One of my favourite old working lunch haunts from years ago was the couple of coffee shops at Blk 22 Sin Ming Road. There were many interesting food stalls here, so there's something for everyone. In particular, there were three soup stalls - a bak kut teh stall, a braised duck stall with duck soup, and a "earth jar" soup stall. I've had them all, many times. Of the three, till today I still have a craving for the humble, comforting duck soup or kiam chay ark 咸菜鸭 from Hup Seng Duck Rice stall.
The wisdom of crowds. The snaking queue was for Hup Seng Duck Rice which is popular for their Teochew braised duck. Many, not all, customers would order a side of kiam chye ark soup with their duck and rice.
In the old days, I would get a big bowl of kiam chye ark soup for the group to share. I can't remember what else we ate here already 😂
Hup Seng Duck Rice serve one of the best braised ducks in Singapore. I blogged it here 👈 click
I am here today just for the kiam chye ark which left an even deeper impression on me than the popular braised duck. This set for $6.50.
My memory is fading but I vaguely recalled that the duck soup was cloudy white and slightly thicker. Today, it was relatively clear, tea colour and more watery. It was not greasy.
But, flavour wise it was still good - tangy, savoury-salty, and peppery. I thought it used to be more peppery. There's a subtle underlying sweetness.
Most of the flavour in the soup came from kiam chye or salted vegetable which is Chinese mustard greens 芥菜 preserved in brine. The soft kiam chye is sourish, salty and slightly sweet (if you pay attention). I grew up with kiam chye and to me it makes everything tastes better 😄 (I didn't see or taste tomatoes in this kiam chye ark soup, which is good as I don't like tomatoes 😛 )
The humble kiam chye is a big part of our lives in the old, leaner days. Crumbled, dog eared, stained exercise books were known as kiam chye. Frumpy, dirty clothes were also known as kiam chye 😂
Then, there is kiam chye char loti which literally means "salted vegetable fried bread".
Okay, there was a meaty joint just beneath the wing.
The duck meat was tender, juicy, needed some jaw work but not chewy. It tasted sweetish. I enjoyed it, especially the skin which had subtle fleeting hints of duck gaminess.
As the soup was tasty and not greasy, I finished it to the last drop.
I wanted to take my customary shot of my emptied bowls but a couple was hovering behind me waiting for me to get up from my seat. Paiseh to take more photos, I quickly picked up my tray and vacated my table for them 😁 😅
If you are in the Upper Thomson / Sin Ming area or if you are a braised duck fan, Hup Seng Duck Rice is one stall you can try. I love both their braised duck and kiam chye ark.
Can you recommend me other kiam chye ark stalls, please 🙏
Side note: I am also a big fan of the Peranakan version of kiam chye ark known as itek tim. It's the same basic dish but spiked with tamarind, asam keping / asam gelugur, chili pepper.
Written by Tony Boey on 27 Feb 2022
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