Curry Rice - Sin Chie Toke Huan
The first time I had curry rice was when I was a kid. No, when I was a child. Do not call children kids. Kids are baby goats really. Grandma bought packets of curry rice home and it was good. She used to tell me in dialect where she bought it and from what I could make up to be something which sounded like Raymond market. Is there such a name? I found out later that it was the Whampoa market. Could it be an old name of an old market named after an Englishman?
What I saw for the first time were people waiting for their turn to order at the curry rice stall. They had a big pot of cooked rice and when they opened the lid, steam was blowing and when mixed with the smell of curry and the rest of the dishes on display, its aroma played with my appetite and since then I have been a big fan and follower. Listen to the Script with "For The First Time".
Curry rice usually have dishes like pork chop and there are different types and versions of pork chop. Normally, they are coated with flour or bread crumbs deep fried to a golden brown. Some are with less pork but a crispy crust. Others are soaked in a special gravy. Other than pork chop, there must always have cabbage. Some have braised pork or char siew, sambal prawns or sotong, eggs, assam fish and many more.
The most wonderful part of curry rice is the way they scoop the dishes you ordered with gravy from everywhere onto your rice. Gravy from your vegetables, braised pork and the grand finale is when they throw curry on your rice. Curry rice is one of the easiest food to eat. I do not get tired eating them. There are famous curry rice stalls at Havelock Road, Tiong Bahru, Bukit Merah, Maxwell market, etc. I discovered one good one at Whampoa recently but when I went there on Saturday noon it was closed. Sigh.
As I just got back home to Singapore, I need to get into the act of being Singaporean - food hunting. I always knew this stall with a queue at Upper Serangoon Road (near to Yong's Kueh) but never got to try it partly because of the queue and the parking woes. This time I decided to park further away and walked back. There were 9 people ahead of me. It is called "Sin Chie Toke Huan". Probably Hainanese?
That is the thing about chicken rice and curry rice. They like to add the word "Hainanese" in front. Hainanese chicken rice, Hainanese pork chop, Hainanese curry rice. The sign board here says - Traditional Hainanese Curry Rice. Look at the amount and variety of dishes available.
So I had one type of egg, cabbage, little squids and pork chop. The pork chop you see in this picture is the wet one.
I also ordered the dry pork chop too and boy do take a look at the rice drenched with fabulous curry. This is what I was talking about.
Oh, it was a really good meal.
By the time I chewed and swallowed up every morsel it was 15 minutes past eight. There were still people coming. I went over to the the younger man serving rice and enquired to which he told me that they are opened from 6pm to 5am. I won't say that this is the best curry rice in town but all of the food I tried was very fresh and when hungry it made a very good meal.
It was good that the car is further so you have to walk after a good meal. I was a happy man that night. I saw a man who parked his car in the handicap lot. He left someone in the car though as the car lights are on. Shouldn't a handicap lot remains vacant at all times unless used by a handicap person?
Whenever you want to have curry rice, let me know and I'll be there for you. Even Bon Jovi agrees.
Comments
There used to be a Rayman (can't remember exact spelling) Primary School opposite the market. I think that's why the market was called Rayman market by those who stayed around that area. My grandparents and neighbours would refer it as 礼门吧剎 (in teochew).
Thanks to WS Tan for his wonderful information. So my memory was quite correct and validated.