Granny’s Pancake: Get A Taste Of Nostalgia With Traditional Mee Jiang Kueh Under A Dollar At Ghim Moh

Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre is renowned amongst Singaporeans as one of the best food centres in Singapore that serves cheap and quality hawker food.

A quintessential Singaporean breakfast usually includes either kaya toast with eggs or mee jiang kueh.

Some may ask, what is mee jiang kueh? Commonly known as peanut pancakes, it is a traditional turnover pancake that is sandwiches fillings like peanuts, red bean or neon orange coconut shreds.

I tracked down one of the most timeless stalls in Singapore—Granny’s Pancake.

Started over 10 years ago, this stall has over 10 franchise outlets islandwide. The surprising thing? The menu only has four items, and three out of four is under a dollar!

How were they able to uphold their standards and their price points despite the growing competition and inflation in Singapore? Curious, I headed to Granny’s Pancake’s Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre branch, which is the pioneer branch of Granny’s Pancake to find out what is so unique and special about their mee jiang kueh.

It must have been my lucky day, as I was fortunate enough to talk to the original owner of Granny’s Pancake, Mr Ng. I was wondering if the stall was named Granny’s Pancake after his grandmother. He replied “No, my pancakes are really traditional, which reminded me of my grandparents’ era. I was not given a recipe to follow, unlike others. I had to trial and error until I finally perfected the recipe.”

Granny’s Pancake also had franchises all over Singapore. I thought Mr Ng supplied all the various stalls with the recipe, but his answer surprised me once more. “The recipe is really simple, you can even Google it. I supply them the flour and the filling, so essentially the ingredients! That was what made us stand out in Singapore’s market of mee jiang kueh. Consistency across all franchises.”

Beginning with the most original flavour, I had the Peanut Flavoured Pancake (S$0.80). A classic that is known to every Singaporean, certainly do not skip out on this! Every bite melted in my mouth, while the crunchiness of the peanuts gave the pancake an additional texture which I thoroughly enjoyed.

There is a catch though: have it while it is hot! If you can heat this up in a warm oven, it would definitely elevate your experience.

Next, I had another family favourite—Red Bean Flavoured Pancake (S$0.80). Layered between two slices of pancakes lies a generous spread of red bean filling. The combination of the sweet red bean paste and the soft pancakes went well together like two peas in a pod.

Another fan’s favourite was Coconut Flavoured Pancake (S$0.80). The colour may be different from what you expect in a normal coconut, which is usually white. That was because the chefs prepared the coconut with orange sugar, giving the shredded coconut an eye-catching neon orange colour.

Last but not least, a very unique but more modern twist on peanut pancakes, Peanut Butter Flavoured Pancake (S$1). Being the only one on the list that is a dollar, it made me wonder, was it worth the extra S$0.20?

The additional peanut butter gave the peanut filling and the pancake a creamy texture that was different from the peanut pancake. If you are someone who enjoys different dimensions of texture in your food, you will fall in love with this. The oozing peanut butter filling sunk into the pancake, giving it an oily feel, but I still loved this pancake the best.

As someone who loves peanut butter, I enjoyed the modern twist on the traditional dish.

I knew then, I would be back for a second serving. Every bite was simply satisfying and it paired extremely well with a cup of kopi.

Without a doubt, Granny’s Pancake should be a go-to spot for Singaporeans when it comes to mee jiang kueh. At least for me, I was certain it would be mine.

Have you tried Granny’s Pancake?

Expected Damage: S$0.80 – S$1 per pax