In 2020, hawker culture in Singapore was officially added to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Here, we have asked Singapore’s best-known food experts to recommend heritage hawkers that tenaciously hold on to time-honoured recipes and cook everything from scratch. And without successors to take over the reins, they’re also among the last of their kind – so go, have a taste of history while you can.
1. Lao Sim Shredded Chicken Noodles
Recommended by Willin Low, chef-owner of Wild Rocket Group
This stall is actually famous for her kiao – minced pork dumplings wrapped in fish paste skin. The yellowtail meat has to be manually scraped, minced into a pulp, beaten to the right texture, then rolled paper-thin.
There are very few stalls in Singapore that still laboriously make these Teochew dumplings from scratch. I love her kiao for the al dente skin – even its characteristic slight sliminess! – and the umami flavour of the pork and ti po (dried sole fish) filling.
The second-generation owner Sim Buay Liang has been running the stall for about 40 years. Unlike the rubbery factory-made variety, the dumplings here are just like the ones from my childhood. Be sure to get the All-In option, which is a hearty bowl of shredded chicken noodles, handmade fishballs, and of course, her kiao.
#02-01 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, 127 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh
2. China Street Fritters
Recommended by Violet Oon, chef & co-creator of Violet Oon Singapore
This stall pre-dates World War II. I’ve been coming here since I was a food critic in the 1970s. I visit whenever possible because I don’t know how much longer we can enjoy such authentic Hokkien fritters.
Although similar items are readily available elsewhere, most are factory-made and pale in comparison. Everything is still hand-made by the third-generation Ng brothers, and makes use of original recipes.
I especially adore their kwan chiang – Hokkien-style pink sausages stuffed with lean pork and a light pink paste of sweet potato flour. The natural pork casing is incredibly thin and the higher ratio of minced pork gives the sausages a good bite. Other outstanding items to try are the pork liver sausage, prawn fritters and egg slice.
#01-64 Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street
3. Yong Huat
Recommended by Annette Tan, food writer and private dining chef
Yong Huat has been an enduring presence at the Joo Chiat Road junction, which has seen many changes over the decades. My father took me there often as a little girl as he loved the Teochew-style fried mee sua (rice vermicelli) here.
It’s similar to my other favourite, Hokkien mee (yellow noodles and rice noodles wok-fried with seafood and prawn broth) but the texture of the mee sua is silkier and more slippery. Eating this dish always reminds me of childhood.
The stall, established in 1949, is run by second-generation owner Pang Weng Hong and his wife. I love that they continue to make it the way they always have – with unabashed amounts of crispy lard.
Alibabar Hawker Bar, 125 East Coast Road
4. The Beef House
Recommended by Petrina Loh, chef-owner of Morsels
I like food that offers that familiar feeling of “grandma’s cooking”, and the food here gives me just that – especially the beef ball soup. This family-run eatery is now run by second generation owners, Chia Teck Kwang and his siblings, and everything is still homemade.
Here, they offer two types of beef balls: one with ground meat and the other with only tendon. The texture is amazingly bouncy.
I also love the soupy yong tau foo, which is a bowl of assorted ingredients like mushroom, tofu and beancurd rolls stuffed with minced meat. The abacus seeds (similar to gnocchi, but made with yam and stir-fried with dried shrimps, black fungus and minced meat) are another delicious Hakka snack.
217 Syed Alwi Road
Illustrations by Priscilla Wong
This article was originally published in the August 2019 issue of Silkwinds magazine. All photos were taken pre-Covid
Please check the establishments’ respective websites for opening hours as well as booking and seating requirements before visiting, and remember to adhere to safe-distancing measures while out and about.
