Essential History of Chitty Melaka Peranakan Indian

"Chitty is 3-in-1. Basically we are Indian, but we have embraced the Chinese, and the Malay culture. The multiracialism is in us." 

Baba Ponnosamy Kalastree, President of the Peranakan Indian (Chitty Melaka) Association Singapore

Bhorta · Humble Bangladesh Food Icon

I have been exploring Bangladeshi food by roaming around Desker Road, Singapore's Little Bangladesh.

10 Bangladesh Food to Try in Singapore

There are about 160,000 Bangladeshis living in Singapore (2020 statistics), most of whom are construction and marine industry labourers. Most are housed in dormitories. 

The gathering place for the Bangladeshi community in Singapore is along Desker Road which is nicknamed "Little Bangladesh". Bangladeshis come here for hometown food and groceries on weekends and public holidays, hence they call this area "Mini Mart".

Introduction to Peranakan Indian Cuisine by Chitty Melaka Association Singapore & Allspice Institute

This evening was my introduction to Chitty Melaka Peranakan Indian cuisine. 

Old JB San Huan Johor Bahru Style Teochew Kway Teow @ Toa Payoh Jackson Square · They Dry their own Fish Maw! 新山老三环

Old JB San Huan 新山老三环 | Lor 3 Toa Payoh, Block C, Jackson Square | Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Braddell station ⏰ 8am - 2pm

Two of us ordered these from JB Old San Huan stall at Tai Seng to try. Hey... they were delicious and really reminded me of their best counterparts in Johor Bahru.

Stall name: JB Old San Huan 新山老三环

Address: Lor 3 Toa Payoh, Block C, Jackson Square

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Braddell station

Hours: 8am - 2pm

🎗Please note that this post was written when Old JB San Huan was at their previous location in Tai Seng. They are now at Jackson Square in Toa Payoh.

The founders of JB Old San Huan were operating along Johor Bahru's Jalan Wong Ah Fook opposite City Square Mall in the 1980s. I have never tried it there before.

They just moved here to this Tai Seng coffee shop at the intersection of Upper Paya Lebar Road and Pereira Road (5 minutes walk from the MRT station) this year. It is still pretty much under the social media radar.

I had their signature Teochew kway teow soup. I can smell the aroma of fresh lard as it rises to my nose with the steam 👍

The tea colour (probably from tee poh) soup was watery but cloudy, and packed with porcine savoury sweetness and lard taste. It was actually more robust and layered in flavour than most of their counterparts in JB.

The kway teow was the JB kway teow kia type which are narrower than the Singapore version. Though I like my kway teow to be soft, today, they did it a bit softer than my preference. Still, it was good as it was slurpy smooth and picked up the soup's flavours well.

There's liver, fishball, pork ball, lean pork slices, lettuce, etc., in the soup.

The liver though thinly sliced was done nicely, soft-tender and "powdery" the way I like it.

The pork balls were likely factory made but they tasted and felt alright.

The kway teow soup comes with fishballs but I ordered a separate bowl of it because I saw that they were handmade. Any hawker that sells handmade food, makes me greedy 😅

My greed was well rewarded 🤭

The handmade yellowtail fish fishballs were tender, lightly springy crunchy and have a subtle brininess and fresh fish taste.

Kway teow soup with sea bass fish slices.

The same soup and kway teow kia now loaded with sea bass slices and tofu cubes. They were generous with the sea bass slices.

The sea bass slices were thick, soft, fresh, sweet with their signature subtle earthly taste.

Buddy said this stall reminded her of Tua Thow kway teow soup in JB. For me, it reminded me of the famous fish soup kway teow under the rambutan tree in Taman Century not far from Tua Thow. (I haven't been back to both popular stalls in JB for a long time.)

We were there at 9am, so took the opportunity of the morning lull to chat with the hawkers. They were from Johor Bahru and learned the craft from their family elders who operated at Jalan Wong Ah Fook. They were pretty shy and I couldn't get their names 😂

Boss gave us some dried fish maw to try.

My first reaction was "From Kuantan ah?" as the seaside city is well known for excellent dried seafood.

"No, I cut it from the sea bass and dried it myself". Hey, hey, hey I am always  appreciative of hawkers who go the extra mile to make their own ingredients 👍

Actually, making their own dried fish maw is not exactly unheard of in Johor Bahru - there are others like here 👈

Yeah... it sounds like an oxymoron but this dried fish maw really tasted fresh. Nice soft crunchy spongy subtly fluffy mouth feel. It had a gentle sweet savouriness. You have to try it for yourself to see what I mean.

We enjoyed our food and are grateful to the hardworking young men who bring authentic JB flavours to this side of the Causeway.

I will be back especially to try their "dry" no soup versions 😋

Join 75K followers of Johor Kaki

Written by Tony Boey on 23 Oct 2023

🎗 This blog is powered by voluntary contributions from appreciative readers to Tony Boey Johor Kaki PAYNOW 96888768 in Singapore $.

