Kway Chap With Over 50 Years Of History
Kway chap ranks top on my list when it comes to comfort food. I don’t crave it often, but when I do, it’s great to know that there still are affordable options in Singapore, such as Feng Ji Kway Chap in Jalan Batu. Another stall that recently caught my eye was Covent Garden Kway Chap, which has been around for close to 60 years.
Founder Mdm Chua, a 90-odd-year-old hawker, started selling her Teochew kway chap in the early 1960s. Till today, she’s said to run Covent Garden with her two sons, though she wasn’t at the stall during our shoot. The family-run business specialises in kway chap with all the fixings: intestines, pig skin, braised egg, tau pok and more.
The affordable prices are the highlight here; a one-person portion starts from just $3. You get a standard platter of pig intestines, pig skin, tau pok, and half an egg, plus a decent serving of kway. The other way to order is to specify the items you want and indicate the number of diners. The beauty of kway chap lies in its customisable options. If you want more of a particular item, simply request extra liao and pay a small top-up.
Teochew Kway Chap 潮 汕 粿 汁
It is not my intention to issue kway chap recipe today. Initially, my objective was very simple, sharing with readers how to clean the pig big intestine (猪 大 肠 头）. I have decided to learn how to clean the pig big intestine as my wife loves the intestine.
I am struggling what type of pig intestine recipe I should share with readers. It can be deep fried big intestine, big intestine stir fry with pineapples or the one that my wife loves: braised big intestine. If I am braising big intestine alone, it will be a waste of gas or electricity bill as the cooking can take a long time. In addition, as my girl don’t like big intestine, what is she going to eat? I then rushed to the market thinking of getting hold of a piece of pork belly to braise together. While I was purchasing the pork belly, i saw some hoon tng (粉 肠 aka Fen Chang aka powder intestine) being sold. I asked the boss and the price was very reasonable. I got 2 long intestines for only S$4. Since both me and my wife like this special intestine, I bought as well.
For those who are not familiar with this dish, this dish is common in Singapore and also Kuching though the presentation is slightly different. To put it bluntly, it is a braising of many pig organs and broad rice sheets was being served with a bowl of diluted braising meat broth. As per Wikipedia, it was written that : “Kuay chap / kway chap (Chinese: 粿 汁; pinyin: guǒ zhī), a Teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of bean curd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs.”
Teochew Kway Chap
"Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck\" was established in 1980 and has been in business for more than 30 years. We specialized in Teochew braised duck rice and kway chap.
Most of our customers like our Teochew braised duck because the meat is fragrant, smooth and tender.
Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap (Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre) is accepting food delivery order via WhatsApp.
Siglap Kueh Chap: The Typical Teochew Man
The adage “Teochew lang haolian” (Teochews love to boast) never fails to validate itself whenever I meet with a (good) Teochew hawker.
This time it’s Mr Tay Ah Liat, 73 who has been selling kway chap for almost 50 years! He started his craft as a young 20 something year old at the now defunct Siglap market before moving across the canal to the coffeeshop when Siglap market was demolished in 1989 to make way for Siglap Centre.
Mr Tay proudly tells me that no one else in the whole of Singapore makes kway chap the traditional way like he does. He still pan fries the spices first before adding the braising sauce which is why the whole coffeeshop is filled with its irresistible aroma when the meat is done. The braising sauce has been kept going ever since he moved to the present location which makes it almost 30 years old! He still insist on using fresh Indonesian pork, because it is still the best. Frozen pork is a no no, even chilled Australian pork is not good enough.
It must be fresh local pork and it has to be cooked the day before so that it can soak in the braising sauce overnight! The innards were very good and have been washed properly such that there is no off putting stench. I was there too late and missed out on his 飞机 肉 (lit aeroplane meat) which refers to the special cut of pork which has extra marbling. Unfortunately I could only get a piece of the lean thigh meat which was a tad dry. Their preserved vegetable is excellent and is the one item that really stood out from the rest. The dish is made from specially sourced Thai 酸 菜 (sour vegetable) and is the perfect complement to the braised meats. At 73, Mr Tay looks remarkably young. When asked with is the elixir of youth, he replied, without hesitation, that the secret is eating pork skin everyday! So, it’s time to hit the kway chap stall, ladies!
