A Pioneer Singapore Teochew Satay Bee Hoon Stall in Tanjong Pagar
Teochew satay bee hoon is the fusion of Chinese bee hoon / yellow noodle with Malay / Indonesian peanut and spice satay sauce but no one now knows who created it, where and exactly when. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that satay bee hoon is a Teochew creation, while credit for Chinese pork satay is given to Hainanese.
Teochew Satay Bee Hoon is not a pretty dish but it is uniquely Singapore and sadly is part of our disappearing Nanyang food heritage. One of the oldest Teochew satay bee hoon stalls still operate at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre.
Sprightly and cheerful Mdm Lee who is in her 80s now started her street side stall in the 1960s around today's Jalan Kukoh. She moved to Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre when she was offered a stall here in 1977 and has been here ever since.
The History Of Satay Bee Hoon, And Why It’s A Fading Hawker Dish In Singapore
If you’re an older person who grew up eating satay bee hoon, try this little experiment: ask the younger folks around you what they think about the dish. You may be surprised to learn that some of them have never heard of it before, let alone tried it. You wonder to yourself, was it all just a dream? Or did I stumble into a parallel universe where the dish never existed?
But it wasn’t a dream, and you aren’t a verse-jumper from Everything Everywhere All At Once. The truth is that satay bee hoon, a dish many would consider uniquely Singaporean, is dying a slow death. Whether it’s because there are fewer and fewer hawker stalls that offer the dish, a sharp decline in its popularity, or both, satay bee hoon is no longer as visible it once was. To find out why this is happening, I spoke to three owners behind the most renowned and last-remaining satay bee hoon stalls in Singapore. A fascinating narrative emerged from these conversations, one that began with their Teochew forefathers and continues—for now, at least—with the last bastions of the fading dish. This is the story of satay bee hoon. Much like the dish itself, the origins of satay bee hoon are messy, to say the least.
It is said that the core elements of satay bee hoon—peanut sauce poured over rice vermicelli and other ingredients such as kang kong and cuttlefish—were laid out by the early Teochew immigrants in Singapore. That’s the accepted narrative in the history books, and it’s one the hawkers agree with, too. “Satay bee hoon was first made by our Teochew ancestors,” said Jome Tan, 46. “As for its true origins, some say it was brought directly from China, some say Malaysia.”
This satay bee hoon in Bukit Timah is a taste of Teochew history
Sorely in need of a palate readjustment, I had to investigate my foodie friend Lyn Lee's of Awfully Chocolate childhood favourite – a particular slice of Bukit Timah nostalgia and the tasty history of Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon. The disbelief was still acute as I headed over to Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre – how did my tastebuds manage to spend an entire lifetime untouched by satay bee hoon?
Truth be told, it’s never been on this noodle-lover’s radar, not when there’s always been char kway teow, bak chor mee and laksa to be had at hawker centres. But I was determined to rectify my culinary misstep. Hearing stories of the queues for this in-demand dish sent me to Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon way before its official opening hours, so I could chope my very first plate early and also watch husband-and-wife team, Mr Tay Que Huak & Madam Koh Git Tia, in action. Although the exact origins of the dish are unknown, satay bee hoon is said to have been invented by Teochew immigrants to Singapore, who fused elements of Javanese and Chinese cooking. They combined noodles with a peanut gravy not unlike the sauce that grilled meat skewers, or satay, are dipped in.
When I checked this with the busy couple, Madam Koh agreed in Mandarin that it is indeed a Teochew dish – they should know, being Teochew themselves. Their satay bee hoon has been around since 1956, when Mr Tay’s father first started selling it on the streets of Bukit Timah. According to him, their secret recipe is really old. “My father was born in 1891! I stopped schooling at 14 years old to learn the trade from him. By the time I was 16, I was on my own selling satay bee hoon. My father was already in his 70s then,” he said. As the story goes, their signature dish was the result of a happy accident. Madam Koh explained: “The family actually used to sell fishball mee but switched to satay bee hoon because one day, my father-in-law brought home satay and there were leftovers. My mother-in-law said not to waste the sauce, so she cooked it with bee hoon and they discovered it was actually very tasty together!” The early days after making the switch weren’t all smooth sailing for the family, though. “When my father first started selling satay bee hoon, it took a few starts and stops before he found success,” Mr Tay said, with Madam Koh relating how it was their customers who helped perfect the recipe.
Light & Creamy Satay Bee Hoon with History
For someone who prides herself on being an adventurous diner, the latest makan recommendation from my foodie friend, Lyn Lee of Awfully Chocolate & Sinpopo Brand, absolutely confounded me. A hawker dish I had never tried before? How could it be? So sorely in need of a palate readjustment, I was determined to investigate Lyn’s childhood favourite – a particular slice of Bukit Timah nostalgia and the tasty history of Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon.
