Rojak: Freshly Fried You Tiao Rojak!

With iwatch_ueat and SCS Butter


Imagine freshly fried You Char Kway made into rojak! That would be something wouldn't it? It would be especially special for those of us who really enjoy just You Char Kway rojak without all the other vegetables and fruits. When smart alerted me to this particular stall in Macpherson, I simply had to find out if freshly fried You Char Kway is better than toasted You Char Kway when it is tossed into rojak.



This is a sleepy little stall in a sleepy part of Singapore especially in the afternoons. So the lady needed to fire up the oil in order to make some You Char Kway for us. Amazingly the You Char Kway is still 30 cents each here and a plate of rojak just $2.

The You Char Kway was super crispy and warm but unfortunately the Prawn Paste and Ground Peanuts were not quite up to expectations. A good plate of rojak which really could have been great. 3.75/5

Conclusion

Try it for the novelty of having freshly fried You Char Kway rojak that is really cheap. However, I am still undecided if freshly fried You Char Kway really makes a better rojak than toasted You Char Kway. The only way to find out is to find another stall somewhere that does the same thing but with a sauce with more kick!

Rojak
Circuit Road Blk 79A Food Centre
#01-522
11am to 12mn
Closed Wed and Thursday

Soon Heng Silver Stream Rojak: Two bucks and they still include cuttlefish!

I find rojak to be the most difficult hawker food to take pictures of. It's well......it's rojak. It isn't colourful and very messy and I always find it difficult to take an appetizing picture. If you look at my rojak photos, I think you would agree that they are pretty hum drum.

Anyway this rojak was recommended by many readers from the last rojak post disputing my claim that Lau Hong Ser was the pre-eminent rojak in Singapore. Ok, so I had to taste it for myself.

I was a bit apprehensive when I found out that they toast their You Char Kway in an ovenette and use commercially procured ground peanuts. How can they compete against my other rojak entries most of whom toast their YCK over charcoal and grind their own peanuts? Can this rojak be even on par with the others, let alone be superior?

Well, I did find that it was a very nice plate of rojak. The balance between sweet and sour was perfect and the Hae Gor (Prawn Paste) was very good. But I found the peanuts a little dry though they were generous with it. It just did not meet up to the standard of peanuts which are fried and ground daily by the hawkers themselves. For $2, this was a generous plate of rojak which included cuttlefish as well. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Very good rojak and very good value for money. The peanuts are the major stumbling block preventing it from being the undisputed rojak champion.

Soon Heng Silver Stream Rojak
480 Toa Payoh Central
HDB Hub B1-23
11am to 8pm

Lau Hong Ser Rojak: The Undisputed Rojak Champion?

With iwatch_ueat and holydrummer


PASSION.....

One word that separates the good from the great. Passion is what makes this man fry and grind his own peanuts whiles other get theirs from a factory. It makes him insist on using only the best Heh Gor from Penang and making his own chilli. It causes him to continue toasting his You Char Kway over a small charcoal fire even though there is a queue an hour long waiting to eat his fare. It causes him to continue to treat each plate of Rojak as if it were his last. Oh yes, I love passion people.

Now people with passion can sometimes be perceived to be eccentric. The difference between someone who is eccentric and someone who is a downright obnoxious fusspot is that we admire what the eccentric one does. So when this stallowner insists on opening his stall from 4.38pm to 1.38am, we forgive him because he is a genius. It takes a real "Hou Lian Teochew Ah Hia" (Proud Teochew Man - and I mean it in a good sense) to be able to pull off a stunt like this and still have people calling up an hour ahead to place their orders.



So much for philosophising. Let's get down to the rojak.

Lau Hong Ser likes to serve his rojak freshly toasted with the thick, fragrant, chockful of peanuts sauce by the side. The sauce was as good as a Rojak Sauce can be. The You Tiao and Tau Pock were well toasted and crispy. What else can one ask for in a plate of rojak except for a shorter waiting time? 4.75.5

Conclusion

Who am I to argue with an hour long wait?

Lau Hong Ser Rojak
Dunman Road Food Centre
Stall #02-14
63466519
4.38pm to 1.38am
Closed every Sunday
Call 1 hour in advance to place your order