Delicious Muffins: Hotel Quality Homemade Puff Pastry

Chicken Pie $2.80

Everytime I think about Chicken Pies, I am reminded of the ones they used to sell in the neighbourhood bakeries in the seventies and eighties. You know, the ones that were shaped like big muffins with a dome shaped top and made with puff pastry. Man, they were good. But then again as I have said before, nostalgia is perhaps one of the best taste enhancers.

Damien had told me about these Chicken Pies a long time ago, but it was only of late that several others have reminded me that they really should be on the blog. If you ever wonder how I end up blogging a certain place, well, this is a good example. It is a combination of what I feel like eating that day combined with several people recommending the same item all around the same time.


Chock full of Chunky Chicken

Anyway, I found myself at this shop which a few people have said sells some of the best chicken pies and curry puffs in Singapore. Ironically, the shop's name was "Delicious Muffins"! It turns out that the chef owner had been a Chef at Hilton before he left to start his own business here. That explains why the Chicken Pies here remind me of the ones that you usually find in Hotel Cafes.

I love the puff pastry here. It is not overly flaky but is still light and buttery. It has a nice amount of chewiness on the inside layers which tastes great as it has absorbed the flavours of the chicken filling. The filling itself is generous with lots of chunky chicken pieces. I felt that it could do with a little bit of cream in the gravy and the flavour of the white pepper was a little overpowering but that might please pepper lovers. 4.25/5


Curry Puffs $2

If you think about it, aren't all Curry Puffs supposed to be made from Puff Pastry? That is why they are called Curry "Puff" right? The Malay version is rightly called Epok Epok but it is the Old Chang Kee version with which Curry Puff really is a misnomer. Perhaps our colloquial "Kalipok" is more suitable. Kalipok is of course Singlish for Curry Puff, but the Hokkien word "Pok" can denote something deep fried and puffed up as in Tau "Pok" (Fried Bean Curd). Or does "Pok" mean "Puff" as well? Perhaps someone from the Hokkien Hway Guan can enlighten us?

It is very hard to find a Curry Puff made from Puff Pastry that is not overly oily and I have avoided eating them because the combination of oil and spices often give me a bad case of indigestion. However, the Curry Puffs here were great. The Puff Pastry was thin but resilient and the Curry Puff were chock full of buttery potatoes and chicken pieces in light but fragrant curry spices. Definitely one of the best Puff Pastry Curry Puffs I have come across. 4.25/5
(Polar Cafe used to make really great Curry Puffs of this sort, but nowadays, sadly, the standards have dropped due to mass production).

Conclusion

Great place to drop in for some rather nice Chicken Pies and Curry Puffs!

Delicious Muffins
91 Bencoolen Street #01-51,
Sunshine Plaza
Singapore 189652
11.30am to 8pm
Closed on 8th, 18th and 28th of the month
96361503 Wendy

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1A Crispy Curry Puff: The original 1A is not the 1A you know!

With Damien


I am sure that when you see this type of multilayered curry puff, you would immediately think of 1A curry puffs right? This very unique and indeed very Singaporean snack can now be found in many shopping centres around the island. But did you know that there are really two 1A curry puffs in Singapore? There is one which operates all the franchise stalls in Singapore, then there is another one which is still operated by a feisty old grandma in Henderson. Guess which one came first?

This is yet another one of those copycat hawker stories, a phenomenon which I am sure you are familiar with in our country. Just think of Rotiboy, Doughnuts and Bee Cheng Hiang and you know what I mean. It seems to me that we Singaporeans are much better at copying others than coming up with original stuff. Just look at home renovation designs for instance. You know, at one time it looked like every newly wed couple's master bedroom has that obligatory photo hanging above the bedhead. I think the phenomenon boils down to two very strong character traits of the Singaporean. The first is that we tend to be very Kiasu (scared of losing out) and the 2nd being that we are a conformistic society. So, being Kiasu, it is much easier to copy an idea that works rather than take the risk with something new. And being a nation of conformists, we, like a shoal of sardines or a flock of sheep, just follow what the others are doing. Don't know what to do? Just follow law!

Anyway the story of 1A (there is no A1 curry puff as far as I know) is just another case study of this phenomenon. As you probably guess by now, the stall in Henderson (according to them) is the originator of this particular type of curry puff. It turns out that it was first made around 17 years ago by this Teochew Ah Mah (Granny) who was at the time making fried Poh Piah (springrolls) and Soon Kueh. One day she just decided to combine the two and came up with the multilayered crispy curry puff that we are all so familiar with. The Curry Puff later became known as 1A Curry Puff as their stall then was at Blk 1A Eunos Crescent. According to them, the other 1A was started by someone who used to work at their store.

