🎗️You can skip all the geek stuff by scrolling straight down to the list of all the best braised duck hawker stalls in Singapore.
A lot has been said and written about Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore. Every Singapore hawker centre has at least one chicken rice stall. But, Teochew braised duck has a strong presence too though it doesn't feature strongly on social media lists of "must try" Singapore cuisine.
In my opinion, one's Singapore hawker culture experience would not be complete, without tasting Teochew braised duck.
Okay, maybe Teochew braised duck doesn't have much visual appeal, especially for people who have not tried it before 🤭
But, I assure you that it could become one of the culinary experiences which you will remember Singapore by. Provided you give it a try. Even if you didn't like it eventually, you would have at least, broaden your culinary horizon 😁
Singapore is a country of migrants, so even though we are a very young nation, we inherited cuisines from much older civilisations. Braised duck came from the Teochew speaking region of Chaoshan 潮汕 in the eastern part of Guangdong province in China.
Chaozhou, Jieyang and Shantou (Swatow) are the major cities of Chaoshan region.
Teochew speakers make up only 20% of the Chinese community in Singapore but they have a much larger influence on our culinary landscape than their numbers suggest.
I have an article on the history of Teochew cuisine in Singapore 👈
Teochew people ran gambier and pepper plantations in the Riaus and Singapore in collaboration with the Johor Sultanate since the 1700s before the arrival of Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company (in 1819). The Teochew footprint later expanded into Tanjung Puteri (today's Johor Bahru) under similar arrangements with the Johor Sultanate.
Everywhere the Teochew diaspora went, their cuisine went along. Hence, the ubiquitous Teochew braised duck stall in Singapore (and also Johor Bahru). Incidentally, Johor Bahru is nicknamed "Little Swatow" as the main Chinese community there is Teochew.
Braised duck is just one of the Teochew trinity of braised meats - duck, pork and goose.
The braising stock of the trinity of meats is basically the same though every locale and even every braised meat stall have their own concoction of braising stock with slight tweaks.
Over in Chaoshan (China), the ingredients typically include:
Cinnamon
Galangal (blue ginger, lengkuas)
Coriander seeds
Licorice
草果 Chinese black cardamom
Clove
Star anise
Dried bay leaves
Sichuan peppercorn
Luohan fruit (dried)
Dark soy sauce
Light soy sauce
Fish sauce
Cooking wine
Sugar caramelised (in Chaoshan they sometimes fry the sugar in oil)
Salt
Fresh pork leg, pork belly, pig skin and / or ham fat are often added to give the braising stock more body and layers of flavours.
In Singapore, the braising stock recipe is much the same as in Chaoshan (of course, every hawker / restaurant chef have their own variation of it). Most recipes contain:
Chinese 5 spice powder (usually blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, and fennel seeds)
Coriander seeds
Garlic
Galangal
Old ginger
Dark soy sauce
Light soy sauce
Sugar caramelised (cooked in water)
Salt
Galangal (blue ginger) feature strongly in the braising stock both in Chaoshan and in Singapore. It's the spice that hold all the myriad spice flavours together.
In Chaoshan, there's a saying "捡到一块蓝姜, 死了一条鹅 Gain a piece of galangal, lose a goose" meaning when we get a piece galangal, it is hard to resist the urge to cook a goose 😄
Caramelised sugar is key to the lovely golden brown sheen on the braised duck skin.
Well established stalls have a master stock which could be decades old. Sometimes older than the owner, if it is a multi-generation stall. Every day, the master stock is replenished and revitalised with more water and spices. This ageless stock is priceless as it is stacked with layers of rich, complex flavours.
Depending on the stall, the duck meat is served boneless or with bone. Some stalls cut the meat into thin slices while others chop them into bite size chunks.
The braised duck is usually served with boiled white rice (optionally with a splash of braising stock). Alternatively, it is served with porridge with optional braising stock as sauce.
Some vendors serve rice sauced by boiling the grains with water and braising stock, infusing the grains with savoury sweet and spice flavours.
There is also the Hokkien version of braised duck with starch thicken sauce (but I will cover that separately with another list).
List of Best Teochew Braised Ducks in Singapore
The taste of 99 Turns South Bouna Vista Braised Duck in Ponggol 👈 details
Which is your favourite Teochew braised duck stall in Singapore? If I have missed your favourite, please let me know in the comments. I would love to go try it and add it to the list, if I enjoyed it too.
Written by Tony Boey on 17 Feb 2026
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
Sources
The old taste of Teochew Braised Duck Rice
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