Join Johor Kaki mailing list

Previous Address for records only

Stall name: JB Old San Huan 新山老三环

Address: 107 Upper Paya Lebar Road, Singapore 534829 (stall inside Apoze coffee shop)

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Tai Seng station

Hours: 6am - 3pm

Hilsa / Illish · National Fish of Bangladesh

Hilsa, also known as illish is the national fish of Bangladesh and state fish of the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal. It is known as ikan terubok in Malay and 刺殼魚 in Chinese.

Hilsa plays a big part in Bengal culture, both in Bangladesh and in the Indian state of West Bengal. Over 80% of the world's hilsa are fished in Bangladesh (but stocks are depleting fast due to overfishing).

History of Rasgulla · Rosogolla · Milk Curd Balls with Syrup

Rasgulla or rosogolla is a popular sweet in India, especially in Bangladesh, and the Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha. In Singapore, you can find them in Little India and Little Bangladesh.

One Mouth Noodle Wanton Mee @ Yishun Park · Daily Fresh Egg Noodles Made at Stall 一口麵 手工雲吞面 ☏ 97752770

I went to Yishun to try a food stall residents recommended highly. It was alright but since I came all the way here, I needed one more thing (hopefully mind blowing) to make my trip worth it.

Stall name: One Mouth Noodle 一口麵

Address: 51 Yishun Ave 11, stall #01-12, Singapore 768867 (stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Yishun station

Tel: 9775 2770

Hours: 11am - 8pm (Mon off)

Heng Hua Restaurant · Affordable Authentic Putian Cuisine @ 748 Yishun Street 72 莆田兴化美食

After sharing my enjoyable experience at Ming Chung, the oldest Heng Hua restaurant in Singapore, buddy suggested that I can also give Heng Hua Restaurant at 748 Yishun a try.

So, here we are 😀

Stall name: Heng Hua Restaurant  莆田兴化美食

Address: Yishun Street 72, #01-212 Block 748, Singapore 760748

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Yishun station

Tel: 6757 1762

Hours: 11am - 11pm

Easy Steps to Apply for MACS 2.0 · Free MDAC Arrival Form · Malaysia Immigration Auto Gate Clearance

Go straight to  Malaysia Digital Arrival Card 👈 click

✍ 10 Mar 2024. If you are a regular Johor Bahru day tripper on foot from Singapore, get MACS 2.0. MACS means Malaysia Automated Clearance System. It will let you enjoy scan-and-go at the Malaysian Immigration auto clearance e-gates, saving you from the manual clearance queue 🕺

History of Desker Road · One of Singapore's Most Colourful & Historic Streets

Desker Road is one of Singapore's oldest and most colourful streets. In the old days, pubescent schoolboys trying to act beyond their age will whisper Desker Road in hush tones and when teasing one another 😳 Why? Let's find out 🤔

Desker Road

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Jalan Besar station | 5 minutes walk from Farrer Park station 

Hours: Desker Road never sleeps

Ah Seng Teochew Braised Duck Rice @ Serangoon Garden · One of the Best in Singapore

When buddy brought this plate of braised duck from Ah Seng, my first reaction was "woah sliced so thin" 👍 It got me salivating straightaway.

Most braised duck stalls in Singapore slice or chop their ducks thick. Some even chopped them looking like sticks of French fries 🙄

I prefer my braised duck sliced and thin like this.

Stall name: Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice

Address: 49A Serangoon Garden Way, stall #01-44 Garden Market and Food Centre, Singapore 555945

Nearest MRT: 20 minutes walk from Serangoon station

Tel: 9667 4860

Hours: 9:30am - 1pm (Mon off) Important to check their Facebook or call 📞 before coming

Pork Porridge @ Tong Xin Gu Wei Serangoon Garden Hawker Centre · Tasty Speakeasy Porridge 同心古味

Wendy said this porridge is a hidden gem. We tried it - indeed, it is hidden like a speakeasy and it tastes as good as any pork porridge I've come across in Singapore and Johor.

Stall name: Tong Xin Gu Wei 同心古味

Address: 49A Serangoon Garden Way, stall #01-04 Serangoon Garden Market & Food Centre, Singapore 555945

Tel: 8748 1482

Hours: 5am - 5pm (Mon off)

Yu Pavilion @ Kovan Heartland Mall · A Taste of Tradition · Hakka Rice Wine Chicken

Hakka rice wine chicken is not commonly sold in Singapore restaurants or hawker stalls. So, it is quite unusual that a full fledged restaurant proudly has the dish as one of their signatures.

Restaurant name: Yu Pavilion

Address: 205 Hougang Street 21, #03-18/19 Heartland Mall, Singapore 530205

Nearest MRT: 3 minutes walk from Kovan station

Tel: 6970 8598

Hours: 11am - 3pm | 5pm - 10 pm

Traditional Famous Prawn Mee in Hougang · No Horse Run · No Bull 传统著名虾面

Buddy raved about a traditional prawn mee stall in Ang Mo Kio saying it is "no horse run" 😮 Since he say until liddat (like that), I must really try it soon. 

