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While visiting Hougang Hainanese Food Village recently to write my list of best places to eat , I discovered Quan Ji Cooked Food (泉記熟食) tucked away at a secluded corner. This food stall sells 2 dishes: hokkien mee and char kway teow— simple and straightforward. Just how I like it.
The stall is headed by 41-year-old Mrs Lu and her husband, who have been running it for the past 12 years. Mrs Lu hails from Hainan, China, and had never stepped foot in the kitchen before she took over the business.
Since the previous stall owner wanted to give up the stall, she decided to give it a go. Using just 2 days to learn the ropes, her journey at the beginning was far from a walk in the park.
Customers’ feedback was very important to her, and she received it with a positive attitude. After tons of practice, Mrs Lu gradually improved and perfected her cooking skills.
Most of the ingredients here are made from scratch, which include the prawn stock, pork lard, chilli, and even the chopped garlic (which they peel themselves by hand).
What I tried at Quan Ji Cooked Food
I was excited to try the Fried Kway Teow (S$4.50 for small). It was a lovely mess of fried kway teow mee, lup cheong, fish cake, cockles, egg, beansprouts, green vegetables and a generous topping of pork lard chunks.
To my surprise, the Fried Kway Teow wasn’t as oily as I expected it to be. There was a substantial amount of wok hei infused into this dish, which seduced my taste buds, inviting me to go for seconds (and more). Mrs Lu added a generous amount of black sweet sauce, which made the noodles taste slightly sweet. It was totally up my alley, although my dining partner preferred it to be more savoury.
The pieces of lup cheong and fishcake gave bursts of flavour and texture to the dish. The cockles were plump and fresh, which added a briny infusion of the ocean in every bite.
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My favourite part of the dish was the mini golden nuggets of pork lard which were fried to perfection. The outer crispy crust acted as a protective layer for the creamy fattiness within, revealing its magical flavour in full swing the moment you chew into it.
Mrs Lu had an entire container of freshly fried lard displayed at the front of her stall, and I was tempted to steal the whole tub!
I then moved on to the Fried Hokkien Noodle (S$5 for small). It was a combination of bee hoon and yellow noodles stir-fried with egg, taugeh, slices of pork belly, a bunch of prawns and sotong.
The fiery-looking chilli at the side stood out like a diamond in the rough, and I was slightly intimidated by its outlook.
I judged it too soon. The heat from the chilli wasn’t as spicy as I had thought, which allowed me to enjoy the full experience of the noodles without the spice stealing its limelight.
I gave the plate of noodles a mini citrus spa by squeezing some calamansi onto the ingredients— this brightened up every element on the plate with its tangy acidity. It also helped to tone down the richness of the dish, allowing me to have more without being overwhelmed by jelak-ness
What stood out for me were the shiok pieces of buttery pork belly, which melted in my mouth in an instant. If you’re a lover of lean meat, this is definitely not for you!
It worked hand-in-hand with the fried pork lard pieces, producing different dimensions of deliciousness in the Fried Hokkien Noodle.
The pieces of prawns were fresh and juicy. Many establishments fall short when preparing sotong, causing it to be chewy and tough. I was glad that Quan Ji Cooked Food does it so well.
Final Thoughts
Mrs Lu told me something that has since been imprinted in my mind. “I believe in one thing: If you put your heart and soul into something, you’ll be rewarded. I’ve given my everything to this stall.”
I thoroughly enjoyed her hokkien mee and char kway teow, which she has executed with such finesse. Her efforts and gung-ho attitude have really worked in her favour.
Moving forward, you’ll see me patronising them very often for sure.
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