HEAR:
Click to listen/ download podcast of this week’s bowls of old school comfort!
This week, our Makan Kaki, Judge of the forthcoming third season of Masterchef Singapore, as well as co-owner & chef of Rempapa, Damian D’Silva returns with another excellent recommendation. In his line of work, he confesses to indulging in a lot of naughty food, that’s why once in a while, he craves a healthier option to feel cleansed and virtuous. For him, the perfect choice is Teochew-style fish porridge. One of his favourite stalls to visit is Ng Soon Kee Fish & Duck Porridge at Geylang East Food Centre.
Run by a very friendly old couple who told me that they’ve been in the business for more than 60 years, Ng Soon Kee is extremely popular with residents of the area and when I arrived at 2.30pm (they open at noon) for a taste of the porridge Chef Damian was raving about, the queue was already 10 people deep and 3 more customers joined the line behind me. Thankfully, I waited less than 20 minutes and was amply rewarded with a large $5 bowl of fish porridge (as well as duck porridge, which Chef Damian also enjoys when he’s feeling more indulgent).
One thing Chef Daman appreciates is that the fish served here is really fresh. According to him, they get King Mackerel delivered every morning from their fish supplier, which then gets washed, prepped and cut into generously thick boneless slices for the porridge or soup (which you can also order with a side portion of rice). Each slice was delicious on its own, well-seasoned and packed with flavour. The fish was cooked perfectly, firm to the bite, yet smooth and tender.
Freshness aside, it’s the old-school stock that keeps drawing Chef Damian back. It may look plain, but it is far from basic. Clean and light, but with lots of flavour, the fish soup is a light and healthy winner. And just the way Chef Damian likes it – unadulterated. He has to have it in porridge form and while it may look just like soup poured over white rice, it is a dish that requires a little more skill than that. The rice has been prepared in such a way that it each grain, whilst suspended in soup for a long time, can stay separate and not turn to mush. Chef Damian says all too often some stalls overcook their rice, but not in here at Ng Soon Kee. They are not stingy with their portions either and my $5 order was really enough for 2. It was also the little extras that layered on the flavour – fresh tomato wedges in the soup, a garnish of aromatic chinese celery, umami tang chye (salt & garlic preserved tianjin vegetable), crispy garlic bits and fried shallot. All in all, definitely a must-have when you’re in need of a bowl of comfort that has been perfected for decades. This is a fish porridge that is really tasty and soul-warming.
Ng Soon Kee’s other signature dish is duck porridge, which also was a knockout. The dark brown broth, with a light sheen of duck fat floating on its surface, was the deeper, richer contrasting cousin of the fish soup. It wasn’t too gamey or heavy, but a lightly herbal triumph, lip-smackingly savoury with a hint of sweetness and a gentle aroma of duck. As with the fish porridge, the rice submerged in its murky depths was wonderful – tender to the bite yet not mushy, duck broth flavours thoroughly penetrating each grain. This was Teochew-style porridge at its best. A little cut red chilli padi and light soy sauce added a welcome extra spicy kick.
With this duck porridge, you have a meal to linger over. The same garnish topped the dish and bite-sized chunks of bone-in duck floated in the broth enticingly. Each each morsel of tender, soy-braised duck meat is meant to be savoured and gently gnawed off the bone. Again, as with the fish porridge, the more you eat, the more flavour is released. Slurp up the soup, chew on the rice, nibble on the meat, repeat!
Fish and duck porridge may seem like an unusual combination, but it is most certainly a must-try. Both were so delicious in their own ways, that I had to takeaway some for my family. All was consumed with great gusto and declarations of how old-school and tasty it was.
$5 portions of fish and duck porridge generously filled large takeaway containers that kept hot throughout the journey home and the porridge retained its consistency – whole, separate, un-mushy grains swimming in tasty broth.
Dine-in or takeaway, the porridges were excellent. And look how generously portioned! Chef Damian agreed, saying how happy he always is to see the old couple still operating their stall after so many years. You can taste the heart & soul put into what they do, yet their prices are so reasonable ($3, $5, $8 or $10). It touches his heart that these are traditional hawkers who have dedicated their lives to serving people good food that’s, in his opinion, worth a lot more than they charge.
Indeed, the flavourful food served by Uncle & Aunty at Ng Soon Kee is fantastic value for money. I struck up a conversation with Aunty who asked me why I had only taken one pair of chopsticks and one spoon for my two-bowl dine-in order. When I explained both the fish and duck porridges were for me, she exclaimed to her husband and they both said it would be too much. I assured her it wouldn’t and it wasn’t!
When I returned so show them my empty bowls, tell them how yummy their porridge was and to order more for takeaway, Aunty pointed to her customers, proudly saying in Mandarin, “See this man, he has eaten here everyday for 10 years!”
Uncle (manning the stove) added, “You must tell me truthfully if not nice, you know. I’m in my seventies but everyday I’m still learning and improving!”
Perhaps still concerned I had spent too much on my lunch, Aunty gave me this piece of advice as she prepped rice and garnished steaming bowls, “I teach you – next time just buy a $3 portion of fish porridge and add a side plate of duck meat.”
Believe me, thanks to Chef Damian’s recommendation, there will be a next time. And it will be a mid-week treat, because that’s when they make their specialty. “Come back for our duck tongue! Only available on Wednesdays,” was Uncle’s parting shot.
TASTE:
Ng Soon Kee Fish & Duck Porridge 黄順記魚糜・鴨糜
Geylang East Market & Food Centre
117 Aljunied Ave 2, #01-11, S(380117)
Open: 12 – 6pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Tel (for takeaway orders only): 67476014
Makan Kakis on Gold 905 