Pang’s Hakka Yong Tau Foo
Chef Pang Kok Keong, the former Chef owner of French patisserie Antoinette, has always been passionate about his Hakka heritage food. This was evident even during his Antoinette days when he, from time to time, incorporated elements of Hakka cuisine in his French creations.
Naturally after Antoinette, Pang immediately dived into starting his Hakka Yong Tau Foo (YTF) business to preserve his roots. His YTF stall was first opened in Tekka Mall in July 2020. In the span of less than 2 years, the YTF stall had changed addresses numerous times. From Tekka Mall to Sprout Hub, and then to Kim Tian, which closed its door last December. If you include the second stall at ARC380, that would be 4 locations in 18 months. These relocations were mainly due to landlord issues and low foot traffic. Fast forward 3 months, in early March 2023, Pang reopened his Hakka YTF stall at the 5th location at the newly-renovated “Get Together” coffeeshop opposite ABC market.
I have always enjoyed Pang’s dry Hakka noodle. The fat noodle tossed in fresh pork lard and flavourful minced pork is really addictive. The menu at the new location retains all his signature Hakka items including the Hakka Yong Tau Foo Noodles and Red Wine Chicken but some new items are spotted. These include curry version of the YTF noodle, Ampang YTF, Hakka Radish Ball and Abacus Seeds.
The curry for the YTF noodle ($6.80) is rich, not lemak-rich but rempah-rich. Pang’s specially-concocted rempah is spicy and robust, giving the curry broth the extra kick. When asked if this was Malaysian style, he replied, ”This is my style! I like it spicier with a stronger rempah taste.” I am aligned with him on this.
Hakka Radish Balls ($4.50 for 6 balls) are handmade everyday. Shredded radish is blanched to remove its bitterness, and cooled immediately in ice water to stop further cooking. It is then mixed with cuttlefish, minced pork, mushroom, seasoning and tapioca starch, then portioned and shaped by hand and steamed fresh daily . “Although It is very laborious and difficult to automate due to the sticky texture, I insisted to have it on the new menu because it is such a classic Hakka "kueh" that is uncommon here in Singapore,” shares Pang passionately. I personally enjoy this new dish very much. It tastes like soon kueh with better quality fillings and the tapioca starch holds everything into a bite-size ball. Very “QQ” and delicious.
Another new item that gets my nod is his signature Hakka Abacus Seeds ($5.50). Yet another laborious dish to make. In fact, I find abacus seeds more time consuming to make due to the multiple steps involved , very much like making Italian Gnocchi from scratch. The Abacus Seeds here have a slightly charred outer crust, a result of “pan frying” instead of just stir-frying the mini yam pillows with the other ingredients like dried cuttlefish, dried shrimps, black fungus, leeks and mushrooms.
Pang has included Ampang YTF ($5.30) on his new menu too and I can totally understand why. The same YTF pieces used in his other dishes are deep fried and served in a starchy bean paste sauce. This is a variant on the classic Hakka dish made famous by the Hakka community in Ampang, Malaysia. You can have it on its own, with a bowl of Hakka noodle ($2.50) or steamed rice ($0.70).
With the downward revision of the prices without compromising on the quality, Pang’s offerings are very attractive. For someone who cooks, I know exactly how much time and effort is required to prepare such dishes. And going by the super long queue when we dropped by for lunch on a Monday late morning, Pang’s misfortune with stall location appears to have turned the corner. I wish him all the best and look forward to seeing more traditional Hakka dishes on the menu.
Pang’s Hakka Yong Tau Foo
Get Together Coffeeshop
Blk 2 Jln Bukit Merah (opp ABC hawker centre)
#01-5134
Singapore 049358
Opens Daily
8:00am - 8:00pm