Where To Find The Best Kway Chap In Singapore
Essentially, kway chap is a bowl of kway, or flat rice noodles served with broth and sides of braised meats, pig offals, eggs and beancurd. The Teochew dish is a favourite among many Singaporeans, not only because of the taste but also the variety of options you can choose from.
The dish may look easy to make, but it is especially tedious in terms of getting the offals cleaned, braising the ingredients to perfection, and getting the right mix of spices, herbs and flavourings for the braising liquid – the very heart and soul of the dish.
Tuck into hearty kway chap and braised Teochew dishes at these locations in Singapore:
- Guan Kee Kway Chap
- Garden Street Kway Chap
- Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap
- Lao San Kway Chap
- 284 Kway Chap
- Heng Kee Kway Chap
- To-Ricos Kway Chap Old Airport Road
- Double Spring Teochew Lor Duck Kway Chap
- Chai Chee Kway Chap and Chris Kway Chap
- Siglap Kway Chap
9 KWAY CHAP STALLS IN SINGAPORE
Fun fact: Kway chap is actually a Teochew dish. Another fun fact (that you already know): It’s a very popular Teochew dish. If there’s one dish that we would kill for on rainy days, it would have to be this.
When you’re eating kway chap, it’s impossible to get bored. The medley of ingredients squeezed onto one plate keeps you excited throughout the meal, from start to finish. We love that you can come up with all kinds of permutations in every bite — kway and intestines, tau pok and pork belly, and so on.
Okay, but enough talking. We’re ready for our kway chap fix. Here are 9 kway chap places in Singapore that are doing islandwide delivery:
- BEDOK 539 KWAY CHAP
- BUKIT MERAH VIEW KWAY CHAP
- CHUAN LAI GUO ZHI WANG
- JIN JI TEOCHEW BRAISED DUCK & KWAY CHAP
- LAO SAN KWAY CHAP
- LOR DUCK
- TO RICOS KWAY CHAP
- YAOWARAT THAI KWAY CHAP
- YU KEE DUCK RICE
Best stalls for kway chap in Singapore
Kway chap isn’t for the faint-hearted diner, especially if you’re not used to having offal presented to you on a plate. If you’re up for a delicious meal, however, these are the best kway chap stalls in Singapore that prove that .
The Teochew dish is served with a dark soy-sauce soup bowl of flat, broad rice sheets, paired with a generous assortment of braised pork cuts that include pork belly, rind and intestines. While it may seem simple, its preparation is anything but. The key here is to create paper-thin noodles that are slippery smooth, as well as a rich, complex gravy to braise the ingredients in. The innards, too, have to be cleansed thoroughly and removed from any unpleasant odour – a step that requires skill, time, and dedication.
Despite being one of the most divisive hawker dishes, there’s no denying its popularity, and the island is definitely not short of stalls offering the dish, each with their own twist. However, if you want a good bowl that’s worth your time, money, and calories, here are our favourite stalls that serve the best kway chap in Singapore. Best kway chap stalls in Singapore:
- Guan Kee Kway Chap
- Cheng Heng Kway Chap and Braised Duck Rice
- Lao San Kway Chap
- Chai Chee Kway Chap
- Ying Yi Kway Chap Braised Duck
- 284 Kway Chap
- Quan Lai Kway Chap
- Ah Keat Pig’s Organ Soup and Kway Chap
- Covent Garden Kway Chap
17 Kway Chap Stalls In Singapore To Try
Kway chap is a divisive dish. Those who enjoy the combination of braised offal and kway in a soupy, dark broth really really adore the dish, while those who can’t stand eating innards stay a mile away. If you’re in the former camp, then you’ll also know that a really soul-warming bowl of kway chap is a labour of love, and good ones are few and far between.
To help you get your cravings sorted, here are 17 best kway chap stalls in Singapore:
- Double Spring Teochew Lor Duck Kway Chap
- Quan Lai Kway Chap
- Guan Kee Kway Chap
- Lao San Kway Chap
- 284 Kway Chap
- Garden Street Kway Chap
- Covent Garden Kway Chap
- Da Cheng Kway Chap
- Shi Le Yuan
- Siglap Kway Chap
- Blanco Court Kueh Chap
- Kuey Chap
- Chai Chee Kway Chap
- Chris Kway Chap
- Huat Kee Kway Chap
- Ying Yi Kway Chap
- Cheng Heng Kway Chap