If you do an internet search, you will find other stories about how this curry puff originated and I am not in a position to say what really happened. But I do find Grandma's story quite plausible (It's between a sweet old granny and a businessman, so who would you believe?). If you have more information to shed some light on this, do let us know.


Crispy Curry Puff $1 ea

Anyway, the curry puffs here are really good. The skin is crispy and thin, more like a Malay Epok Epok rather than the Chinese style Curry Puff which uses short crust pastry. The filling is also quite moist, almost as if there was a bit of gravy in it. I actually quite like the Sardine Puff which really reminded me of the Malay version except that you get the multi layered crispy skin. 4.25/5


The Ah Mah who invented the Crispy Skin Curry Puff

Conclusion

I don't know if there is such a thing as copyright of Hawker's names but I do notice that there are many hawker stalls claiming to be the "original" stall of famous brand names. At times it can be quite confusing and sometimes it can affect the business of the real original stall. Just the other day I spied a banner somewhere in Bukit Timah proclaiming that they were the original 132 Mee Pok and recently I also wrote about the confusion over Eng Seng black pepper crabs. Is this something we all just sit back and accept as part of our society, (like the fact that you almost never get your handphone back when you lose it), or is it something that we should work towards changing?

So, if you are a curry puff lover, you should check this one out and see if this "original" crispy skin curry puff is better than the rest. And do let us know your version of the 1A curry puff story.

Soon Soon Huat
1A Crispy Curry Puff
Blk 94 Henderson Road
#01-276 S(150094)
68415618
Free Delivery
From 8am Closed Mondays

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Epok Epok Central: Epok Epok, Neneks and Hawker Hunks!

With smart and Mr.YaKwang

Epok Epok with egg 50 cents each

The most surprising thing about this Epok Epok is NOT that it is one of the most addictive things I have eaten recently, but the fact that the hands that make them belong to an exclusive breed of Hawkers whom I have created a new tag for --- Hawker Hunks.

Now, its been commented in the blog that one of the most attractive things about a man is the fact that he can cook.

I challenge that statement.

I think that what women actually find attractive is a man that looks as if he would have women falling at his feet AND he can also cook at the same time. I think that women view the domestic ability of the male as an indicator of his domesticability. In other words, if he can cook, I can probably get him around my fingers.

Anyway, I don't want to detract you from the Epok Epok, so ladies, please avert your gaze from this fine specimen of manhood back to the picture on top. Today we are talking about Epok Epok. The type that Nenek used to make.

It was Mr.YaKwang (aka Jason) who alerted me to this particular Epok Epok. Now, Mr.YaKwang is one of the most fussy (almost obnoxiously fussy) foodies I know. Nine out of ten things recommended on the blog cannot make the grade for him. So he ends up eating his own food most of the time. So when Mr. YaKwang told me about how much he likes this Epok Epok, it got my attention straight away.


If you stare long enough, you too might be transported back to your childhood!

Do you remember the scene from Ratatouille when the food critic Anton was transported back to his childhood with one taste of the Ratatouille? Well, its sort of like that for Mr.YaKwang. He said that this was the type of Epok Epok he remember eating when he was a kid.

So after taking the first few pictures, I gingerly held the Epok Epok in my hand and prepared myself to be transported into a surrealistic dream sequence as I bit into the Epok Epok........ nothing. Not surprising since the curry puffs I was used to were those from my school tuckshop and they are a little different.

That's not to say that the Epok Epok here was not good. They were excellent. The crust was thin and crispy and combined with the freshly boiled egg and buttery curried potatoes, I downed about five of them before I knew it! 4.25/5

The thing I felt was missing is one or two pieces of savoury chicken meat in the Epok Epok. I know it is not so common in Epok Epok as it is with the Chinese version, but nevertheless I love the joy of finding that savoury piece of meat hidden among the potatoes! I am also dreaming of a minced beef Epok Epok which Lokman promised he will make soon.


Nasi Lemak with the works $2.50

There has been some discussion over at the forum about Nasi Lemak and more specifically, where to find a good Malay style one. Well, look no further! All I needed to do was just have a whiff of the steaming rice to know that this is a good one. The sambal belacan here is also very shiok and it is on the sweetish side which I feel should be the case with Nasi Lemak. The sambal also has that wonderful savoury taste of the belacan which hits the Umami Spot. You can buy the ready packed ones for $1.20 which comes with rice, ikan bilis and choice of egg or ikan kuning. They put in the special effort of sandwiching the chilli between two pieces of banana leaves for that added fragrance. Sedap lah brudder! 4.25/5

The chicken wings here are well marinated with lots of tumeric and ginger so they were very good, but I would advise you to be there around lunch time in order to get them freshly cooked.

