No Heirs

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A white-haired man wipes the beads of perspiration on his forehead with a swift swipe of the towel around his neck. Dressed in blue shorts and a yellowish-white singlet drenched in sweat, he holds a spatula in one hand, clutching a wok in the other. With a spritz of soy sauce, he stir-fries a mix of flat rice noodles, bean sprouts, cockles, and eggs.

But there’s so much more back-breaking work behind the scenes – from waking up in the wee hours to prepare the ingredients, to scrubbing the stall clean at the end of the day. However, with few in the “strawberry generation” willing to take over this arduous job, it is no wonder many hawkers are unable to find an heir before retiring.

Which means there’s no time to waste – our favourite hawker stalls might be here today, gone tomorrow. So go on, hunt down these hawker stalls before the uncles and aunties hang up their aprons for good.

1. MacPherson Minced Meat Noodles

Source: @alexisjetsets

MacPherson Minced Meat Noodles is known for their flavour-packed broth – a result of brewing 2 whole chickens, dried anchovies, and soybeans for hours. Along with springy noodles tossed in savory sauce laced with lard and vinegar, tender minced meat and bouncy fishcake slices, their bak chor mee is the definition of perfection.

Word has it that the owner Mr Yap might be relinquishing the ladle, and selling his recipe to a regular customer. Which can only mean the noodles will taste different. After all, it took Mr Yap over 30 years to perfect his craft – he started out as a stall assistant for 10 years, before running his own business in the next 20 years.

Address: Kim San Leng Eating House, 1382 Serangoon Road, Singapore 328254
Opening Hours: 7am – 2pm (closed on Tue)
Telephone: 9757 9297

2. Bee Kee Fried Carrot Cake

Time is seriously running out if you haven’t patronised this highly-rated carrot cake stall – Bee Kee Fried Carrot Cake’s owner will take a break when Geylang Bahru Food Centre undergoes renovation in November 2016. If you love both black AND white carrot cake, you’re in luck – this stallholder does both really well.

I prefer the black version – in every bite, you get a taste of dark soya sauce that’s slightly sweet, well-balanced by a touch of wok hei. It has all that we look for in a good carrot cake – we’re absolutely devastated to see the stall go.

Address: Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre, Blk 69 Geylang Bahru #01-2759, Singapore 330069
Opening Hours: 7am – 2pm (closed on Mon)

3. Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Hor Fun

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I’m sure that at some point in our lives, we’d have suffered from a plate of an overly gooey and starchy hor fun. But this hor fun is different – the sauce is less viscous and you can actually pick up the rice noodles without tearing them apart. The prawns are also deshelled for you – totally fuss-free for those find it a chore.

Nevertheless, crayfish hor fun is the main draw at Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Hor Fun. Drizzle the bouillon stock over smooth rice noodles, veggies, and crayfish, and what you get is a plate of Cantonese-style hor fun.

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Having devoted his life to whipping up quality food for his customers, the 68-year-old stallholder laments that though he has no successor, he’ll continue the business for as long as he can.

Address: Hong Lim Food Centre, 531A Upper Cross Street, #02-41A
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm (closed on Sun)

4. Guan Kee Char Kway Teow

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Crowned the champion char kway teow stall in a Mediacorp food hunt series back in 2002, it’s no wonder the queue is unending for this legendary stall in Ghim Moh Food Centre.

Source: @tankhk

Numerous newspaper cuttings plastered on the stall front is yet another testament to the stall’s popularity through the years. Sadly, there’s no one to continue Uncle Chen’s legacy when he retires. For only $3 a plate, you should get a taste of his dish before it’s gone forever.

Address: Ghim Moh Food Centre, 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-12, Singapore 270020
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 2:30pm (closed on Sun, Mon, Thu)

5. Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

 

Source: @yummicraft

This hokkien mee master is also a pro businessman. Uncle Toh gives his mobile number to his customers for them to place orders first – they get to skip the queue and collect the food when they arrive! So don’t be surprised to see him taking calls with earphones plugged in, while working the wok.

Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is said to be one the best in Singapore. Every bite of this dish releases an amalgamation of flavours – the sweetness of the prawns, the savoury crustacean stock infused into the noodles, and the sourness of squeezed lime. The handmade sambal chilli sauce is made of ikan bilis, giving it a more savoury taste than usual.

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No doubt, we’ll miss Uncle Toh’s Hokkien mee when he retires, and of course the extraordinary and friendly service that he’s known for.

Address: ABC Food Centre, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 150006
Opening Hours: 10am – 12am
Telephone: 9862 9296

6. Tanglin Halt Original Peanut Pancake

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Uncle Teng and his wife make their traditional peanut pancakes using a mother dough that has existed since 40 years ago! This dough is the reason why their pancakes are more fragrant than regular ones made with baking soda. And a perfectionist Uncle Teng is – the stall is closed on Mondays and Fridays for roasting and grinding peanuts – he even refuses to open for business on days that peanut fillings run out!

