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I woke up this morning with an intense craving for something spicy and soupy, preferably with my favourite carbs of choice — noodles. It is how I found myself at Teban Gardens Food Centre wolfing down a bowl of said spicy, soupy noodles at Masala Curry Chicken Noodle.
Even in the blistering heat that “feels like 35°C “, I was determined to satiate my cravings. This food centre is quite ulu, but I pressed on and trekked a good 500m from the bus stop to my destination. At least I clocked in my daily steps…
But, “Why masala?” I was curious about the origin of their stall name. The friendly Chinese uncle running the stall explained that it is a homage to the Indian flavours in the curry, which piqued my curiosity further. Can really taste the masala inside meh?
What I tried at Masala Curry Chicken Noodle
You get no points for guessing what I ordered, lol. I got their Curry Chicken Noodle (S$5.50), and was so excited about their HUGE portions!
I blame it on the arduous walk here, but I was so hungry I couldn’t resist taking a sip of the glistening, orange-y curry the moment I reached my table. The consistency of the curry was thick and creamy, unlike most curry mees I’ve grown accustomed to.
Taste-wise, hmm… it wasn’t bad by any means and, in fact, carried a bold, savoury flavour with a spicy kick. I just felt as if there wasn’t much dimension to it, possibly from a lack of spices. Sure, the flavours were booming in my mouth, but it was booming at a steady, boring beat, if that makes sense.
Masala is known to have a subtly earthy and sweet nuance, which was nowhere to be found in this bowl of “masala curry”. The flavours did, however, remind me of the curry mee I used to eat in Primary and Secondary school, albeit more fiery.
Moving on to the chicken — this portion genuinely surprised me. There were 4 pieces in total, each one as meaty and substantial as the one in the picture above. It was mostly breast meat, too, which I had no qualms about as I generally prefer leaner meats.
Even for those who don’t reach for breast meat, the curry played a defining role in reinstating some moisture into the thick chunks, keeping them tender. Rest assured, you won’t be fighting for your life trying to swallow it.
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Now, yellow noodles wouldn’t usually be my noodle of choice, but here it is the default option. The usual alkaline-y taste was surprisingly muted, but likely because the curry was overpowering it. It would’ve been just a little more satisfying if the noodles were al dente, though.
At this point, I was sweating with every mouthful of the noodle-gravy combination. I’d like to think I can hold my spice decently well but as I progressed further into my meal, I could feel a fire settling at the pit of my stomach. It was kind of satisfying in a mildly sadistic way? I’ll spare you the details of my time spent in the toilet after.
Floating around in my curry were 2 sizeable pieces of potato, a handful of tau gei (bean sprouts) and 3 pieces of tau pok (fried beancurd puff), which might have been my favourite part of the meal! It soaked up all that warm, fragrant gravy that came oozing out as I bit into it, almost scalding my tongue but, hey, that’s a vibe too.
Final Thoughts
Were my cravings satisfied? Yes. Would I travel back just for this bowl of curry noodles? Unfortunately, no.
I must say, their portions are bountiful and the owners really are generous with the ingredients. The masala taste wasn’t prominent enough to impress me, but I can still appreciate this bowl of curry noodles for what it is.
Masala Curry Chicken Noodle also sells Curry Pork Ribs Rice/Noodle (S$6.50), which the uncle recommended I try next time. Perhaps I will if I’m in the area, but until then, I’ll just stick to somewhere near me.
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