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Soon Li Yong Tau Foo used to be a popular supper spot in Bukit Merah, and when the owner passed away suddenly in Feb 2023, many were in shock. Zhou Hui, owner of 食你豆腐Cooking Mama at Frontier @ Ubi, was herself a regular in her teenage years.
The mother of 4 loves cooking and regularly recreates dishes that she enjoys eating whilst dining outside. When she heard of the tragic news regarding the owner’s passing, she was determined to leave her 6-year retail job to pursue her passion for F&B.
“Although my friends warned me that hawker life is exhausting (and it’s true), I still wanted to give it a go.” Zhou Hui shared. She added with a laugh, “If not now, then when? If I’m too old in future, I might regret not trying now!”
Similar to the now-defunct Bukit Merah establishment, the broth packs some heat, thanks to the use of Sarawak white peppercorns, while ikan bilis and pork bones bring the flavour party.
Spanning an arsenal of 32 ingredients, the YTF items feature a mixture of store-bought and handcrafted goodies. She even has braised pork intestines, which she washes thoroughly beforehand to prevent any unpleasant odours.
To avoid disappointment, it’ll be best if customers DM her on her Instagram page to double check what ingredients are left before heading down.
What I tried at 食你豆腐Cooking Mama
At 食你豆腐 Cooking Mama, 5 pieces of yong tau foo with noodles or rice has a price tag of S$6. For my first combination, I selected dry bee tai mak together with an assortment of ingredients: pork intestines, beancurd skin, tau pok, fish ball and green veggies.
The soup conceals a surprise, with the fieriness of white pepper catching me off-guard. If you concentrate long enough, the soup also has a light umami flavour coming from the anchovies.
When it comes to the intestines, you can either choose to savour them in the soup or have them deep-fried till golden brown. I would recommend the former, as my fried ones were a little on the tough side. For those who dislike soggy ingredients, Zhou Hui can separate the fried items from the main affair.
One of the items that I highly recommend is the handmade Tau Kwa. The meat filling is mixed with shallots, chopped carrot, fish paste, pork fats and one special ingredient… grounded salted fish.
Zhou Hui is obsessed with salted fish, so much so that she’lll add extra portions to her bowl of claypot rice whenever she gets the chance. The tau kwa is then deep-fried, transforming its white, washed-out appearance into a scrumptious morsel.
Dining at 食你豆腐 Cooking Mama without getting the Tau Pok is almost sacrilegious. What sets this round ball of deliciousness apart from other yong tau foo spots is that it’s turned inside out. Yes, the inner portion is now on the outside before it’s stuffed.
The crunchiness is on another level, almost similar to the fried prawn fritters typically found at wu xiang xia bing stalls.
Add S$1.50 and you can enjoy an aromatic bowl of Hakka Mee. This dish was actually inspired by her children, who really enjoy the old-school, traditional taste of noodles topped with minced pork.
Similar to Taiwanese braised pork rice, Zhou Hui uses shallot oil to stir fry the minced pork, which has a 70-30 lean-to-fat ratio.
“It’s oilier and more sinful, but foods like this always seem to taste better, don’t you think?” She exclaimed.
And that statement of hers was spot on. Each strand of noodle gleamed with shallot and pork oil, infusing my taste buds with a decadent and delicious flavour.
If you have a penchant for rice, you can top up S$1 for the Bak Chor Sauce to be crowned over the white grains instead.
Give it a good mix, and you’ll get a simple but comforting bowl of braised pork rice.
Zhou Hui doesn’t display her house-made chilli at her stall, so be sure to ask for it. She warned me that it packs a punch, but when I actually tried it, it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. On the contrary, it was fragrant and addictive!
I was also surprised to see a fried egg as part of the yong tau foo offerings. This idea was inspired by the street food of Fujian, her hometown.
Zhou Hui commented, “We eat our noodles with a fried egg submerged in soup.”
Somehow, the fried egg had soaked up just enough of the peppery broth, giving it that comforting familiarity with an unexpected twist.
Final thoughts
Even though I’d tried Soon Li Yong Tau Foo only once in my life, the memories of that unique combo of yong tau foo with spicy pepper broth somehow came rushing back to me like a flood after dining at 食你豆腐 Cooking Mama.
Head over to Frontier @ Ubi (hopefully on a rainy day) and say hi to Zhou Hui.
Expected damage: S$6 – S$8 per pax
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