Lai Heng Cooked Food: Economical Economic Rice

Someone mentioned a $2 Economic rice which comes with two meats and two vegetables? Yes, Damien already alerted us to this particular stall. And the food is pretty delicious! I had my usual stir fried cabbage with sweet and sour pork as the yardstick to determine how good the food is. I am glad to report that they pass with flying colours. Damien highly recommends this food stall and is glad to put his neck on the chopping board for it! 4.25/5

Conclusion

You'd be hard pressed to find a better tasting $2 meal anywhere.

Lai Heng Cooked Food
Blk 22 Toa Payoh Lor 7
#01-08
6am to 8pm
Closed on Saturdays

Bukit Merah View Teochew Porridge: Will the Real Teochew Ah Hia please stand up?

With FashionFoodie, smart, liverpool, tag, iwatch_ueat and damien


Today was the day I found out I did not qualify to be a True Blue Teochew Ah Hia! Oh, don't misunderstand me. I am pure bred. Both sets of Grandparents came direct from Swatow. However, I failed the ultimate test of the Teochew Ah Hia. I failed to appreciate freshly steamed Peh Dou Her (Rabbit Fish).

My idea of a perfect Teochew porridge lunch was porridge with stuff like Chye Poh (preserved veg) Omelette, Braised Pork, Sliced Lup Cheong (Chinese sausages) and Braised peanuts. But I found out that that only qualifies me to be an entry level Teochew Ah Hia. The True Blue, Hard Core, Fair Dinkum, No Play Play Teochew Ah Hia loves stuff like steamed Peh Dou Her, steamed mullet and steamed baby squid dipped in Tau Jnior (fermented bean sauce) and chilli.


Peh Dou Her (Rabbit Fish) $4 each

Peh Dou Her is especially prized during the Chinese New Year period when they are about half the size and full of roe. Teochew Ah Hias like Fashionfoodie tell me that the stomach is bitter and when taken with the roe, it is supposed to bring you to the heavenly Swatow. (Area where the Teochews come from)

Here is where I failed. I never did like all the steamed fish that my parents love. In fact it was the fishiness of fish like Peh Dou Her that put me off steamed fish for most of my younger life. But I was game to see if my tastebuds are indeed as Teochew as I thought. Perhaps, as I get older, I might actually like fishy fish?

Not.

Even as the Teochew Ah Hias are attacking the fish with gusto, I found the fish to be too fishy for me. I tried my best but only finished a few mouthfuls. I guess it really is an acquired taste. So, are there many Peh Dou Her afficianados out there?

My rating would be 2.5/5 whereas the other guys rate it 4.5/5



Similarly with the steamed squid. My first bite of it was ok. But it wasn't something I would rave about. So I asked Fashiofoodie again just how to appreciate the dish. He told me that not many people can actually steam it until it was just so soft and tender. Ok. My rating 3/5, his rating 4.5/5.



I was told the beauty of these baby squids is that they are full of roe. Smart especially liked it and kept raving about it. Again for me, it was plain steamed squid. I still prefer it deeped fried till crispy with black sweet sauce. My rating 3/5, Smart's 4.5/5

Conclusion

So will you pass the True Blue Teochew Ah Hia test? My three Teochew Ah Hia friends certainly passed with flying colours. That's not to say that people of other dialect groups would not like Peh Dou Her, it's just that if you claim to be a Teochew Ah Hia, you should pass the Peh Dou Her test. Agree or not?

Bukit Merah View Economic Teochew Porridge
#01-377/379
115 Bukit Merah View
10am to 7pm
Closed on Sunday
Recommended by FashionFoodie

Xin Long Cooked Food: The Alternative to a Homecooked Meal!

With smart, iwatch_ueat and carnineviand


I always find it difficult to write about "Economic Rice" because there is always so many dishes in each stall and there is no standard items that you can compare "apples with apples". So what I have done is to ask the Lao Ban Niang to give me a plate to that would showcase her best stuff.

I don't know about you, but I find that when I eat "Economic Rice", I always end up ordering much the same dishes which will invariably include a sweet and sour pork and a braised tofu dish. So this particular meal is a departure from my usual fare.

Another thing about Economic Rice is that I actually eat it when I feel that I need to eat something "wholesome" which equates to home cooked food. And home cooked food equates to rice with one or two meats and some veggies. I think that is quite a commonly held practice amongst Singaporean Chinese which is why the Army also provides this sort of staple.

The food here is very good and overall, I feel that it has flavour without tending to be over oily. Of special mention is the Ngor Hiang here which is one of the best Ngor Hiang I have ever eaten. Funny to find an outstanding Ngor Hiang in a Economic Rice stall rather than a Ngor Hiang stall! The shiok thing about it is that almost one third of the Ngor Hiang is made of sweet, crunchy water chestnuts. Worth coming just for the Ngor Hiang. The curry chicken was mild, creamy and very yummy. Not as special as the Ngor Hiang but definitely very competent.

Conclusion

Overall, the food here is great which explains the constant queue. The good thing about it is that you really do feel that it is something that mom might whip up at home. (assuming your mom is an excellent cook) Great place to visit for some tasty home cooked food. 4.25/5

Xing Long Cooked Food
Blk 84 Marine Parade Food Centre
#01-185
Corner Store near Parkway Parade
11am to 8.30pm
Closed on Sundays
Annie 97574143