Conclusion

The simple things in life are often the best. Personally, my idea of the perfect breakfast is a cup of Teh Tarik, a plate of Epok Epok and Nasi Lemak. That is what I miss most when I was overseas.

Oh, back to the Hawker Hunks issue, I don't want to be sexist, so I was actually going to name the Tag "Hawker Hunks and _____ Babes" but I can't really think of an adjective that begins with B to describe girls who operate hawker stalls who look like they should be on the catwalk instead. Let me know if you have any ideas. And don't forget to check out the other Hawker Hunks in the blog.

Epok Epok Central
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent
Eunos Crescent Hawker Centre
#01-09
Lokman 96958889
7am to 7pm daily
Closed on Mondays

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Katong Chicken Curry Puff: Stuff I ate when I was a kid!

With Smart, iwatch_ueat and carnineviand

Good old Curry Puff: $1

I am glad that somethings never change. This shop has been here for 30 years and they are still doing the same thing. This is the kind of curry puff I grew up eating when I was a kid. I remember that the best part of the curry puff was when you get to that single piece of chicken meat and the piece of egg. It's like a treasure hunt.

Of course, this type of curry puff is the Chinese interpretation of the Malay interpretation of the Indian interpretation of an English food. The Indian curry puff is the triangular pastry which the Indians made for their colonial masters back in the days of the British Empire. Then they brought it over to Singapore and the Malays took on the idea of a pastry filled with curry. But they change the shape of the Curry Puff to resemble the Crescent Moon, the religious symbol of Islam. Then of course the Chinese (probably the Hainanese) also want to get into the action, so you have the chinese version of the curry puff with a pastry that is more buttery.



This is one of smart's favourite Curry Puffs which he has eaten for the last 30 years. He still swears by it. According to this uncle, the Curry Puff at East Coast Lagoon Food Village was an offshoot of this stall. Little wonder that they both still use an old bottle as a rolling pin.

The filling is nice and moist and not overly spicy and the crust is nice and crisp but not too buttery. Great as an afternoon snack! 4/5

Conclusion

Another "traditional" chinese style curry puff to add to my curry puff list!

Katong Chicken Curry Puff
Marine Parade Food Centre
01-132
8am to 6pm
Closed on Monday

Recommended by smart

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Stop Press! Beef Epok Epok is Here!

With PowerAunty and iwatch_ueat


I am sure you all still remember the Heart Shaped Epok Epok which I featured around Valentine's day. At the end of the blog I mentioned that I was on a quest to get them to make a Minced Beef Epok Epok for me. After several SMSes, the Mak Cik at Merpati Putih finally did it! After experimenting with several different shapes, she finally settled on this simple "MacDonald's Apple Pie" shape for her Beef Epok Epok.



I don't think I would ever eat an ordinary potato Epok Epok again! She seasoned the minced beef like a Keema and fried it till it was fragrant and added some potatoes. There is a good proportion of beef in this curry puff so it can be truly called a "beef with potatoes" rather than the other way around. To borrow liverpool1965's fav expression: "Ooooooo, very shiok!" 4.5/5

Conclusion:

A definite MUST TRY because I believe it is the first of its kind in Singapore and it will seriously give your tastebuds a good workout! The Beef Epok Epok is around one and a half times bigger than the normal Epok Epok and costs $2. It is a special order item at the moment so you should ring up first to order before you go down. Hopefully it will become so popular that it becomes a regular item at the stall just like the ieat SuperBurger and Double Whammy.

786 Merpati Putih
Geylang Serai Temp Mkt
#01-295
9am to 5.30pm daily
Closed on Mondays
91653577

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Merpati Putih: Epok Epok Love: Geylang Serai Temp Mkt Part 2 of 5

A Pre Valentine's Day Special Feature with iwatch_ueat and liverpool


We were just walking around Geylang Serai Temp Market looking for other shiok stuff to eat when I chanced upon this stall selling Epok Epok Love with a picture of Minister of Environment, Yaacob Ibrahim eating one of the curry puffs. If it's good enough for a Minister, it must be good enough for me!



So what's so special about this Epok Epok and why do they make it into the shape of a heart? Well it turns out there is a long story behind the whole thing. (Remember I said most long stories take only about a minute to tell?)

You know how life sometimes throws you a curve ball and turns everything upside down? Well, that's what happened to Junaida who used to be a Salesgirl over at Joo Chiat Complex. Her husband lost his job 3 years ago and out of desperation, they turned to making Epok Epok to keep the family of five going. Even their 3 boys gave up their TV time in order to help peel potatoes. Thankfully, after some time their Epok Epok became so popular that they were making 600 to 1000 per day! Knowing how hard life can be, they in turn use their Blessings to be a Blessing to others by donating Epok Epok to charity. Hence, Epok Epok love. Curry Puffs made from the heart.



