Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
In all my years, I’ve never actually tried claypot dishes. They just never really appealed to me. But in my quest to un-Westernise my taste buds, I decided to check out Canton DuDu Pot in Geylang Bahru Market & Food Centre.
I first caught wind of this stall through social media when I read about a claypot stall in a hawker centre that’s popular with the Gen Z folk. Curious, right? As a Gen Z myself, I don’t usually hear buzz about hawker centre food from my friends.
When I reached the stall, another young man was ordering, who looked to be around my age. Were the social media posts true? If so, then I’m in for something quite special.
Canton DuDu Pot is run by Li Er and Clement, a young couple who picked up the recipes from Li Er’s father after he retired. After that, they opened a stall near her father’s, carrying on his legacy while evolving it for modern taste buds.
What I tried at Canton DuDu Pot
Being somewhat unfamiliar with claypot dishes, I selected some fan favourites I found through reviews and social media posts.
First up, their Claypot Du Du Pork Belly (S$6.50). As a diehard pork belly lover, this dish enticed me solely through its presence. The sides of the claypot were stained with a sweet, gingery residue from the sauce, which just screams comfort.
Usually, pork belly consists mostly of thick layers of fat sandwiching thin slices of meat. What sets Canton DuDu Pot apart is that they do it the other way around. The pork belly they serve has lots of meat, but not much fat. It is quite savoury as you chew, with sweetness coming after.
While less fat means an overall healthier pork belly, it results in meat that’s a little chewier than what most are used to. I think this is an example of how the stall has modified its recipes for a younger crowd, while still preserving that nostalgic flavour.
The Claypot Sesame Du Du Chicken (S$6.50) is one of the star attractions of the stall, so I had high hopes. The dark sesame sauce was poured in abundance all over the chicken and bell peppers, with cheeky garlic cloves dotting the claypot.
They must’ve cooked the chicken for hours, as it pretty much melted in my mouth with absolutely zero resistance. It’s almost like they took the tenderness of the pork belly and the typical toughness of the chicken, and swapped them around!
If I were forced to come up with any criticism at all, it’s that I feel like sesame chicken is honestly quite a common dish. Not that being common is bad, but innovating on the formula is pretty difficult.
My dining partner (my mother) also wanted to try their Claypot Vinegar Pork Trotter (S$6.50). I can attribute many of my odd food preferences —such as my love of chicken feet — to her. Who am I to say no?
The pork trotter had super soft and stretchy skin. The meat was tender enough to slip right off the bone, too. Overall, a very good balance between both aspects.
At first, I was put off simply by the word ‘vinegar’ in the name. Let’s be real, most of the younger generation like me don’t like it. But the owners likely had this in mind when crafting the dish, as the sauce was more sweet than it was sour.
Something to note is that these claypots don’t come with rice; you can add a bowl of rice for S$0.50 per bowl.
Final thoughts
I tip my hat to you, Canton DuDu Pot. After my first time trying claypot dishes, I think I can understand the appeal. They merge the nostalgia of sharing claypot dishes with your family and minor adjustments to keep the taste refreshing for seasoned lovers and newcomers like me.
Canton DuDu Pot has captured lightning in a bottle with the stall’s inherent purpose of preserving legacy and passing on these remarkable flavours to the future.
Expected damage: S$7 – S$9 per pax
