Yong He Eating House: Taiwanese Snacks 24 hours a Day

Feeling peckish in the middle of the night and not wanting to eat something too rich that would give you a glutton's hangover the next day? Well this might be the thing for you.

Situated in the middle of all the action at Geylang is this 24 hour place selling Tau Huay and You Char Kway. The Tau Hway may not be as smooth as Rochor Tau Hway over the other side of Geylang, but this stall does offer a few interesting and less common Taiwanese style snacks.



One is the the Omelette "Biskuit" which is a light pastry (like Pong Piah) cut open with egg omelette and pork floss in it. Not particularly die die must try, but light and satisfying when eaten together with Tau Huay. 3.5/5



Another is the You Char Kway with Pork Floss wrapped in Glutinous Rice. Some foods you can imagine the taste by what you see. This is one of them. Yes it tastes like You Char Kway and Pork Floss and Glutinous rice. Again light and satisfying. 3.5/5

Conclusion

More comfort food than shiok food. It is the sort of stuff you eat to feel comfortable in the tummy. This stall has been around for 20 years before the current wave of new Taiwanese eateries in Singapore offering street food and the menu is a bit of a hodge podge of Taiwanese and current favourites like Xiao Long Bao and Tea Eggs.

Yong He Eating House
239-241 Geylang Road
67455682
Open 24 hours Daily

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Hum Jin Pang: Ikea style Food: Do it yourself and pay less! Maxwell Food Centre Part 8 of 8

With smart, SurprisePocket, jezzz and iwatch_ueat


We almost gave this one a miss. At 7 Hum Chim Pangs for a dollar, I assumed that the people who are lining up were just all very Gian Chia (Love a good deal). The HCPs all looked so small, oily and black that it hardly looked appetizing.



The queue was about 5 persons long, so like Vultures, we just looked, went somewhere else and circled back. There was this lady who was hogging the wok for like more than 20 minutes. You would think she was one of the workers there, except for the fact that she had makeup on and was wearing a 1 color suit. Aiya, sister, you want to fry so badly, you can always buy some oil and do this at home what!! Apparently she bought $10 worth of HCP!! Things people do for a good deal!!



So anyway, I gave up waiting. But fortunately for me, some of my other makankakis were more patient and waited in line.

Unlike most other HCPs, the five spice salt on this one is on the outside of the HCP and the oil in the wok was all black because of all the five spice salt in the oil. After frying, the HCP was dipped into sugar. Phwaaa, the my first bite was like hitting a hole in one! How come nobody else does it this way? The sweet sugar crystals combined with the crispy savoury skin followed by the fragrant soft HCP inside was to die for! Phwaa Lao Ay!! My makankakis who had been waiting in line for so long ended up buying only $1 worth of HCP! What were you all thinking!!

Conclusion

Not just cheap, very cheap. Not just good, very good! And, I am willing to wait the next time I come to Maxwell FC. I think that says it all. 4.5/5

Hum Jin Pang
Maxwell Food Centre
Open 1pm to 8pm









Update 26 Nov 2006: Today I stood in line and waited 20 mins, holding my daughter and shouting at my son to get my $2 worth of HCP!! Still loving it!

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You Char Kway The traditional way: Margaret Dr FC Supplemental

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.

Margaret Drive FC
#01-558
96806008
Tues-Sat 12pm-10pm
Sun 9am-8pm
Monday closed

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