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Zha Leung is one of Hong Kong's most ubiquitous foods - crisp and freshly fried dough fritters (you tiao) which are wrapped in thin rice sheets, and served with a light sweet soy sauce. Despite its availability in every cha chan teng in Hong Kong, Zha Leung has strangely not made an appearance in Singapore.
After much exploring though, we have discovered Lai Hua Porridge Cheong Fan at Changi Village Food Centre. Offering a selection of Cantonese congee and Zha Leung, the rice sheet 'skin' is not too thick and the light sauce doesn't overpower the natural flavours of the fritters and rice sheet, allowing for a lovely medley of flavours and textures.
Address: Changi Village Food Centre, 3 Changi Village Road, Singapore 500003
Tel. No.: +65 9652 6038
Operation Hours:
Thurs to Tues: 8am to 9pm
Closed on Wed
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Another famous Cantonese/ dim sum dish is Cheong Fun. A staple at every dim sum meal, Cheong Fun (rice rolls) are light, smooth, and delicate rice sheets encasing flavourful fillings like barbequed pork (char siew) or prawn. While Cheong Fun is a common dish to be ordered at dim sum, we have discovered that there are other places where you can satisfy your cheong fun craving.
Pin Wei Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun is one such place. They use rice sheets which are slightly thicker to hold the fillings without breaking, yet retaining their smooth and slippery texture. Since they only sell this item, you'll definitely get quality Cheong Fun; and at such reasonable prices, forget hotels, Pin Wei is the place to go!
Address: Cambridge Market, 41A Cambridge Road, #01-25 S 211041
Operation Hours:
Mon to Fri: 6:30am to 1:30pm
Sat & Sun: 6:30am to 2:30pm
Photo taken from www.kuali.com
Missing that super smooth Cantonese porridge? You know… a hearty meal where the rice is boiled and stirred for hours to break down the grains. As a result, it turns into a smooth, almost paste-like mixture, which can be hard to find in Singapore.
Introducing Gen Shu Mei Shi Shi Jia - a small hawker stall located in Toa Payoh which sells traditional Cantonese porridge. The owner, Gen Shu, is a retired Cantonese chef, and is highly skilled in cooking good porridge. So, you need not worry, the porridge here is consistently smooth, thick, and flavourful. Try the Sap Gam Zok, or Sampan Porridge, which includes cuttlefish, peanuts, fish cake and pork- the ingredients add a bit of bite to your porridge and also enhance the flavours.
Address: Blk 74 Food Centre, Toa Payoh Lor 4 #01-03, Singapore 310074
Operation Hours:
Tues to Sun: 6am until it sells out (around noon)
Closed on Mondays
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Everyone knows that roasted pork (Siew Yok) and barbequed pork (Char Siew) come from Hong Kong, but it might seem a little strange that we've chosen to include this in the article. You might say hey, we can find roasted meats in Singapore anytime, anywhere!
However, the question is, where do we get roasted meats that can rival those found in Hong Kong? One such place would be Fatty Cheong- an ordinary looking stall selling roasted meats and wanton noodles. While the food might look normal though, the queues don't lie, and the 'don't see sky' (不见天)* char siew is all sinful goodness- juicy, flavourful, and fatty.
* 不见天 is a cut of pork from the pig's leg to the belly- thus having the same kind of fattiness as pork belly.
Address: ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-120, Singapore 150006
Tel. No.: +65 9882 4849/ +65 9428 1983
Operation Hours:
Fri to Wed: 11am to 10:30pm
Closed on Thurs
Photo taken from im.yuxiang.sg
With charred pieces of salted fish, Chinese sausage (lup cheong), and rice bits sticking to the side, Claypot Rice is a dish that never fails to make many salivate. Some might not know that it is actually a Cantonese dish which originated from the Southern regions of China and Guangdong; but has since made itself part of Singapore's culinary heritage.
The sign of a good Claypot Rice is the waiting time; if you have to wait 15-20 mins for your order, you’ll know it's cooked to order and thus more flavourful. Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice does a great version of this, with bits of charred rice and plentiful toppings all helping to create a delicious bowl of claypot rice.
Address: Chinatown Complex Market, Blk 335 Smith Street #02-198/199, Singapore 050335
Tel. No.: +65 6227 2470
Operation Hours:
Fri to Wed: 1600 - 2300
Closed on Thurs
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Another Cantonese favourite is beef. In Hong Kong, delicious beef brisket, beef balls, and the like are found everywhere; but sadly, they are a lot more uncommon in Singapore. Thank goodness we have Zi Yean Restaurant, a zi char place that brings Cantonese favourites of Beef and Orange Peel Balls.
The balls are slightly springy; and the subtle beefy taste is balanced by the slight bitterness of the orange peel, giving the beef balls a whole range of different flavours that complement each other. While they might be an acquired taste, we guarantee that you'll soon be happily munching on them.
Address: Blk 56 Lengkok Bahru #01-443, Singapore 150056
Tel. No.: +65 6474 0911 (Air-Con), +65 6471 0253 (Non Air-Con)
Photo taken from www.empowernetwork.com
Last but not least, we give you chicken feet! Chicken feet are eaten regularly in Cantonese/ Hong Kong cuisine; and while most Singaporeans might know of the dim sum Phoenix Talons (Fung Zhao), we want to introduce Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee's Chicken Feet Wanton Noodles.
The chicken feet are braised for a long time to make the meat soft and flavourful; these are then generously piled atop a bowl of wanton noodles. We know chicken feet might make some squirmy, but who knows! Try them and you might suddenly find yourself with chicken feet fetish!
Address: 209 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208895
Tel. No.: +65 9667 0087
Operation Hours:
Mon to Sat: 7am to 2pm
Closed on Sun & PH
