Food Picks: Restaurant-worthy porridge in a hawker centre, Chow Zan Dessert to launch savoury items

Mei Xiang Porridge

Cantonese-style porridge

Run by Hokkiens who are originally from Xiamen, Mei Xiang Porridge dishes out hearty bowls of porridge six days a week. The quality of the porridge and ingredients used can rival and even surpass those of certain restaurant chains. At Mei Xiang, you will not find issues of fish and pork with smelly odours.

Madam Guo Meijiao, 59, who came to Singapore in 2007, picked up her porridge-cooking skills while working as a hawker assistant at a Cantonese porridge stall.

In 2013, the Singapore permanent resident ventured out on her own, opening Mei Xiang Porridge at Block 117 Aljunied Avenue 2 Market & Food Centre.

Mei Xiang Porridge in Aljunied Avenue 2. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Her 61-year-old husband, Mr Dong Jiancai, gets to the stall every day at 4.45am to start cooking the base porridge. Their son, Mr Dong Xianqing, 31, helps out at the stall.

Prices start at $3 for a basic bowl of peanut porridge. Scratch that, and go for the signature porridge – Ting Zi Porridge ($5.30), which is boat congee. It comprises succulent strips of cuttlefish, slices of toman (giant snakehead) and braised peanuts. The bowl is topped with finely julienned ginger, spring onion and fried shallots. Chunks of youtiao adorn the bowl.

I like how the porridge itself is savoury and has flavour.

Instead of ordering pre-sliced toman, Madam Guo and Mr Dong slice the toman themselves, carefully cleaning and marinating the fish in cornflour to rid it of fishy odours. The resulting fish is firm and has a natural sweet flavour.

The porridge has a smooth texture without being overly watery. It is so well executed, the porridge can hold its texture even for takeaway orders.

Ting Zi Porridge at Mei Xiang Porridge. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

The economically priced Century Egg Pork Porridge ($3.80) offers exceeding value for money. The Minced Pork Century Egg Porridge ($3.80) is essentially the same porridge but with minced pork.

Century Egg Pork Porridge at Mei Xiang Porridge. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Both are sensible choices, but I find the former has a winning edge as it uses lean sliced pork, which is notoriously difficult to cook correctly. Lean pork slices do not offer much leeway in cooking time. Precision is critical to not overcook the meat. Madam Guo has excellent mastery in this area, as the lean pork slices always turn out perfectly cooked without the telltale stiffness of overdone pork.

The pork slices have bite but are reasonably tender.

There is also a decent quantity of century egg in the porridge with the pungence well appreciated by those who love the preserved egg.

Another popular option at the stall is Shredded Chicken Porridge ($3.80). I am not a fan of shredded chicken breast, as it is usually hard and stringy. Madam Guo cooks the meat well into the porridge, ridding it of its sinewy toughness. The bowl of porridge is infused with the nourishing flavour of chicken. Add an egg for 50 cents if you want added nutrition and flavour.

Shredded Chicken Porridge with egg at Mei Xiang Porridge. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Offal lovers can go for the Dried Chilli Pig’s Liver ($6). Served in a claypot, the buttery smooth slices of pork liver with a velvety finish are drenched in an oyster sauce-based gravy. There is no dried chilli in the dish, but it is dotted with chilli padi, which packs heat. It is best to share the dish with another person to lessen the guilt of the sinfully indulgent dish.

Dried Chilli Pig’s Liver at Mei Xiang Porridge. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Where: Mei Xiang Porridge, 01-34, Block 117 Aljunied Avenue 2 Market & Food Centre, 117 Aljunied Avenue 2
Open: 6.30am to 6pm, Tuesdays to Sundays

Chow Zan Dessert 

Familiar savoury delights

Opened on June 13, Chow Zan Dessert’s third and newest outlet at Jewel Changi Airport will also see the launch of 14 breakfast and savoury items in the first week of July.

Chow Zan Dessert at Jewel Changi Airport. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

A must-order is Yam Cake ($4.90 for two pieces). Ms Leo Sye Yun, 39, who co-owns the dessert chain with her husband, Mr Andy Chow, 48, developed the yam cake recipe based on her Hokkien mother’s recipe.

Mr Chow says: “We tried sourcing yam cake from suppliers, but after trying a number, the taste of the yam cake did not meet our criteria. Either the texture was not what we wanted or there were not enough ingredients in the yam cake.

“Making our own yam cake is laborious, but we want to deliver familiar comforting flavours for our savoury items.”

Two blocks of housemade yam cake are served with XO sauce on the side. The yam cake has a wobbly texture and is jam-packed with ingredients. There are visible cubes of powdery yam in the cake, along with whole pieces of dried prawn and slices of dried shiitake mushroom.

The dish is topped with a light golden shower of fried shallots, which are also prepared in-house. Spring onion, red finger chilli and toasted white sesame seeds lend colour to the dish.

Yam Cake at Chow Zan Dessert. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

The Fried Bee Hoon ($4.90), simply topped with cheerful strips of omelette, shallots and spring onion, comes with a dollop of XO sauce on the side too. While springy in texture, the beehoon could do with more flavour.

Fried Bee Hoon at Chow Zan Dessert. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Chow Zan Dessert’s Otah Bun ($6 for three) is pan-fried. But the square pieces of otah filling have no visible chunks of mackerel.

Otah Bun at Chow Zan Dessert. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

While the dessert shop may need some time to iron out the kinks in its savoury items before launching in the first week of July, its desserts do not disappoint.

The Red Green Ruby ($6.90) delights with chonky pieces of tapioca starch-coated water chestnut in bright sparkly hues of green and red. The “rubies” are freshly made in-house every morning. Fresh pasteurised coconut milk in the dessert makes a distinctive difference, with its silky texture that does not get diluted even as the shaved ice melts.

Red Green Ruby at Chow Zan Dessert. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Another marvel of a snack is the housemade muah chee, which is served chilled. Peanut Muah Chee and Sesame Muah Chee are priced at $5 each. To get the best of both flavours, go for the Yuan Yang Muah Chee ($8.90), which is a hefty portion.

While most ordinary muah chee turns hard and chewy as it loses heat, Chow Zan Dessert’s muah chee takes to being chilled very well. The cooked mixture of rice flour and glutinous rice flour remains soft and sticky even when chilled.

The price seems steep, but the muah chee is worth paying for when you consider the amount of effort put into making this classic snack.

Peanuts are roasted and ground for optimal aroma and flavour as a topping for the muah chee.

For the sesame powder, both white and black sesame seeds are toasted, then ground and mixed with ground peanut for a heady aromatic mix. It is sufficiently sweet, though low in sugar.

Yuan Yang Muah Chee at Chow Zan Dessert. ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO

Where: Chow Zan Dessert, B2-234 Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport BoulevardOpen: 10am to 10pm daily
Tel: 6022-1684 or WhatsApp 8856-5007 for inquiries and orders. The outlet does not take reservations.