Hello Makan Kakis! Eager to get to know our new foodie friend and freshly-crowned champion of MasterChef Singapore Season 4 Inderpal Singh, I invited him back for a fun chat and of course, got him talking about some of his hawker favourites. Inderpal is as comfortable whipping up stunning fine-dining creations as he is keeping things down-to-earth & local. The self-proclaimed “proud Northe-sider” takes us to his Yishun ‘hood with today’s dessert recommendation – traditional Melaka-style cendol!
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Inderpal jokes about how Yishun has a reputation for being the most dangerous place in Singapore though the only thing you would risk getting there is “delicious food because we’ve got so much of it”. Yishun Central 1 in particular is “the Holy Grail of Asian food”, with the famous 928 Laksa & Yishun 925 Chicken Rice bringing in the crowds. But there’s something else at Block 925 Inderpal thinks more people should know about – a stall at the halal Kedai Kopi foodcourt that serves outstanding cendol.
Continue reading “This Cendol is Masterchef Winner Approved!”
This week, Lyn also wants to share with us the joys of a childhood hangout – Bukit Timah Plaza! Anyone who grew up in the area will remember iconic eating places in the shopping centre, like Wishbone and Happy Kappy ice-cream. Struck by a craving, she popped by to check things out and sadly it has since closed down. So she walked around looking for something else to eat and chanced upon Tok Panjang Nonya Cafe in Basement 1, run by a husband and wife team, Patrick and Angelina. On that day, Patrick was the only one there and what a friendly, persuasive character he is. He kept saying, “Come in and try our homemade kueh kueh. If you try, you’ll definitely come in to eat!”
The exchange was so fun, that Lyn and her family allowed themselves to be cajoled into the cafe for a bite to eat. They ordered Nasi Kunyit with whole chicken leg curry & Mee Rebus, which they enjoyed. In particular, the fragrance of the yellow rice was lovely and the curry is thick and savoury, with a hint of sweetness. Tok Panjang isn’t about elaborate Peranakan dishes, but is dedicated to simple, satisfying, no-nonsense home-cooking.
Other dishes to try are their Mee Siam (both dry and soup versions are yummy) and their Laksa Lemak, which is very tasty, with lots of curry flavour, rich coconut and a little sweetness rounding things off. Other goodies include their Nasi Lemak, excellent crispy fried ikan billis (super-tasty & addictive, available in takeaway containers) and their dish of the day, which varies. The day I visited, soy braised chicken rice was on the menu and wow, the rice (which Patrick generously doled out in tiny tasting cups) was just like Hainanese chicken rice – fragrant with garlic and pandan, shiny from delicious chicken fat.
All the kueh kueh looked gorgeous, with their different colours and textures.
Kueh Pandan (green), Kueh Kosui (brown) & Ubi Kaya Kukus (yellow) were all meltingly tender and not too sweet, especially when showered with the savoury grated fresh coconut. The sweet potato ondeh-ondeh was also squelchingly good.
Also available is the Pulut Seri Kaya, also known as Kueh Salat. Unusually, Tok Panjang’s version has sticky black rice topped with the thick pandan custard on top. But Lyn’s favourite is the Ubi Kayu Kukus, steamed tapioca kueh. But you can also enjoy their Kueh Bingka, which is baked tapioca with a browned crust on top.
Another plus is Patrick’s generosity with samples. One visit and I had tastes of butter cake, chocolate cake, and a whole selection of savoury mains. Lyn too, was the recipient of a bag of kuehs to takeaway for free one afternoon when she arrived with friends. It was Patrick’s way of saying sorry they had almost sold out.
Found all over southern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and here in Singapore, recipes for nasi ulam differ from location to location, family to family, but this Peranakan version was recommended to me by 
Chendol Melaka at Soy Eu Tua Coffeeshop along Upper East Coast Road is run by the irrepressible Daisy Tan and her husband Colin Yam. Once the regional director of a shipping firm, this self-confessed “200 per cent” bibik is now wholly dedicated to preserving her Peranakan culture through her culinary delights, like delicious chendol, kueh-kueh and her signature dish, nasi ulam.
Makan Kakis on Gold 905 