Today, Sylvia my avid foodie friend showed me her long time favourite Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau. It is a vanishing Singapore hawker dish and it would be a pity if it disappears as it is so delicious.
My makan kakis today, Daniel, Sylvia and her sister (not in this photo). Sylvia and her mum are passionate foodies who travelled everywhere for the best eats since her teens. Beginning in the pre-Internet days, she kept note books of her favourites and I am privileged to join her in going through her yummy eat list 😋
Sylvia followed Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau since they were not yet famous, and was located at the intersection of Joo Chiat and East Coast Road (Hock Ann Eating House coffee shop). Through the years, Say Seng moved around the Katong area and is now at the basement of Dunman Food Centre (where they had been for 5 years already).
Khoo Lian Hwa runs the stall now - Say Seng was founded by his father in 1959 (61 years ago 😮 ).
Most famous for their unique tau kwa pau, Say Seng also serves good braised duck, pork offal, pork belly, fried yam, ngoh hiang (fried pork roll), fried fish balls etc.
First things first, Say Seng's claim to fame, their famous tau kwa pau.
It's a brick of fried tofu (bean curd) - the golden outside has a tender chewy "skin" thickened by deep frying. The inside is moist tofu. A slit is cut and chopped egg, fried yam, fish ball etc are stuffed inside. The tau kwa pau is served with a dribble of savoury brown sauce used to braise duck.
The fillings were generous, spilling out like jewels from an overstuffed treasure chest (which in a foodie way, it is).
The jumble is a blend of savoury and sweet flavours. The combination of stewed and fried ingredients yielded an interesting mix of tender, soft, chewy and crunchy textures. The splash of duck braising sauce added another savoury layer.
The tau kwa pau is eaten with Say Seng's signature dip with cut green chili and diced onion which give it an added savoury salty tangy spicy flavour, if you like.
Of course, the dip can be used with any dish at Say Seng.
Pro-tip: Next time, I will inform Mr Khoo not to cut the tau kwa pau so that I can it eat like a burger.
Crunchy and chewy, savoury deep fried cake of chopped yam.
Say Seng is good with their braised meats too - we had braised duck, pork belly, pork tongue, intestine, stomach and chicken egg. I like them a lot as the meats were fresh and well infused with mild savoury flavours from the braising stock.
The meats were all tender and juicy. Nice savoury flavours throughout.
Truth be told, I usually won't order fish balls anywhere unless I know that they are hand made. Sylvia ordered these, but I wasn't expecting much when I popped one into my mouth.
My rare Singapore hawker dish series 👈 click
What other vanishing Singapore hawker dish would you recommend?
Restaurant name: Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau 生成豆干包
You may not know this, but you can eat the stuffing for the tau kwa by itself. Quite a lot of people order packets of the stuffing as a stand alone and add the lor and chilli sauce to it or pour it on top of their rice.
ReplyDeleteActually they were already famous by the time the stall shifted to Hock Ann kopitiam. It was well-known among foodies when the stall was at its location prior to Hock Ann - @ the current Alibabab eating house.
ReplyDeleteProbably the only one left in SG.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a Mary's tau kwa pau in the same coffeeshop(now Alibarbar Eating House) as Yong Huat and the very first Aston's but it's gone