First there is the you-char-kway or you-tiao (油条). Watching the hawker prepare the you-char-kway on the spot was such a delight. It reminded me of a stall that was not far from my house in my kampong. As a kid, I liked to watch the hawker fry the yck. It was fascinating to see the yck expand rapidly in the boiling oil. In the photo below, the hawker used a pair of tongs to turn the yck; but traditionally, the correct tool should be a long pair of chopsticks.
And then
there is the putu mayam. Nowadays in
Singapore, the putu mayam that I see
being sold in the coffee shops are all factory-produced. They come packed
neatly in a plastic bag. When I see the hawker remove the slices of putu mayam from the plastic packet, I
lose my appetite. The packet resembled a packet of serviettes! Here in Muar,
the hawker sold his putu mayam from a
huge metallic container just like in our kampong days. Back then, the vendor
was an Indian man who came to our village to peddle his putu mayam on a bicycle just like in this photo. Furthermore, the gula Melaka was also home-made and
tasted much better than the mass produced type in modern-day Singapore.
.JPG)
Besides
these, there were also vendors selling nonya kuehs as well as fried chye tau kway. The sight of the trays of eggs reminded me of an interesting practice in those days. To save on the cost, we usually brought our own egg and the hawker would be happy to add it in for us.
To round of the experience, we were served thick black coffee in traditional china cups and saucers. Even the Hainanese spoken by the coffee lady was reminiscent of our kampong days.
What a delightful breakfast that was in Muar. Like General MacArthur, my Singapore friends and I pledged; “We shall return!”
20 comments:
Singapore can never turn back the clock and go back to the good old days - food from push cards, shoulder carried mobile'kitchen'from the streets. Our hygiene standard has been raised so high that young and old will make a hue and cry if they see any food prepared in an unwholesome manner, let alone eat them. If any of us miss the delicious food of the past, all we need it to cross causeway, like what chun see did, to relive yesteryear.
Showed the photo to my wife and you can see the delights on her face!
There is a 油条 stall at the Serangoon Garden Market. It relocated there from the Lim Tua Tow market when it was demolished many years ago. Pretty authentic.
First time when I was in Hanoi (must be 1986) I could not sleep. I saw this bright light bulb shinning. So I took a peep. I saw on the roof top of a 3 storey building somebody fryiny "Yow Char Wai" which was Yew Chow Kuay like CS described. The frying process was the same. This surprised me as the Viets and Chinese were supposed to have different types of menu.
I guess somethings they have in common.
Ahhh Chun See, this takes me back to the old days at Nee Soon market, on a small road that runs off Thomson Road near the intersection with Mandai Road. The market opens in the morning and I too enjoyed watching the yew char kuay and the chye tau kuay being cooked. There is also a “cake” with lots of peanuts and sugar inside but I cannot remember its name. It may be cut in triangular slices (very thick) or sometimes almost trapezium-shaped. On the side of the corner coffee shop there are stalls that serve porridge with a selection of dishes such as dried pig’s blood, pig’s intestines etc. Customers sit on a low stool and their meals are served on a wooden table not more than three feet high. You can buy live chicken, ducks, chicks and ducklings but I haven’t seen live pigs on sale here! It’s more like a mini wet market with lots of food stalls included. A nice trip down memory lane indeed ...
Edward, are you referring to 'Mee Chian Kueh'(trangle pancake filled with sugar and peanuts or tau-sah)?
Hi Jade,
I have forgotten most of my Hokkien already, but Mee Chian Kueh sounds familiar. No, it does not have tau sah. It is not like a western style pancake but comes in thick slices which are quite spongy, with the crushed peanuts and sugar in the middle. The only “cakes” I know that have tau sar are Tau Sar Pow (a variation of Char Siew Pow) and Han Ching Pang, one of the foods I used to buy at our Sunday night pasar malam along Old Upper Thomson Road. My other favourite was Tutu, a small white circular “cake” with either sugar or coconut fillings. Yummy.
