HEAR:
Click to listen/ download podcast of this week’s festive treats!
SEE:
Hello Makan Kakis! Just a few days to the Lunar New Year and if you’re looking for interesting bites for your festive feasts, go the takeaway/ delivery route with these two unique finds…
Firstly, remember this Joo Chiat stall we previously featured? Lim Bo Fresh Fruits Rojak has come up with a fun rendition of the traditional yusheng toss, using the basic building blocks of their signature rojak. And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Fresh fruits and vegetables, a tasty sauce and crunchy toppings are also the component parts of Lohei and so the Lim Bo Fruit Rojak LoHei ($32.80) was born. Arranged just like a classic yusheng set, Pomegranate, Pomelo, Green Mango, Guava, Jambu (Rose Apple), shredded Daikon, Green Radish and Carrot are laid out in circular fashion in a platter, to be topped with Crushed Peanuts, You Tiao Croutons (deeply golden brown and twice-fried for extra crunchiness), Fried Fish Skin, Crispy Prawn Fritters and finished with their Signature Rojak Sauce.
Just like their unique rojak, this lohei set makes for a wonderful alternative to the usual. The chilled, colourful fruits and veg provide sweet and tart crunchy freshness, whilst the deep-fried toppings give irresistable crispiness and savoury, seafood umami. The slow-cooked prawn paste rojak sauce amplifies said umami and when drizzled sparingly, a lovely rounded sweetness and a touch of tamarind tang.
I love that unlike rojak which is already mixed for you, this lohei set allows you to control how much of each ingredient and sauce to add, for the perfect customisable experience according to personal preference. In fact, you can also Double Huat your order with an add-on of abalone ($48.80), or even opt for a vegetarian version. Each portion serves 4-6 comfortably.
Stall owner Leong Gwo Wei advised me to crown the entire platter with the large prawn fritter disc and together with family or friends, smash it first, before tossing with everything else. My family and I did, with a loud shout of “HUAT”! Of course, raucous & messy mixing ensued!CNY orders for 29th Jan – 4th Feb to be placed by 28th Jan.
I opted to do a pickup and my ready-fried order was waiting when I arrived, neatly packed in a labelled box, along with two little containers of a sweet & tangy sour plum syrup and sambal belacan. The snacks were good to eat at room temperature, but a blast in the toaster oven crisped them right up. Alternative heating instructions for air fryer or regular oven also came with the box.
Yummyrollz’s Signature Ngoh Hiang are described as “bite-sized” (ok, maybe 2 bites!), flatter, rectangular beancurd skin parcels filled with an “almost an equal ratio portion of minced pork and chopped prawns (not minced)”. Water chestnut, carrot and a hint of celery add crunch and contrast to the softer textures of protein.
Of the three, this was the sweetest and most mellow of flavours, marinaded with their secret “superior grade seasoning sauces”. Paired with the spicy and intense sambal belacan, each bite was beautifully balanced.
The Crunchy Hei Zho came cut into thick cubes, densely packed with chunks of prawns and water chestnuts. The savoury, seafood flavour was front and centre with these crispy, crustaceous nuggets.
Last, but not least, the special flavour that caught my attention: Tom Yum Ngoh Hiang. Purists might balk, but it totally worked! I loved the additional spicy, sour, salty notes the Tom Yum brought to the basic Ngoh Hiang recipe. This flavour twist was much punchier, yet was subtle enough not to overpower the original flavours of meat and vegetable filling.
Presented as slim little cylinders with extra-crispy crimped ends (almost like sweets), these rolls were shaped differently to avoid confusion. These were good enough to eat alone, but for sweetness, slather liberally with the golden elixir provided.
For these Thai-inspired treats, I skipped the sambal belacan to avoid interferring with the tom yum notes.
But it has to be said, eaten with the other snacks, their Hand Pounded Sambal Belacan Chilli was a winner. Rustically pounded in a traditional mortar & pestle, the chunky chilli paste was redolent with umami belacan and mouth-wateringly hot from both red and green chillis – seeds in! I only wished there was more to go round. That’s probably why 180g jars are available for purchase at $10.00!
For anyone who doesn’t like pork or seafood, look out for their Fried Satay Chicken Ngoh Hiang (18pcs for ) $25.00. A filling of sliced & minced chicken, big onions, cucumbers and chunky water chestnut, mixed with a homemade satay marinade, is enfolded in crispy beancurd skin and served with Satay sauce.
For me & my family, the sambal belacan & Tom Yum Ngoh Hiang were the stars, enough to warrant a return to order their intriguing Satay Chicken Ngoh Hiang, which isn’t available till after 30 January. Fortunately, their February dates have already been announced online, so go give Yummyrollz a try for your CNY party.
Apart from the Best of Trio, you can also opt for other order combos and even their Heng Hwa Fried Bee Hoon, made using Taiwan Hshinchu Vermicelli and seafood like clams (lala), prawns, dried scallops, mushrooms, fried beancurd and veggies ($16.00). Another home-cooked dish is their Hokkien-style Glutinous Rice with marinated pork belly, dried shrimps & mushrooms, topped with fried silver fish and chinese sausage ($10.00).
TASTE:
YUMMYROLLZ NGOH HIANG
Order online/ Whats App.
Minimum order $40.00, free delivery $70.00 & above, flat delivery fee $8.00.
Payment via PayNow and Bank Transfer only.
Fans might be more familiar with the stall at Beauty World Food Centre, but when I stopped by, they recommended I check out their branch instead, with the promise that both stalls were run by the same family, using the same recipe. I traipsed diagonally across the road to meet Mr Tan Voon Kui, 61, who told me they expanded the family business to Bukit Timah Food Centre around 8 years ago in 2013.
Makan Kakis on Gold 905 