Whenever I go back to Singapore, one of the first must-do things I’d do on my list is to have some hawker food.
Yes, there’s the familiar laksa, char kway teow, wan tan mee, etc, but then there are my favourites like bak chor mee, kway chap, Singapore chilli crabs and Singapore Hokkien prawn mee.
These are some of the hawker dishes gems from Singapore that you don’t get to find in New Zealand.
Well, except probably for one eatery that is - Treasure Kitchen in Greenlane.
Helmed by Chef Sam Ng, 58, the restaurant he runs with his wife Jennie Tan first opened in Henderson in 2016. That business was sold in 2021, and moved to Otahuhu.
Two years ago, Treasure Kitchen opened in Greenlane, and today is the largest Malaysian restaurant in Auckland with a menu that includes a selection of Singapore speciality dishes.
Bak Chor Mee - This is a popular Singaporean noodle dish consisting of minced pork, mushrooms and meatballs served with flat egg noodles. The dish can be served dry on in soup with the dry version typically seasoned with vinegar, soy sauce and chilli. It’s often garnished with fried lard and crispy fish bits.
Singapore Chilli Crab - an iconic must try Singapore dish featuring crabs cooked in a thick, savoury, slightly sweet tomato and chilli-based sauce.
Singapore Hokkien Prawn Mee - popular hawker dish consisting of stir fried yellow noodles and rice vermicelli, cooked with a rich broth made from prawns and pork bones. The dish is typically garnished with prawns, squid, bean sprouts and chives with a side of sambal.
The kway chap, which Sam does as a menu special from time to time, is very much like how I remembered it to be in Singapore.
Served with great stuff like pig intestines, tofu, hard boiled egg, preserved vegetables and more.
For the uninitiated, the kway chap noodles are similar to kway teow - made from rice flour. But it has a more silky texture and are broader.
The chilli sauce is a must to have a bit more kick with the kway chap.
Originally from Johor Bahru, a Malaysian state just over the causeway in Singapore, Chef Sam is extremely familiar with Singapore food and its flavours.
Sam and Jennie moved to New Zealand in 2004, and he first worked as a Thai chef at a restaurant in Parnell where Jennie managed the front of house before they started Treasure Kitchen.
Treasure Kitchen 530 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland
Tried and Tasted: Chilli Crab, Oyster Omelette, Singapore Prawn Noodle
This article is brought to you in partnership with Treasure Kitchen.