Husband-and-wife team, Mr Tay Que Huak & Madam Koh Git Tia, were in action the day I paid the stall a visit. As the story goes, their signature dish was the result of a happy accident. Madam Koh explained, “The family actually used to sell fishball mee but switched to satay bee hoon because one day, my father-in-law brought home satay and there were leftovers. My mother-in-law said not to waste the sauce, so she cooked it with bee hoon and they discovered it was actually very tasty together!” Born out of frugality and a little bit of culinary creativity, Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon has roots in Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre that go back more than four decades. They are considered one of the few remaining pioneer heritage hawkers who moved their street food stalls from along Bukit Timah canal into the food centre.
It’s always been a family business, beginning with Mr Tay’s father in 1956, who passed it on to his children. The Tays themselves are semi-retired now, with their daughter shouldering the bulk of duties at their stall. “Our daughter started helping us right after graduating from Ngee Ann poly. She’s taken over for ten years already,” Mr Tay said proudly. These days, Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon’s success has afforded them the luxury of scaling back operation hours to just lunch and dinner (with a break in between) four days a week. This has only served to increase customers’ appetite for their saucy signature, with regulars often forming a queue before opening times.
Meng Hui Satay Bee Hoon – Satay Bee Hoon with 30 Years of History
The friend who took me to Guan Heng Cooked Food said that their satay bee hoon is the best in Singapore. I wanted to test his theory so I decided to try Meng Hui Satay Bee Hoon in Albert Centre Market & Food Centre. Meng Hui Satay Bee Hoon is very popular among Singaporeans evidenced by being featured in numerous publications. It was voted one of the Yahoo!10 Best Satay Beehoon Stalls in Singapore. It was also featured in The Sunday Times and STFood Online.
After all, Meng Hui Satay Bee Hoon has been operating at Albert Centre Market & Food Centre for more than 30 years. This is the stall’s signature Satay Bee Hoon [S$4/5/6]. The cuttlefish, cockles, prawns, lean pork strips, pork liver, blanched kangkong and beansprouts are fresh and well-cooked, but the peanut gravy is not as aromatic as Guan Heng Cooked Food’s. It doesn’t have the crunchy peanut bits in the gravy which gives the gravy different textures.
If you want something simpler, try Cuttlefish Kang Kong Bee Hoon. As the name implies, you will only find cuttlefish and kang kong with your bee hoon and satay sauce. If not, you can also just order the Satay Ingredients or Cuttlefish Kang Kong. Guang Heng Cooked Food is still the best satay bee hoon so far.
Origin of “Satay Beehoon”
The origin of “Satay Beehoon” is really a mystery. Some say it is was a spin off from Indonesian satay sauce by early Chinese immigrants - who managed to improvise it with various chinese spices to suit their palates. Like any evolution theories, eventually a better version emerges with more and more ingredients added to become what is known as “Satay Beehoon”, a unique Singapore hawker food.
“The dish is usually consists of pork, cuttlefish, cockles, vegetables (typically kang kong and bean sprouts) and Tau-pok. Nevertheless, the Satay Sauce is the main attraction. History Of ”Soon Huat Satay Beeehoon” Soon Huat Satay Beehoon has withstood the test of time with more than 50 years in history. Like any Chinese immigrants. the founder- Mr. Goh Hong Yam started back in 1960's after migrating from China to Singapore for a better living. To make ends meet, initially he sold street hawker food for a living . By fate he met an old master who was impressed by his willingness to work hard , and imparted the secret recipe of Satay Beehoon paste. Since 1960 , husband -and -wife Mdm Chan Hui Hwang started selling this traditional teo chew satay beehoon from a pushcart at . open-air street hawker located at old havelock Road between Block 38 & 40. In the mid 1970's, due to government control over street hawking, the stall relocate to a permanent hawker centre at near by Block 50.
Later in 1987 , the hawker centre at Block 50 was demolished and the stall relocate again to current location at ABC Food Centre. Despite the various relocation over the years, the owner has closely guarded and stood by the original recipe loyally... Only top and fresh ingredients are being used in the production process, strictly no preservatives or MSG added. The belief in preserving the traditional original taste has attracted loyal customer who have faithfully followed the stall no matter where they have moved. Due to popular demands , we have started supplying the salty paste to other food eaters who are interested selling satay Beehoon. Besides being a wholesaler of the past , we also venture out to the retail sector.
Ho Guan Satay Bee Hoon: Pioneer Generation Hawkers!
Satay Beehoon and cuttlefish kangkong belong to that category of hawker food which may be best described as “niche”. Some hawker dishes like chicken rice, roti prata and carrot cake are so much a part of the Singaporean identity that one really cannot be considered a true blue Singaporean if you have tried these dishes in your life. (Ok lah, vegans excepted) But I am very sure that there will be some readers here who have never eaten Satay Beehoon before, right?
