Singkawang Hakka Kway Chup @ Warung Kopi Asan Pasar Turi ☎ +62 852 4536 8193

Warung Kopi ASAN | Jalan Pasar Turi No. 58, Singkawang, Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia ☎ +62 852 4536 8193 ⏰ 4:30am - 9pm (coffee shop hours - kway chup sold out by 2pm)

The moment we finished eating bakmi (pork noodle), we or was it just me 🤭 (?), requested our guide to please take us to eat kway chup (known as kwecap here in Singkawang).

Sure!

Our guide Min swung us around to Warung Kopi Asan. It's a popular, hyperlocal place directly opposite Pasar Turi. Busy in the morning when Singkawang's central market is in full swing. Now, past 2pm most of the buzz was over. Furthermore, it was raining quite heavily.

Fortunately, the kwecap stall hasn't closed though the display shelves were already empty 🥹

They should normally be sold out before 2pm but the rain saved us as there were still some left (though not the full complement of ingredients).

Anyway, I am sharing it here because it was different from what we are used to in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, and it was so delicious 😋

Lady boss scooped the kway (kwe) into bowls. The kway were already boiled and had turned soft and lumped together a little.

Then, she ladled over the kwe, soup with fried tofu, dried pork skin and lean pork slices. I am not sure what other ingredients (such as pork liver, pork belly) the full complement might normally have.

The finishing touch, fried garlic and oil, and chopped scallion before serving. Price Rp30k (SG$2.35).

Lady boss said she learned this from her master while working for him in Pontianak.

This was so different from the dark or brown Teochew version we are familiar with here in Singapore. It has Hakka elements like the soy bean soup.

The dish was tea coloured, the soup was full bodied and the comforting taste and smell of soy bean was prominent.

The tender fried tofu were fresh and I can taste the soy bean flavour as well as smell its aroma.

The tender pork slices were so fresh and porcine sweet.

The dried pork skin were soften by simmering in soup, so they were spongy and saturated with soy bean soup and its sweet savoury flavour. The layer of fat just under the skin added sweetness which I never had with dried pork skin before.

Oh.... the kwe or kway though lumpy and soft had nice fresh rice sweetness and fragrance. It was nice!

This was the only Singkawang kwecap I have ever tried - there could be others that are prepared differently and maybe even taste better. Furthermore, this Warung Kopi Asan stall was already packing up, calling it a day when we hopped off our car - so we might not be getting its optimal rendition.

Still, we loved what we had. I document it here so you may try it, if you happen to be in Singkawang. As for me, I like it, and at the next opportunity in Singkawang and Pontianak, kway chup / kwecap shall be at the top of my foodie bucket list.