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We don’t always have to go cafe-hopping to tame those pancake cravings – this veteran stall’s mee chiam kueh are pockets of happiness (and peanuts) that are just as satisfying. Have it for breakfast one of these days before Uncle Teng calls it a day.

Address: 48A Tanglin Halt Road, Stall 16 Tanglin Halt Market, Singapore 148813
Opening Hours: 5am – 11am (closed on Mon and Fri)
Telephone: 97123653

7. Ng Soon Kee Fish and Duck Porridge

Source: @hkpetersg

A stall selling both fish soup and duck porridge seems confused about its identity, but Ng Soon Kee Fish and Duck Porridge has pulled it off for a good 60 years!

Unlike other fish soups out there, this one has a myriad of flavours – the natural sweetness of the fresh fish slices, hints of savoury from preserved vegetables, and the tanginess of tomato wedges. Their braised duck is just as good – it’s fragrant and well-marinated to the bone.

We’ll continue to support Uncle Ng for his true hawker spirit, and not just the good food. At the moment, he’s prepared to retire at the right time but for now, he will focus on creating wonderful memories for his customers with his cooking.

Address: Aljunied Market and Food Centre, 117 Aljunied Avenue 2 #01-11, Singapore 380117
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9pm (closed on Sun)
Telephone: 6747 6014

8. Chia Keng Kway Teow Mee

Source: @makoeats

Ignore the ‘kway teow mee’ in the stall name – their specialty is mee pok tar (dry flat noodles). If you’re expecting to see the usual noodles with minced meat and fishballs, then you’re in for a surprise.

For $5.50, you’ll find 2 large prawns, abalone slices, fishcakes and a whole mushroom in your mee pok tar – yes, it’s a tad pricey, but you’re paying for quality. Cooked al dente, these noodles have to be eaten with their unique chilli sauce – a mixture of sweet, sour, tangy and savoury – made with ingredients such as dried prawns and fish sauce.

Make a beeline for this seafood-enhanced mee pok tar, because the stallholders are retiring when their lease is up in a few years’ time.

Address: Chong Boon Food Centre, Blk 453A Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 #01-11, Singapore 561453
Opening Hours: 5am – 2pm (closed on Monday & Friday)
Telephone: 9644 6338

9. Hougang Six Mile Famous Muah Chee

Source: @juliuslim

Most of us are familiar with muah chee coated with sugary peanut bits, and not black sesame version. Boss Mr Teo lets on that the black sesame version actually costs 3 times that of the peanut version, but has decided to sell them at the same price so that people would try the black sesame variant.

When we spoke to Mr Teo, he confirmed that there is no successor waiting in the wings. In fact, he has been eagerly waiting for somebody to learn the trade. So anybody who wants to learn the secrets of great muah chee, don’t hesitate to call Mr Teo!

Address: HDB Hub Gourmet Paradise Food Court, 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #B1-01, Singapore 310480
Opening Hours: 10.30am – 9.30pm
Telephone: 9862 1501

10. Nam Sing Hokkien Mee

Source: @juliuslim

Dry Hokkien mee is what you’ll find at Nam Sing Hokkien Mee – a stall manned by 4 brothers, with Mr Ng Hock Wah as the main cook. As the eldest son, he sacrificed his studies to help his father in the Hokkien mee business, and set up his own stall when he was only 17 years old. But his three sons there is no confirmation if any one of them will take over.

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The Ng brothers use thin bee hoon instead of the usual thick beehoon, and their Hokkien mee is drier than that of other stalls. Still, the savory seafood stock is absorbed by every strand of noodle, and goes well with the succulent prawns and sotong. If you’re thinking of adding sambal chili for that extra punch, they don’t have it! The stallholders believe in staying true to the original flavour of the dish instead of masking it.

Address: Old Airport Road Food Centre, Blk 51 Old Airport Road, #01-32, Singapore 390051
Opening Hours: 7am till sold out
Telephone: 6440 5340

Unsung Heroes

We refer to them by auntie or uncle, and we hardly remember the names of their stalls. We lick our lips in delight, and rave about how delicious that plate of Hokkien mee or bak chor mee is. Each time the prices of our favourite dishes are marked up by 50 cents, we moan and groan but get over it quickly – because how else can we get cheap AND good food, if not for these hawkers?

These unsung heroes toil away just to satisfy our tummies, with profit-making at the back of their minds. And thanks to them, hawker food has secured a place in our hearts – it’s our national pride and identity.

So let’s appreciate and celebrate these vanishing hawker stalls while we can.