I was back at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre in search of Yuan Authentic Thai Stewed Beef Noodle, a stall opened by a native Thai lady. It was only 10.50am in the morning and the hawker centre was already bustling with the local community (such a pleasant sight).
After exploring the premises like I was searching for lost treasure, I finally found the unassuming stall and saw 2 ladies inside. The brightly-lit white signboard and menu board were clearly displayed at the stall front.
Working behind the scenes, cooking her heart away was 52-year-old stall owner, Debbie Inlayot (pictured wearing grey) and her Thai assistant. Debbie is from Chiang Rai and has kept Yuan Authentic Thai Stewed Beef Noodle running for the past 4 years.
She told me that her husband, who is Singaporean, also sells fried Hokkien Mee at the same hawker centre— wow! Talk about a chef couple!
What I tried at Yuan Authentic Thai Stewed Beef Noodle
The first dish I savoured was the Century Egg Salad (S$5 for small). I watched as Debbie’s assistant tossed sliced raw shallots, chilli padi, coriander, and fish sauce into a bowl. She then slathered the marinade onto the freshly-cut century eggs with pieces of lettuce on the side.
I pried open the thick layer of herbs above the charcoal-coloured goodies and spooned over some of the fish sauce from below to enhance the flavour of the eggs.
The mingling of the raw shallot’s sharp notes, lime-like flavours from the coriander, savouriness of the fish sauce, and the subtle heat coming from the sliced chilli padi was a multi-sensory experience.
Take all of what I just mentioned, and throw a quartered century egg into the mix… You’ll get a refreshing and unique-tasting appetiser.
With our palates reinvigorated, we were ready for our main meal, starting with the dry Thai Beef Combination Noodle (S$6 for small). The bowl consisted of sen lek (Thai rice sticks), beef slices, stewed beef pieces, tendon, 2 beef balls, beansprouts, garlic flakes, Thai basil, spring onions, and a slightly viscous gravy on the side.
I got a pleasant surprise when I tossed the ingredients like a mini yu sheng. Even though it was a small bowl, Debbie didn’t skimp on the ingredients.
The sen lek noodles, similar to those used in boat noodles, had an addictive chewy texture and had absorbed all the flavours of the gravy. The slightly bitter and liquorice flavours of the Thai basil leaves added a herby taste, while the garlic flakes added a subtle fragrance to the noodles.
The stewed beef pieces instantly disintegrated in my mouth like they had been simmered in stock for the whole day. The tendon was also ultra tender. Even my dad, who usually has a tough time chewing on meat, had no problems eating all of the beef. He was impressed that they were all so soft.
Perhaps my only gripe would be the beef balls. They were slightly on the tougher side and didn’t really taste of anything.
Since I had ordered a dry version, the Thai Beef Combination Noodle came with a separate bowl of soup. My eyes opened wide as I took my first sip. It was intensely beefy and hearty like a well-executed beef consommé. Simply divine!
The last dish we had was the Thai Stewed Beef Noodle (S$5 for small). To add a bit of variety, I ordered the soup version and opted for kway teow. The other ingredients that came with it were stewed beef slices, bean sprouts, garlic flakes, Thai basil and spring onions.
We mixed the bowl and, as with the previous dish, it was filled with a generous quantity of ingredients. The kway teow was silky smooth and the bean sprouts added an element of crunch.
Unlike the robust-flavoured soup that I had earlier, the soup used in this dish was slightly sweeter and much lighter in taste.
The satisfying chunks of stewed beef blew me away once again. If I had closed my eyes and blocked out all the surrounding sounds, I would have thought that I was in Bangkok having noodles on the street.
Final thoughts
I truly enjoyed all the dishes that I tried. The Century Egg Salad was a breath of fresh air for me. I found it puzzling that the stall didn’t really have a queue situation because everything I had was above average.
Come relish in a little piece of Thailand over at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. It was certainly a trip worth making.
Expected damage: S$4 – S$11 per pax
Old Teochew: Tasty satay bee hoon & $4 bowls of mee siam sold out by lunch
Price: $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
Yuan Authentic Thai Stewed Beef Noodle
20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-32 , Singapore 270020
Yuan Authentic Thai Stewed Beef Noodle
20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-32 , Singapore 270020
