Lao Liang Pork Trotter Jelly: They don't do it like this anymore!

With iwatch_ueat and SCS Butter


Now this is a dish you don't often get to see nowadays. (Actually I don't think it was ever that common). I admit that this was the first time that I was introduced to this Teochew Dish myself. It is yet another nail in the coffin of my self delusional status as a true blue Teochew Ah Hia.

It is rather interesting, but this Pork Trotter Jelly (or Pork Aspic as some call it) reminds me of some of the stuff that you can get from the Cold Meats section of your Butchery. The reason that this dish is not often seen is, I presume, the amount of time and effort it takes to make the dish. Pork Trotters are stewed for at least 8 hours to turn the collagen into gelatin. The meat is then left overnight to set and then left in the fridge for another whole day. So all in all, it takes at least 2 days to prepare the dish. Of course, if you want to take some short cuts, you could add cornstarch or gelatin as some purportedly do. But this third generation Teochew couple still insists on doing it the traditional way without the additives.



If you like to eat the jelly of white chicken, then you are going to love this dish. It goes with a very special chilli sauce which they make with Blue Ginger (Lengkuas). The texture is excellent and the jelly is so clear you can see through it easily (I am told that is one of the ways to tell if it was made right). Tastewise, however, I thought that it could have had a bit more oomph. 4.25/5



The thing about Teochew food is the simplicity of the dishes which places the emphasis on the freshness of the ingredients. The shark's meat is simply boiled in water to cook it and served with a plum/peanut sauce. You simply cannot get away with using second rate fish. I am sure there will be people who would rave about this dish, but it failed to wake up the "tiger" in this half past six Teochew Ah Hia. 4/5

If you think that you can simply prepare this dish at home, then you are seriously mistaken. Well, you could maybe get hold of some fresh shark meat, but you would be hard pressed trying to get hold of some plum sauce that is as good as this one. This plum sauce is so good that you have to pay an extra 20 cents for each additional plate. But there is good reason for it. This couple actually make the plum sauce themselves from preserved plums. But that's not all. The plums have to be aged at least 2 to 3 years before being turned into plum sauce. That means that they have a continual 3 year stock of preserved plums at their home! Now, if you ask me, I'd rather just pay 20 cents more to get my plum sauce fix!

Conclusion

Traditional Teochew food that is quickly disappearing from our hawker food scene. For this particular stall, this will be the end of the line after three generations when the couple retires. So better go try some before it goes the way of the Dodo.

Lao Liang Pork Trotter Jelly
Stall 37, Jalan Berseh Food Centre
11am to 3pm
Closed on Mondays

Teo Kee Mushroom Minced Pork Noodle: Melt in your Mouth Braised Pork Soft Bones

I simply love braised pork soft bone, don't you? I just could not resist ordering a bowl of this Braised Pork Noodle. The Pork Soft Bone has been cooked till you can finish the whole bowl of noodle without leaving anything in the bowl or on the table next to the bowl.

Talking about throwing bones and other stuff on the table around your bowl, I am just wondering if you all still do it without a second thought? It's funny, I must admit that in a hawker centre I do it without hesitation, but it is not something that you do in a fancy restaurant especially if there is a nice pristine white table cloth. But then, when we are in a Chinese Restaurant, we still do it, table cloth or not. Do you think that throwing the unedible stuff onto the table for the elderly Ah Soh or the Bangladeshi worker to clean up is right etiquette or should we become more civic minded and "developed" and politely leave everything in our bowl?

At least I don't have to face this dilemma when eating this dish since nothing much is left when you are finished with the pork. The braising sauce is very good. It is robust, sweet and you get a hint of the cinnamon and star anise without it being over powering. The noodles are also special egg noodles which are nice and QQ. 4.25/5

Conclusion

If you like pork soft bones or just need the extra collagen for your osteoarthritis, this is the place to go for relatively cheap soft bone fix.

Teo Kee Mushroom Minced Pork Noodle
Blk 137, Tampines St 11
Tampines Round Market and Food Centre
#01-05
5am to 2pm
Closed on Mondays

Xing Ji Braised Duck: Good Enough to switch loyalties!

On assignment with Professional Photographer, Alec Ee
Set for 2, $8 Photo by Alec Ee

On this occasion, I was invited to join professional photographer, Alec Ee to a photoshoot of his favourite Braised Duck stall which according to him is better (in a different sort of way) from the famous one at Tekka. This little known braised duck stall facing the Sungei Road thieves market was only started 6 months ago but has already attracted a regular following of braised meat lovers like Uncle Alec, who, until he found this stall, was a regular at Tekka.



