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There’s a reason why people living in the hood will recommend Aliff Nasi Lemak. Especially when we traveled all the way from the west, there’s no excuse for not trying. In fact, leaving more stomach space for whatever that’s recommended in the same hawker centre!

Affordably priced at $4 for a Nasi lemak set that consists of the usual suspects, fried chicken wing, ikan bilis and a sunny side up, the way it was wrapped in a pyramid reminded me of those found in Penang somehow. True as I have read previously, the use of basmati rice here elevates the entire flavour’s lightness, even the coconut taste was light enough for my liking. Personal favourite was the fried ikan bilis as usual for the intense crispiness that got so addictive. But the star here was definitely the sambal chili, well-balanced sweetness paired with a fiery kick.

We were particularly interested in Mee Bagus, a halal concept for bak chor mee-style mie ayam that replaces pork with chicken. An unconventional twist to ramen, the Volcano Ayam features a bowl of belly-comforting mee kia ramen with a myriad of ingredients such as minced chicken, sliced abalone, fishballs, meatballs, mushrooms and a lava egg. Although the dollop of volcano sambal wasn’t as potent and still bearable for someone like me who has a low tolerance for heat, I would have preferred if the broth was richer, more milky and flavourful that would have a greater resemblance to the actual ramen.

@kedaikopisg, a coffeeshop concept by @tenderfreshsg and @kimlycoffeeshop.sg, has been on my wishlist for a while before I finally checked it out recently. The coffeeshop, with its modern hipster interior, comprises 9 stalls that serve halal hawker fare, some with a creative twist. My Muslim friends in the west, you have no reason to not dine here. 😛

Ever since @nasicocosg at Newest shut their doors, I have been missing their nasi lemak from time to time. Was exhilarated to find their new collaboration with Tenderfresh here at 1 of the stalls, 380 Nasi Lemak, serving several items such as Mak Spicy Chicken Cutlet, Shrimp paste chicken. We had the XXL crispy chicken leg that came along with their signature fluffy coconut rice and a rather sweet sambal chili. While it was only served warm and not as crispy as expected, but the tenderness and juiciness of the chicken leg were apparent as we started tearing off the meat.

#BurppleTakeaways

Spicy lovers, challenge yourselves to this Ayam Cili Tenyeh from @jenggoodjommakan which ranges from levels 1-4, and a level 5 that’s coming soon in about 2 weeks time! Inspired by the Indonesian dish, Ayam Geprek, that comprises fried chicken served with Sambal chili, this Ayam Cili Tenyeh (which means mashed chili) is a fusion rendition of smashed fried chicken, mixed with chili and mozzarella cheese. Although there’s no cheese pull, but you can expect a symphony of spiciness from the 🌶, creaminess from 🧀 and sweetness from kecap manis and palm sugar over the juicy chicken meat. If level 1 is already intimidating, the cheese dip is a good option to help mellow down the spiciness.

Interestingly, as each level increases, the sweetness decreases and without any surprise, the heat spiciness increases.

Level 2 - Palm sugar + Cili Tenyeh
Level 3 - Cili Tenyeh
Level 4 - Cili Tenyeh + Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, a chili pepper that’s ranked 2nd spiciest in the world. Pretty nasty especially since it lingers and left my stomach burning for quite a long while even when the amount that I tasted was a dip with my finger tip. 🥵
Level 5 - Coming soon with imported chili from Jakarta

Have you ever thought about how a bak kut teh will turn out to be when it’s substituted by lamb? The first visit to @jenggoodjommakan to try their laksudon previously left me a reason to try their modern twist to other traditional dishes on a return visit today, just like this Lamb Kut Teh. Served in a soy saucy broth that’s cooked with 5 different spices such as star anise, cinnamon, it takes much effort and at least 5 hours of slow cooking to ensure tenderness of the lamb rib. Meat falls off the bone easily, and made flavorful by the heavy herbal depth and a slight sweetness of the broth. Interesting alternative to bak kut teh for our halal friends!

After relocating several times, I finally found @jenggoodjommakan at Jurong West! Intriguing menu you would find that illustrates the modern twist in Malay cuisine; from laksa udon (you can even have a lobster variation), to lamb kut teh and karate fries.

Don’t expect the usual laksa. The laksa broth here is a fish based broth which explains the bits of fish meat that you might find. Still lemak and mouthwatering, especially when the taste of fried shallots could be picked up. Unlike the thick vermicelli that’s easily slurped up, the udon has a thicker texture that get coated by the laksa broth easily. There’s also no fishcake, beansprouts or tau pok, but shredded cucumber and laksa leaves. What I enjoyed most was the crispy chicken cutlet chunks that were somewhat like chicken karaage. Burst with juiciness and were extremely flavorful as they soaked up the laksa broth instead of turning soggy! Stir the sambal chili in for a stronger spicy kick.