I am usually skeptical, even cynical about stalls and restaurants that name themselves "famous" and such. But buddy say until "no horse run", I have no choice but to go to the original stall in Hougang (instead of the same name stall at 338 Ang Mo Kio) 🤭

Stall name: Traditional Famous Prawn Mee 传统著名虾面

Address: 21 Hougang Street 51, #01-42, Singapore 538719 (stall inside Food Loft coffee shop)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Buangkok station

Hours: 8am - 2pm (Thurs off)

Hindu Artefacts in Kaiyuan Buddhist Temple in Quanzhou China 泉州开元寺

Kaiyuan Buddhist temple in Quanzhou was built in 686 during the Tang dynasty (618 - 907). The temple ravaged by fires and the passage of time has been rebuilt many times. Most of the structures standing today date back to the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644).

Penang Man Hokkien Mee (Prawn Noodle) @ Albert Centre 槟城人

Truth be told, I bought this for lunch at Albert Centre hawker centre because there was no queue. The usual suspects, I mean the stalls I prefer were either closed or had long snaking queues. A bit tired today, so I was in "eat to live" mode.

There was only one person ahead of me during lunch.

Stall name: 槟城人 Penang Man

Address: 270 Queen Street, #01-109 Albert Centre Food Centre, Singapore 180270

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Rochor station or Bugis station

Hours: 9am - 7pm (Sun off)

History of Cambodian Num Kom & Num Ansom · 1500 Year Old Glutinous Rice Cakes

Num kom is a steamed Cambodian glutinous rice dumpling filled with grated coconut and palm sugar, and wrapped in banana leaf. (It resembles the Indian steamed modak except for the banana leaf wrap.)

History of Klepon & Ondeh Ondeh · 1000 Year Old Sweet

Klepon is an Indonesian glutinous rice ball, coloured green with pandan and suji leaves, filled with palm sugar and garnished with or rolled in grated coconut pulp.

Myanmar Glutinous Rice Ball Mont Lone Yay Baw · Sweet of Thingyan Burmese New Year မုန့်လုံးရေပေါ်

Thingyan, the Burmese New Year which is celebrated over four to five days in April each year is associated with two things - the water festival and eating mont lone yay baw မုန့်လုံးရေပေါ်  (glutinous rice ball).

Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee @ Sam Leong Road · Reunited & it Feels So Good 密驼路肉骨猪什面虾面

Decades ago, this corner of Sam Leong Road and Verdun Road was one of my favourite haunts. I like the pork organ noodles at this corner coffee shop.

Stall name: Middle Road Pork Ribs Prawn Mee 密驼路肉骨猪什面虾面

Address: 42 Sam Leong Road, Singapore 207932

Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Farrer Park station

Hours: 8am - 2pm

History & What is the Difference between Tang Yuan & Yuan Xiao? 湯圓的歷史

The Chinese tang yuan 湯圓 (also known as yuan xiao 元宵) is a glutinous rice ball filled with jaggery (cooked sugar) or red bean paste, or sesame seed paste and cooked by boiling in water usually sweeten with jaggery. 

Tang yuan or yuan xiao is traditionally made and eaten during 元宵節 Lantern Festival and 冬至 Winter Solstice. Today, they are eaten as a dessert at anytime during the year.

Macpherson Hai Sing Kway Chap · Underated Stall @ Chong Boon Ang Mo Kio 麥波申海星粿汁

I want to say right off the bat that this kway chap stall at Chong Boon hawker centre in Ang Mo Kio is slightly controversial. Some people found the food "bland" and the elderly stallholders a little brusque. Google review score is 2.4 ⭐ as at Oct 2023.

Stall name: Macpherson Hai Sing Kway Chap 麥波申海星粿汁

Address: 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, Singapore 561453 (stall #01-27 inside Chong Boon Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Ang Mo Kio station

Hours: 6am - 3pm (Thurs off)

Big Chunks of Fresh Fish · Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup @ Chong Boon Ang Mo Kio 财记炸鱼汤

We decided to come here for fish soup partly because the last one we recently had at Toa Payoh was really bad 😤 We needed to find something to erase the memories of that one 🥹 Of course, we can always go back to our tried and tested favourites, but we are greedy - we want good and new experiences despite the risks of wasted calories 🫢

Stall name: Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup 财记炸鱼汤

Address: 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, stall #01-10, Singapore 561453 (Chong Boon Market & Food Centre)

Nearest MRT: 10 minutes walk from Ang Mo Kio station

Tel: 9660 9020

Hours: 10:30am - 2:30pm | 4:30pm - 7:30pm (Mon off)

How Much Do Lord Ganesha Love Sweets?' Legends of Ganesha's Sweet Love

Lord Ganesha, the Hindu elephant-faced deity, the Remover of Obstacles is a sweet lover. 

History of Kangidan / Seijō-kankidan · 1,000 Year Old Japanese Sweet for Lord Ganesha 清浄歓喜団

Japan's oldest sweet, the over 1,000 year old kangidan / seijō-kankidan 歓喜団 has a surprising but mostly forgotten history.