Hi Edward,
On the subject of food... inevitably,
I found pictures of Mee Chiang Kueh here:
http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=mee+chiang+kueh&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kYw3UJalIszLrQeH6ICwDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1432&bih=761
These days, such kuehs can still be found in stalls like Jolly Bean and Mr. Bean which are located in many shopping malls here. Be sure you look for them when you next visit Singapore
Sorry Edward, I realised I didn't link the info on Mee Chiang Kueh correctly. But you can really find delicious looking pictures of this cake on the google.
Edward. Are you Edward Williams or a different Edward?
You can find photos here. Many places in Spore and Malaysia selling this.
Hi Chun See,
You mentioned "putu mayam". I remembered it as some steamed bee-hoon, swirled into a flat piece, the size of the palm and eatened with shredded coconut and some brown sugar. Haven't seen it since childhood days. Another food sold by the same Indian vendor is some kind of rice-balls resembling golf balls, also eatened with coconut and brown sugar. I don't remember whether the balls were make of cooked rice or tapioca but they tasted great.
Hi Jade and Chun See,
Thanks for the links – yes it’s Min Chiang Kueh. I also remember putu mayam. I always have mine with brown sugar rather than shredded coconut. As usual I go for all the sweet stuff, which is why I am now almost “boh gay”. Don’t worry, I have dentures that make me look cool. Jade, I vaguely recall the Indian rice balls but I seem to think that they are filled with thick sugary brownish creamy liquid in the middle ... probably melted brown sugar. And they are coated on the outside with fluffy coconut. Hey Chun See, yes it’s me Edward from Sembawang Hills Estate. Greetings!
Hi Edward,
Are you sure the rice-balls with the melted sugar in the middle is not "ondeh-ondeh", another of our generation's 'comfort food'? Thankfully, all these food are still readily available at present. But I don't think they are here to stay as the present gen Y are not that keen on eating stuff like these.
Oh yes, you’re right Jade. I just Googled ondeh-ondeh and it looks like … ondeh-ondeh! I think my memory is not so good when it comes to nonya foods. So the Indian rice ball is still a mystery? I can’t remember if I’ve eaten them. In the late 50’s to mid 60’s there was an Indian man who carried spicy nuts and cakes (such as pakoras) on a circular wooden tray, delicately balanced on his head. He walked around the estate selling his food stuff during the morning and early afternoon. This man wore a dhoti and had a handle-bar moustache. You can have one green chilli with a pakora or lentil ball. Street vendors like him no longer exist in Singapore. As Zen said, perhaps we have to cross the causeway to relive such erstwhile experiences.
Edward. Next time you come back to Spore, must contact me. We shall revisit some of these places and sample all the food that you missed and trying to recall.
Thanks Chun See, I will keep you in mind when I next visit Singapore. I have hawker style lunches twice a week here - on Thursday at Pappa Rich (a Malaysian franchise) and on Friday or Saturday at China Bar. Singaporeans never tire of their old style hawker dishes, no matter where they are ... always looking out for the most “authentic” ones. When we get together we are always comparing notes on Singapore hawker foods. Isn’t that so typical of us? They should get a few Singaporeans here to start a hawker centre!
Whenever my brother comes back from Perth, he and his friends would go around trying all the well-known Spore hawker food, whereas I just go to the same old convenient places. Result - he know more than me where to find the famous makan places.
When I go to another suburb I am always looking out for Asian cafes or restaurants which serve hawker meals. Sometimes I look at the menu and try to make a judgement on how good the food will be. Of course I am not always right. For Zen it’d be an exciting adventure, checking out the food centres in Singapore for his favourites, a pastime he cannot indulge in when he is in Perth. So it doesn’t surprise me if he more aware of the famous makan places. Like you I tend to frequent the same cafe or restaurant (Pappa Rich and China Bar) when I visit Chadstone for my weekly shopping. We are all creatures of habit!
Another (older) brother. Not Zen; who is based in Spore. This one has no interest in blogs.
Post a Comment