Belinda’s Pancake: Putu mayam & homemade min jiang kueh using father’s recipe at Ang Mo Kio

My visit to Belinda’s Pancake had me waking up at 6.45am. I’d heard that their items sell out before noon, so I didn’t want to miss out on it. This stall is located in Teck Ghee Court Market & Food Centre which sells traditional min jiang kueh (pancakes) and cone crepes.

belinda's pancake - stallfront

They even have a dish which seems to be disappearing from our local food scene: putu mayam (I can’t recall when I last had this nostalgic breakfast food). I took my Malaysian colleague Reena along, who flew in from KL last week.

belinda's pancake - uncle making pancake

The stall owner is Aunty Belinda, a friendly and warm soul who made us smile even though we were groggy at that hour. A 66-year-old Malay uncle was churning out the pancakes and we thought he was her husband, but it turned out to be her former classmate. How cool!

belinda's pancake - stallfront

The batter for the pancakes and crepes are prepared fresh daily, and is derived from recipes which were passed down by Aunty Belinda’s father.

belinda's pancake - peanut crepes

The Malay uncle used to own a stall selling martabak manis. We watched in awe as he expertly shuffled between making thicker pancakes in deep pans, and then moving on to execute the thin crepes on the flat griddle.

What I tried at Belinda’s Pancake

I asked for the Chocolate & Cheese Cone (S$1.80) but Aunty Belinda promptly replied, “I didn’t bring in cheese as the cost of it is so expensive now.” And so, I settled for the Peanut Cone (S$1.30) instead. We were instructed to start with this first as it loses its crispiness when it turns cold. It was a huge crepe, bigger than my palm, and its shape resembled a large version of a kachang puteh paper cone.

belinda's pancake - peanut cone

The paper-thin crepe was addictively crispy. On the inside, the balance of peanuts and sugar was perfectly calibrated. It hit my taste buds with waves of nutty goodness together with gentle caresses of sweetness. Wolfing this down was a messy affair, with tiny specks of peanuts and crepe crumbs landing all over our table. Reena and I felt that this would be more befitting for a dessert rather than something to have for an early breakfast.

belinda's pancake - putu mayam

We proceeded with the next item, the Puttu Mayam (S$2 for 2 pieces). It was a round net made up of finely-shredded rice noodles, which looked like mee sua. It came with a packet of grated coconut and orange-hued granulated sugar.

There was a mini cultural exchange session happening between Reena and I. I grew up eating Puttu Mayam with orange sugar but she stared at it in confusion, making me wonder if anything was wrong.

belinda's pancake - putu mayam sugar

When I told her it was sugar, she answered in disbelief, “I honestly thought it was grated carrot.”

belinda's pancake - putu mayam coconut

Back in Malaysia, the sugar that comes with putu mayam is actually dark brown, derived from gula melaka— a stark difference from our version.

After pouring the granulated sugar on top, we sprinkled the shredded coconut, and voila— the makeover was complete.

belinda's pancake - putu mayam

belinda's pancake - putu mayam upclose

The fine shreds of the homemade Puttu Mayam were slightly salty and moist. After pairing it with the sweet condiments, the flavours were beautifully balanced out. This whole experience transported me back in time when my late grandmother would buy these for breakfast— if only there was a time machine.

belinda's pancake - red bean pancake

belinda's pancake - red bean pancake opened

We moved on to the Red Bean Pancake (S$1). The red bean filling was oozing out from its sides like it needed some fresh air. The insides were generously spread with a thick layer of red bean paste, which tasted like a cross between tau sar and red bean.

belinda's pancake - red bean pancake closeup

It was extremely flavourful and wasn’t overly sweet— ideal for older folks too. While the filling was great, the pancake itself paled in comparison. It was slightly too dense and we would have preferred it to be fluffier.

belinda's pancake - coconut pancake

The Coconut Pancake (S$1) had a brimful of orange-coloured coconut shreds stuffed from within. Once again, my colleague from across the causeway had mistaken the coconut filling for cheese. She didn’t understand why it was in that colour.

I figured that orange granulated sugar was added to the fresh shreds of coconut for it to achieve this shade.

belinda's pancake - coconut pancake insides

belinda's pancake - coconut pancake pull-apart

The coconut had a slight tinge of sweetness with a satisfying texture whilst you munch on it. Similar to the Red Bean Pancake, I would’ve preferred the pancake to be lighter.

Final thoughts

belinda's pancake - pancake display

Belinda’s Pancake opens at 6am and usually sells out by noon. When I was there, the queue was endless, consisting of a good mixture of kids, young adults and old folks.

We depend on hawkers like Aunty Belinda and her ex-classmate to keep old traditions from dying out. And I hope they continue to serve us such goodies for a long time to come.

Make a trip down to Ang Mo Kio and get your hands on their pancakes and putu mayam.

Expected damage: S$1 – S$5 per pax

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Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup: Fresh $10 red grouper fish head soup hidden in Ang Mo Kio

Wang Jia Wang: 24-hour stall serving delicious bowls of black pepper mee pok & laksa

Price: $

Our Rating: 3.5 / 5

Belinda's Pancake

Blk 341, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, Teck Ghee Court Market, #01-27, Singapore 560341

Price
Our Rating 3.5/5

Belinda's Pancake

Blk 341, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, Teck Ghee Court Market, #01-27, Singapore 560341

Operating Hours: 6am - 12pm (Tue & Wed, Fri - Sun), Closed on Mon & Thu

Operating Hours: 6am - 12pm (Tue & Wed, Fri - Sun), Closed on Mon & Thu

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