It kind of means something when a stall boasts of the multiple awards that it receives at the front of the stall. At 830pm when most of the stalls at Geylang Serai Hawker Centre were already closed and with the Ramadan bazaar nearby, I was surprised to find Sinar Pagi still opened and the trays of dishes simply called out to me.

When asked what dishes did I want, I told the stall owner everything looked delicious which he laughed in reply. Eventually decided on sambar goreng, tapioca leaves and sambal ayam. The portion of sambal chicken was huge, perhaps also because it was the last available piece. Meat was tender and even drenched with sambal, the fragrant aroma of the fried skin was still evident. Would have been much better if the chicken was served hot. Sambal was initially sweet, before the lingering spiciness kicks in.

Pro tip: the stall owner taught us that a good Nasi Padang stall will always hide their best curry and only served upon request. He gave us a mixture of curries and chilies; the yellow curry which the tapioca leaves were cooked in was really Lemak and coconutty, might be overwhelming if you aren’t a fan of coconut milk. The chili topped on it had a nice hae bee hiam (dried shrimp sambal paste) smell that was a little fishy but extremely umami. Addictive!

Have you ever thought of having a healthier version of Nasi Briyani that’s less sinful? Because the one at Mami Midah is cooked in such a way that it has lower calories yet still tasty!

Using vegetable oil instead of ghee, the Briyani rice was still fragrantly spiced even though being less greasy. I thought it would look nicer if it was tricolored though. The chicken was well marinated, pretty tender and easy to pull off its meat. Cooked using evaporated milk instead of coconut milk, the curry was rich and thick but was slightly losing out on aroma. A bowl of dalcha was served on the side, that made the rice even more fragrant when poured over. This bowl of mushy curry had quite a few pieces of potato. But what delighted me the most was the achar that was purely made from cucumber slices, which was rather unique. Soaked in a sweet and sour sauce, these crunchy cucumber slices were simply refreshing and delicious!

A simple side dish with few ingredients; cucumber, beansprouts, fried beancurd and of course the peanut sauce. It’s not an amazing dish I gotta be honest, but they were really generous with the overflowing peanut sauce which had a good amount of chunky chopped peanuts, imparting a nice roasted flavor to the block of fried beancurd. Slightly spicy though. Love the added crunch from the beansprouts for an addition to the texture.

Always seeing a queue forming in front of this stall. Gado gado was average too, but seems like the more popular dish was the Mee Rebus.

📍 Haji Daliman Korner

Gone are the days where Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak serves quality food even when the long snaking queue never stops. It’s been some time since I last had it and a sudden craving popped up, but I was disappointed to find that the portion seemed to have shrunk. I miss the otak-otak that always gets sold out early. Thankfully the rice is still as milky fragrant from the coconut milk used, and the Sambal chili is still a good mix of sweet-spiciness because those 2 really form the soul of the dish. I could just have the chili and the rice! But still, please return me my chunky juicy chicken wing with a super thick, golden-brown crispy batter like before.

#burpple #burpplesg #foodporn #sgfoodporn #sgigfood #sgigfoodies #instafood_sg #wheretoeatsg #sgeats #whati8today #sgfooddiary #sgmakan #sgmakandiary #sghawker #loveforhawkerfood #boonlaymarket #nasilemak #boonlaypowernasilemak

It’s kinda odd finding myself writing about a dish with several ingredients that I don’t eat like lontong and tempeh 😂, but the peanut sauce definitely won me over. Just look at how thick that gravy is and how much chopped peanuts in there! With that extra crunch and nutty aroma without being too spicy, it’s hard not to wipe off the plate clean with all the blanched vegetables, egg, potato, fried beancurd and the crispy keropok! Don’t miss this from the corner Wak Limah Stall if you are at Shunfu Mart.

#burpple #burpplesg #foodporn #sgfoodporn #sgigfood #sgigfoodies #instafood_sg #wheretoeatsg #sgeats #whati8today #sgfooddiary #sgmakan #sgmakandiary #sghawker #loveforhawkerfood #shunfumarket #shunfumart #shunfumartfoodcentre #waklimah #gadogado

An unexpected find located at City Plaza that was filled with many Indonesians. From our observation, the Ayam Sambal Hijau seems to be one of the really popular choices as it’s seen on almost every table.

Foodies with low spicy tolerance, I really urge you to think twice before trying. The green chili was no less spicy, even though it looks less harmful than its red counterpart. In fact, the spiciness emerged slowly and exploded eventually! Even someone who loves chili felt that it was really spicy. But it was a good kick of flavour added to the ayam penyet, which I would have liked it to be more juicy although the skin was crispy. Another type of chili was provided as well, which was a little like chili in sweet soya sauce. Still spicy, but there was additional sweetness and saltiness. Well, I liked it with the rice. Each set comes with a piece of tempeh and a small fried beancurd cube. Definitely something that will satisfy one’s craving for chili!