Singapore - Best "Bak Chang" (肉粽) in Town :-)

[klyeoh]

This is my favorite stall in Singapore for glutinous rice dumplings, or what we in Singapore & Malaysia call "bak chang" (in China, the rice dumplings are called "zong zi" or 粽子).

The flavors really hit the spot here - especially the pork/chestnut/salted duck-egg yolk/mushroom version. The glutinous rice had the perfect texture - not too hard and sticky. To-die for!

One MUST go early (9am onwards) or else call ahead to book. The more popular flavors sell out before noon!

Address details
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Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling
Amoy Street Food Centre #01-18
7 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069111
Tel: [phone]

[poggibonzzi]

My niece once said she loves brown rice. Turns out she meant Bak Chang :-) It's called Ma Chang in Manila. I think the Hokkien Chinese in Manila are mostly not from Amoy but from smaller cities on Mainland Hokkien.

[klyeoh]

Indeed - there are a lot of similarities in the Hokkien spoken by the Chinoys in the Philippines and us in Singapore. Other Chinese cakes in the Philippines include "tikoy" which we call "tee koay" and "hopia" which we call "hiew piah".

[penang_rojak]

I saw from Wikipedia on Fujian/Hokkien dialects that Filipino-Hokkien supposedly adopted the word for soap - "sabun" from the Tagalog word "sabon". But how does that explain that "sabun" also means the same in Penang-Hokkien, as in Malay as well?

[graceface]

Oh, tikoy! I haven't enjoyed tikoy in ages. One of my most memorable childhood experiences was burning my mouth trying to eat a just-fried tikoy. Sort of like biting into a campfire marshmallow.

Are there any recommended places in Singapore to have it year-round (i.e., *not* during Chinese New Year)? I'd searched for "nian gao" and was surprised by the regional differences in preparation. I'd always had it as a white cake sliced thickly, dredged in an egg wash and pan-fried, but the Singaporean caramelized cake and "sandwich" method are intriguing.

[klyeoh]

graceface - unfortunately, "tikoy" can only be found during the Chinese Lunar New Year period in Singapore - and also Malaysia, Hong Kong. Like you, I liked it fried, coated with egg :-)

[huiray]

I had no idea what you folks were talking about until I saw "nian gao" but then the talk was of a WHITE cake... ????
So a Google search for "tikoy" followed...Ah, you mean "nin4 gao1" (年糕). Why didn't you say so! I most certainly don't think of a white cake when I think of nin4 gao1. :-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian_gao...

[klyeoh]

I'd only come across the "white" version in HK. In Singapore, there were fish/carp-shaped "nian gao" in some places, with orange "carp" patches dyed onto the whitish "carp". Only available during Chinese Lunar New Year as well.

[M_Gomez]

Another good bak chang stall is Hiong Kee at Hong Lim food centre. But I have to agree that it still falls short of Hoo Kee.

[huiray]

Wow, you were certainly eating up a storm during your weekend in Singapore! That looks very good.

I simply call them "Choong" [Yale: Jung2]. In my day (or maybe for myself) "choong" were, by default, savory with some kind of meat (but in practice almost always pork) unless specifically stated to be otherwise. I even used to make them (with my mother) w-a-a-y back when. Nowadays I simply buy them premade and frozen (one brand available here in my local Chinese grocer isn't bad...) on occasion. I haven't picked up freshly made ones in a while.

[klyeoh]

Yes, "chung" is the Cantonese word for that & which is used extensively in KL & HK. "Bak chang" is a Hokkien/Teochew term, hence more prevalent in Singapore and, not surprisingly as I found out, Penang, which is also predominantly Hokkien.

In Singapore, we also have the "Nyonya bak chang", which is similar to Malaccan ones: with minced pork, finely-chopped candied wintermelon ("tung kwa") and spices (with strong coriander overtones). The taste is sweet yet savory. In most cases, parts of the glutinous rice would also be tinted blue by using "bunga telang" or butterfly pea flower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chitrasu...).

The best Nyonya bak chang in Singapore can be bought from Kim Choo Kueh Chang Babi in Joo Chiat Place, with a newer branch on East Coast Road.

[huiray]

Not sure if I've had that Nyonya bak chang, but I've certainly had Nyonya/Malay glutinous rice "cakes" with or without a filling that were semi-colored (marbled) blue with "bunga telang" also.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitoria...

[klyeoh]

IMHO, the *best* "chung" in KL can be found at New Seaview Coffeeshop in SEA Park. The dumplings there are actually Ipoh-made ones from Guan Kee, mentioned by penang_rojak here (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/626043) and Ipoh socialite, See Foon Chan-Koppen here (http://ipohecho.com.my/v2/2012/01/16/...).
What I liked about their "chung" is that the glutinous rice dumpling falls apart at the prick of a fork, unlike the hard, sticky, hard-to-digest sort we usually get.

[huiray]

Interesting & informative, thanks.

Heh - the "kai see hor fun" available at Restoran Ayam Tauge mentioned in the Ipoh Echo article sounds definitely caught my eye too. :-)

[penang_rojak]

Ah yes, Guan Kee at Jalan Raja Ekram (Cowan Street)