Where to Get Rabbit Fish During Chinese New Year · Mama Bay 馬媽媽 in Toa Payoh & Teo Heng @ Hong Lim |Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture

Eleventh day of Chinese New Year, we went on a rabbitfish trail this morning. No lah..., we just went to our usual places for rabbitfish pilgrimage. (If you know of other good rabbitfish places, please share with us in the comments 🙏 )

Eating rabbitfish is a must do tradition for Chinese New Year even though I am not Teochew (am Cantonese). For more on why Teochew people eat rabbitfish during Chinese New Year 👈 click

Stall name: Mama Bay 馬媽媽

Address: 22 Lor 7 Toa Payoh, stall #01-96, Singapore 310019 (inside Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 15 minutes walk from Toa Payoh station

Tel: 9633 3389 ☎ 9830 3141

Hours: 7:00am - 10:00am (Mon, Tues, Weds off)

Mama Bay 馬媽媽 at Kim Keat Palm looks like any one of thousands of typical, nondescript wet market stalls in Singapore. But, their goods - Teochew "fish rice" is usually sold out within 3 - 4 hours everyday.

Mama Bay 馬媽媽 actually has a long history. The stall was founded by Ah Yong (who is in his 80s now) in the old Teochew Market or Ellenborough Market. Ellenborough Market went through a few iterations since 1845 before it was demolished in 1995 to make way for today's Central Mall @ Clark Quay. Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Ellenborough Market was Singapore's wholesale centre for vegetables and fish. Ah Yong would get his fish from Ellenborough Market and make traditional Teochew "fish rice" there by boiling it with sea water. Image courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

When Ellenborough Market was demolished in 1995, Ah Yong moved to Hong Lim Market. When Ah Yong retired, he handed over the stall to his sister 馬媽媽.

About 20 years ago, Ah Yong's sister retired and handed the stall which had moved to Kim Keat Palm Market (in Toa Payoh) to her daughter Jenny.

A lot has changed from Ah Yong's time - I mean from Ellenborough Market to Hong Lim Market and now Toa Payoh (Keat Kiat Palm Market). Singapore's fish wholesale centre had also moved from Ellenborough Market to Jurong Fishery Port.

But, the most important thing, Jenny never changed the way Ah Yong and her mother made "fish rice".

Jenny goes to Jurong Fishery Port and handpicks her fish. She then cooks them the old way with seawater at her kitchen in Senoko. Yes, seawater. Jenny uses filtered seawater which is certified and cleared by NEA to cook her fish and seafood.

Today, Jenny has Ikan Kambong, Ikan Kurau, Yellow Crocker, and seafood like prawns, squid and krill.

Rabbitfish with milt.

This is Chinese New Year, so naturally all hands on deck are focussed on rabbitfish.

Jenny said this year's rabbitfish spawning season is slightly extended perhaps due to the rainy weather. She also noticed that seawater has never been cleaner than this year for a long time. The quality of this year's rabbitfish is also very good.

Rabbitfish with roe.

Rabbitfish meat is tender but normally tastes slightly bitter, so it is not a greatly sought after fish. Except, during the spawning season which usually coincides with Chinese New Year. Roe and milt laden rabbitfish, for some inexplicable reason, taste wholly sweet with no bitter flavour at all.

Because roe and milt laden fish are considered auspicious, demand skyrocket during Chinese New Year. At its height before Covid-19 dampened demand a little, Rabbitfish reached a peak of nearly $250 per kilo during Chinese New Year.

Bought some from Jenny for takeaway. Rabbitfish price is seasonal, needless to say. At the moment, Jenny retails them at $150 per kilo, all with roe or milt (no "kosong" fish). Jenny's fish are all from nearby waters, so they are fresh and are never frozen or preserved with chemicals.

Our rabbitfish bagged, we went to Teo Heng Teochew Porridge stall in Hong Lim Market for our annual rabbitfish lunch.

Stall name: Teo Heng Teochew Porridge

Address: Stall #01-25, Hong Lim Food Centre, 531A Upper Cross Street, Singapore 051531

Nearest MRT: At Chinatown station

Hours: 8:30am - 1:00pm (Sat & Sun off)

Teo Heng boss Ah Yong has a different, unique take on cooking rabbitfish.

Ah Yong boils his rabbitfish in his signature stock which main ingredient is salted vegetable (kiam chye).

The two rabbitfish were part of our fishy lunch of grouper, rat grouper (barramundi cod), fish cake and braised duck today. Everything was tip top, ranks with the best in Singapore. Teo Heng always delivers 💪👍

I am mind blown every time I taste Teo Heng's unique boiled fish with kiam chye. The salted vegetable weren't that salty at all - in fact, they were soft, subtly crunchy, and taste mildly savoury, sweet, tangy. The stock or sauce's unique savoury, sweet, tangy flavour was overlaid with sweet savouriness from the juices of dozens of fishes that went through the pot during the day. You can imagine the depth of flavours.