OK, so it's a HEARTwarming story, but what does it do for the stomach?

This is probably the most impressive Epok Epok I have eaten till now. Each Epok Epok only costs 40cents but the filling is very generous and it even comes with eggs inside. The sardine puffs had more sardine than onions and were pretty full too. Their Heart Shaped Curry Puffs are a special order item. Each one costs $1 and it contains pieces are yummy chicken meat, potatoes and eggs inside. I actually prefer these Epok Epok over the Chinese version because the skin is thin and crispy so you won't feel jerlak after eating a few of them. Before I forget, you must get Junaidah to give you some sambal to put into the Epok Epok, oooooohhh sedap lah Mak Cik (Very tasty lah, Aunty!) 4.25/5



For those special occasions, you might even consider ordering their BIG heart shaped Epok Epok ($15 special order) to be shared among loved ones! Hmm, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I wonder if it is romantic to present a curry puff like this to your loved one?

Conclusion

Definitely one of the best Epok Epok I have eaten! Now I am trying to convince Junaida to make me a Minced Beef Super Epok Epok! Stay tuned.

786 Merpati Putih
Geylang Serai Temp Mkt
#01-295
9am to 5.30pm daily
Closed on Mondays
91653577

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Ritchie's puffs: Really Rich Puffs: Hong Lim Food Centre 3 of 7

With smart, Damien, iwatch_ueat and liverpool


You can tell from the delicate handiwork that these curry puffs are handmade and they are really quite big for $1.20 each.



I would say they are good curry puffs, but I found them a little too rich for my stomach. The crust is crispy but a tad oily and the filling is nice and savoury but they use quite a bit of coconut milk in it so you get jerlak (indigestion) very quickly. If I were 20 years younger and not having to worry about my indigestion and cholesterol problem, this would have been a real yummy treat.

Conclusion

One of the better curry puffs around but a tad too rich for me. 3.75/5

Ritchie's Puffs
Hong Lim Food Centre
#02-33
7am to 7pm daily

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Wang Wang Crispy Curry Puff: Old Airport Road Food Centre Part 7 of 9

With ieatMaMa, iwatch_ueat and superfinefeline


These curry puffs are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat. Don't you agree?

I don't know when they actually came up with the crispy layered skin curry puff idea, but A1 curry puff is arguably the most well known. This stall is a stand alone stall and all their curry puffs are still made by hand on site and that is always very reassuring.



I found it interesting that they fry the curry puffs in a large wok and use this flat wire mesh thing to lift up the curry puffs when they are done. You learn something new everyday.



The great thing about this curry puff is that they skin is really crispy and flaky but the inside is still really juicy! The curry puffs come in four flavours, Curry, Sardine, Black Pepper Chicken and Yam. I tried the black pepper chicken one and also found that one pretty good. But if you have to choose only one to eat, go for the original curry puff. 4/5


Wang Wang Crispy Curry Puff
Old Airport Road Food Centre (Renovated)
#01-126
11am to 11pm daily
Ah Wong 90907009

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Lagoon Chicken Curry Puff East Coast Lagoon Food Village Part 5 of 7

This curry puff really brings back memories of childhood. I still remember eating this when the East Coast Lagoon was still used as a Lagoon for swimming. And it is good to know that this good old curry puff has not changed in all these years.



See, they are still using a wine bottle as a rolling pin. This bottle has been in use since the opening of the new East Coast Lagoon Food Village 3 years ago. Reminds me of the show "The Gods Must be Crazy" where a coke bottle was accidently dropped in a remote village in Africa. The tribal people then found 101 uses for the coke bottle and even started to fight over it. So much so that one of the tribesman has to take it to dispose of it at the "end of the world".



The crust is crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside but not oily. The filling is very moist and the curry will bring you back to the good old days if you are as old as I am. And of course, finding the bit of chicken meat is like looking for Easter Eggs. You know it's there, and when you find it you still get excited. Still $1 each and loads of satisfaction. 4/5



Conclusion

Each curry puff is still handmade in the stall and filled with yummy memories. Unlike Old Chang Kee, where you get really Jia Lard (Feeling of having too much fat) after eating the curry puff, this one is amazingly light. From now on, I am buying a few everytime I come to East Coast Lagoon Food Village.

Lagoon Chicken Curry Puff
East Coast Lagoon Food Village
At the section nearer the Car Park and ECP, right next to the Duck Rice.
Starts around 2.30pm till late or until sold out.

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