The origins of Satay Beehoon are rather sketchy. All we know is that it is a Teochew dish and it has been around for a while. We do know of satay beehoon stalls which can trace their history back to the 50’s, but no one seems to have any idea of how it came to be. It probably wasn’t brought to Singapore by migrants from Chaoshan. (That part of China where we Teochews came from) In fact, the opposite is true. According to Wikipedia, migrants from Nanyang (South East Asia) actually brought back the idea of satay sauce which became what is now known as 沙茶醬 shāchá jiàng. However, the Chinese version of the sauce doesn’t contain peanuts but has dried shrimps instead. I think they must have confused satay sauce with hae bee hiam, because the list of ingredients for 沙茶醬 bears closer resemblance to hae bee hiam which is a condiment made from fried shallots, garlic, chilli and dried shrimp.
So how did Satay Beehoon come to be? Who is this mysterious Teochew man who came up with the idea of pouring satay sauce over beehoon, cockles and cuttlefish? Why is this Teochew Ah Hia (Teochew man) even using satay sauce when satay is traditionally associated with the Hainanese? Here is my theory. I think that Satay Bee Hoon probably evolved from cuttlefish kangkong. The two dishes are quite similar and uses some common ingredients. Perhaps there was a certain Teochew hawker selling cuttlefish kangkong who was located next to a Hainanese Satay Man and along came a customer who ordered both dishes and started to pour the satay sauce over his cuttlefish kangkong which slowly started a trend? It’s only my own theory, but it sounds quite plausible doesn’t it?
Messy, Ugly, Delicious: The Best Satay Bee Hoon In Singapore
How food is presented matters as you eat with your eyes first. However, satay bee hoon is a dish that goes against this notion. Satay bee hoon wasn’t made for Instagram as it is basically a lumpy reddish-brown sauce slathered over rice vermicelli and other ingredients.
Nevertheless, satay bee hoon has found many devotees who love the rich peanut sauce that makes up the soul of the dish. Said to be created by Teochew immigrants who used extended their ingenuity from the beloved barbecued skewers, satay bee hoon is noted to be a dying heritage dish as fewer people are willing to invest in making the labour-intensive delight. So while we still can enjoy it.
Here are the best hawker stalls to enjoy satay bee hoon in Singapore:
- Sin Chew Satay Beehoon
- Bak Kee Teochew Satay Bee Hoon
- Shi Wei Da FengShan Satay Bee Hoon
- Soon Huat Teochew Satay Beehoon
- Jin Li Satay Bee Hoon
- Centre Satay
- Lao Chao Zhou
- Meng Hui Satay Bee Hoon
- Teochew Satay Bee Hoon
- Whampoa Satay Beehoon
Satay bee hoon
This hawker-style Singaporean dish earned its name because of the similarity between the peanut sauce used in it and satay peanut sauce. Satay bee hoon consists of blanched bee hoon noodles (rice vermicelli) served with a sweet, salty, and spicy peanut sauce.
A paste based on roasted and ground peanuts is combined with a mixture of ingredients such as dried chilis, spices, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, candlenuts, galangal, tamarind juice, and shrimp paste, and the combination is then simmered to make the sauce.
Typical accompaniments to this dish include water spinach (kang kong), fried beancurd puffs (tau pok), prawns, shelled cockles, strips of cuttlefish, and slices of pork. Although the exact origins of the dish are unknown, satay bee hoon might’ve been introduced to Singapore by Teochew immigrants. The best Satay bee hoon in the world:
- Sin Chew Satay Beehoon
- Bak Kee Satay Beehoon
- Centre Satay Beehoon
- Shi Wei Da Teochew Beehoon
- Meng Hui Satay Beehoon
- Teochew Satay Beehoon
- Soon Huat Teochew Beehoon
Where to find the best satay bee hoon in Singapore
Those who grew up eating plates of satay bee hoon know where the appeal lies, but for the untrained eye, it looks like a chaotic plate of brown gravy which is, quite frankly, not the most gram-worthy.
But as they say, one’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure and to us, satay bee hoon is a delicious mess that’s filled with the taste of nostalgia. A typical offering will see thin vermicelli noodles, vegetables, cuttlefish, pig’s liver, pork slices, and blood cockles covered with a generous serving of satay sauce — although this variation does change depending on the stall.
While it’s commonly associated with Teochew people, the dish is said come from a cultural fusion between the Chinese immigrants and the Malay or Javanese in Singapore. The sweet, salty, and spicy peanut sauce is similar to the one served alongside satay, which is where it got its name from.
Satay bee hoon is getting harder to find these days, perhaps due to the laborious work that goes behind it and the changing palates of the newer generation. Before it completely disappears, we’re documenting some of our favourite heritage hawkers that still serve the best satay bee hoon in Singapore:
- Ho Guan Satay Bee Hoon
- Bak Kee Teochew Satay Bee Hoon
- Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon
- Shi Wei Da Satay Bee Hoon
- Centre Satay Beehoon
- Soon Huat Satay Bee Hoon
- Meng Hui Satay Bee Hoon
