Hassan Stall: Old-school kampung-style mee rebus & laksa since 1959 at Changi Village Hawker Centre

I am probably in the minority here in saying that I am not enjoying the cold weather. Between the never-ending sniffles and pain-inducing sneeze fits, I’d rather have a hot and sweaty afternoon any day. But on the bright side (or lack of), this sweater weather means a hot bowl of noodles hits extra hard, which is why I elected to have my rare breakfast at Hassan Stall, located at Changi Village Hawker Centre.

Hassan Stall started in 1959, before even Changi Village Hawker Centre existed, as a makeshift stall which was an extension of the kampung house of Hassan, the late owner. Currently, the stall is run by his children, Azman and Suzana, who are in their late 50s and early 60s. Assisting them is Rokiah, their aunt who handles the laksa and epok-epok dishes.

What I tried at Hassan Stall

Hassan Stall keeps things simple with its no-nonsense approach to classic Malay dishes such as Laksa (S$3.50), Mee Siam (S$3.50), Mee Rebus (S$3.50) and Lontong (S$4). There were also handmade Epok – Epok (S$1), but they were sold out when I reached. All the recipes were handed down from generation, with prep time starting from as early as 5am every day.

I settled for the best seller Mee Rebus and Laksa.

The Mee Rebus presentation was as elementary as the green plates that they were in. The base of yellow noodles, beansprouts and mee rebus gravy was topped with fried shallots, sliced green chillis and bits of Chinese celery. It was finished with a piece of limau kasturi and a boiled egg.

My incessant sniffling drove me to try the steaming gravy. The satisfyingly familiar nuttiness and prawn hit me first, followed by a mellow touch of zestiness from the lime, even though I hadn’t squeezed them. It wasn’t as rich as I was expecting it to be, and provided a more subtle flavour.

As per the script, the noodles were cooked perfectly and managed to fully absorb the gravy. There were also rare little pieces of beef scattered around the gravy. Though I was pleasantly surprised by it, those with a specific diet should take note.

Having made quick work of my Mee Rebus, it was on to the Laksa next. There were cucumber slices and lemongrass leaves accompanying it. It also had a seemingly out of place dollop of sambal.

This was a variant of laksa hailing from the Malaysian state of Perlis, which uses blended fish, resulting in a grainier and thicker texture. Taste wise, it had the typical creaminess with a touch of spiciness. I liked the grainy aspect of it as it kept the textures interesting.

After a good mixing with the noodles, they took on the taste of the thick gravy. It would have gotten jelak but the lemongrass leaves gave it a robust kick of refreshing citrus flavours. Similarly, the thinly sliced cucumbers gave it a nice crunch. The sambal was on the sweeter side and apart from a small scoop, I didn’t go for seconds.

Final thoughts

Hassan Stall doesn’t just provide an affordable and delicious meal, it’s also a piece of Singapore’s culinary history, with every recipe dating all the way back to the kampung times. The Mee Rebus and Laksa were definite must-tries but do also consider the Lontong, which was also popular.

With no one to take over the stall, it’s only a matter of time before the bowls turn into mere memories…now that’s something to sniffle on.

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