Being in the presence of a professional photographer was a little intimidating for me at first. When you look at the kind of photos that he takes, you will know what I mean. Because he was so particular about the lighting and set up, it meant that for once, I was the one who had to be patient and wait while others took the pictures. After that I had to take my shots before we got to eat! Phwa I was really hungry by the time I got the first piece of duck into my mouth.


Duck Noodle $2.50 Pic by Alec Ee

The first thing that caught my attention was the way the stall owner sliced the duck breast. It is in the same style as the braised goose served at Guan Hin. Surely a good sign! When it comes to duck I actually prefer the breast meat to thigh meat. Because duck breast is actually red meat not white, I find that it combines tenderness of breast meat with the taste of thigh meat.

Do you know the difference between red and white meat? Red meat consist of slow twitch muscle fibres while white meat consist of fast twitch muscles. Slow twitch muscles are used for slower, sustained activity such as walking while fast twitch muscles are good for quick but short lived bursts of activity. So, chicken breast is typically white meat because a chicken doesn't really fly, it uses its breast muscles to quickly flap its wings when it is excited. The legs contain more slow twitch muscles since it is always walking around. That explains the difference in tastes of the two parts of the chicken. But since ducks actually fly (most migrate seasonally), the breast meat contains more slow twitch muscles so that they can have sustained muscle activity while they fly for long distances. Which is why duck breast tastes more like red meat. Yes or no?

The Braised Duck here is quite good. The breast is nice and tender and because it is sliced thin and wide, the texture is very different from your usual braised duck. I like the Lor as it is the thin watery type and is on the sweeter end of the spectrum but it still has enough umami. 4.25/5



Aside from the duck, the other thing that you really must order is the pork cheek. Oooh, sinfully soft and chewy at the same time! Not good......Very Good! 4.5/5

Conclusion

My next assignment is to try the famous Braised Duck over at Tekka. The braised duck here is very good, but until I get to compare it with the other famous one, you will just have to take Uncle Alec's word that it is good enough for him to switch loyalties! It's a new stall, but the stall owner really has passion for his craft, so I think it is only a matter of time before other braised meat lovers will discover his stall.


Xing Ji Braised Duck
Kelantan Food Centre
(Facing Sungei Road Thieves Market)
11 Kelantan Road 01-04
10am to 7pm daily

Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap: Old World vs New World Hawkers: Zion Road Riverside Food Centre: Part 2 of 3

With iwatch_ueat, damien, smartgoh and The HolyC


You know, I am beginning to realize that just as wines are divided into New and Old World wines, each with a distinctive taste, Singapore Hawker Fare can also be divided into Old World and New World tastes.

Food that comes from a 40 year old wok and fried by 60 year old arms will somehow have that rustic taste about it compared to food coming from a brand new wok. New World food just seems to have more of a upbeat, clinical taste about it. I was joking with a 70 year old Char Kway Teow man today that it must be his sweat that gives his Char Kway Teow that unique special flavour. And perhaps that is true since a person's body odour does change as one ages. I am sure you realize that grandparents have a unique smell which my mother likes to call the "Kana Bee". When I was a houseman in Australia, I remember that as I approached the Geriatrics Ward, I could recognize this distinctive smell immediately. We used to call it (with all due respect to our older readers) "Eau De Geriatric".



Now after that lengthy preamble, let me just say that New World does not mean it is bad. It is just different. This Braised Duck has got a New World taste. It is tasty yet has a clinical (clean, orderly, sterile) quality to it. Just 3 years old and run by a young lady, this stall had derived its recipe from the internet, books and experimentation. However, it has already earned many accolades and visits from the usual mediacorp artistes during this short period of time. The braising sauce is thick and tasty and the meats and bean curd were well executed. However, that modern - dare I say, Air-Con Food Court - taste is inescapable. 4/5

Conclusion

Definitely a New World taste, but a good recipe and done very well. It may well be that the new generation of Singaporeans will prefer this version of Lor Bak, just as they would think of Pierce Brosnan as the iconic James Bond. People like myself would always consider Roger Moore to be the real Bond. If you fall into the category that thinks that the only real Bond is Sean Connery, then maybe you will not find this Lor Bak any good at all!

Boon Tong Kee Kway Chap Braised Duck
Zion Riverside Food Centre
Stall 24
11.30am to 10.30pm
91849881