those like me who like just the egg and paste and at the same time trying to limit their cholesterol intake.

No Name Stall
Bedok Corner Food Centre

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Yue Lai Xiang Cheng Tng: This is One Special Cheng Tng: Bedok Corner FC Part 1 of 3

With holydrummer and iwatch_ueat


When it comes to Cheng Tng, I only know of one that really stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Yue Lai Xiang has been around since Bedok Corner Hawker Centre was still by the beach. Started by Grandma, the secret recipe has been handed down for 3 generations and it seems like no one else has been able to crack the secret.



This Cheng Tng is really Cheng (Clear) and has got 11 different ingredients in it. The soup is constructed from soups from 2 different troughs. One has got dried longan, pandan leaves and rock sugar in it and the other trough contains a "secret ingredient" which Mr Lim prefers to keep secret. Whatever it was, the soup here tastes very Liang (Cooling) and though you can make out the sweetness of the rock sugar and the longan, there was just that extra something else that makes it very special. They have several rather special ingredients in the mix too that really stands out. One is the dried persimmon you can see in the picture above and the other is the dried winter melon strips. 4.5/5



Here is another hawker who is very proud of his craft. Mr Lim was sharing with me how he used to watch Grandma making the Cheng Tng and how he used to ask her why some bowls had more ingredients and others less. She simply replied that the fingers on her hand are also not all of equal lengths!

Conclusion

There are many Cheng Tngs around, but I don't know any that are like the one here. I just love fishing out the pieces of dried wintermelon and persimmon. The feeling is like finding that piece of chicken in your curry puff!

Yue Lai Xiang
Hot and Cold Cheng Tng
Bedok Corner Food Centre Stall 31
aka Bedok Food Court
Junction of Bedok Rd and Bedok Junction
Open 12pm to 8pm
Closed on Mondays

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