Hup Chong Hakka Yong Dou Foo – Handmade YTF in Toa Payoh!

Hup Chong Hakka Yong Dou Foo was started by Alan’s mother 38 years ago. At the age of 10, Alan started helping his mother out at the stall, when it was still signboard-less, at a coffeeshop near Braddell MRT (where McDonald’s currently is).

After more than a decade, it shifted to Blk 116 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 when McDonald’s took over the space. The second outlet is this place that is located at Blk 124 Toa Payoh Lorong 1. This outlet is already 9 years old. Unfortunately, the one at Blk 116 ceased operation after more than 10 years due to a lack of manpower.

Thus, Alan has been focusing on this Blk 124 stall ever since. He opened two other stalls within the same coffeeshop — a Zichar stall 7 years ago and a Japanese stall recently. You can say he owns the entire coffeeshop.

Hakka-style yong dou foo actually showcases meat paste stuffed, instead of fish paste stuffed, beancurd and vegetables. Alan revealed that taste preferences have changed over the years, and health has also become a consideration. People fear eating too much meat, so, to cater to the change, Alan decided to include some fish paste options too.

What made Hup Chong Hakka Yong Dou Foo stand out from the typical yong dou foo stalls is the fact that all of its Hakka ingredients are handmade with meat or fish paste. Alan’s workers split the preparation into 2 batches. Arriving as early as 5am, the workers will start making the ingredients in a small room beside the stall to prepare for operation by 6:30am. Between 3:30pm-4:30pm, the stall will take a break from business, but the workers will continue to prepare the 2nd batch for the evening round which starts at 4:30pm, all the way till 8:30pm or sold out. Alan believes that this will keep the ingredients fresh for both the day crowd and evening crowd.

Slowly but surely, tubs of handmade items are sent for deep-frying. It was quite an amazing sight to see the original pale pieces turn a glorious golden brown.

TADA! The first batch is ready for serving! When I asked one of the workers how many of these ingredients will be left over, he smirked and said that all will be sold out by the end of the day. Wow.

The stall only offers kway tiao, yellow noodle and thin beehoon(dry or soup version). Select at least 6 items and you’re good to go. Since Hakka yong dou foo is more known for its dry version, make sure you request for both chilli and sweet sauces. The stall makes its own chilli and sweet sauces too! I guess that’s the local style here in Singapore too — a little sweet and a little spicy.

To be honest, I thought that when I chose the fried items, they will be fried again like how some other yong tau foo stalls do. It’s not the case here. While I hoped my deep-fried selections will be served to me crispy, they had just a little crisp to them. Even so, the ngoh hiang, beancurd skin and meat ball were delightfully savoury and fragrant! Those stuffed with meat paste were not floury at all! The house-made chilli sauce and sweet sauces went well together and provided a sweet contrast to the savoury items too.

Did I mention that they also serve pig’s intestines?! This is actually my first time coming across this in Singapore at a yong dou foo stall, though it is quite common in Malaysia.

Only adding yellow beans, Hup Chong’s soup version is purposefully light. Alan explained that since Hup Chong is about meat paste items, he doesn’t want his customers to feel too jelak from eating his yong dou foo. Thus, he intentionally keeps his soup simple and light, so that customers can take a bite of a meat paste item and sip a mouthful of soup to cleanse their palates before moving on to the next savoury bite.

Confident of his soup, Alan claimed that one does not need to buy any drink to go with his yong dou foo because he/she will not feel thirsty after consuming it. I actually think the soup is quite flavourful on its own! Surprisingly addictive!

Oh yes, Hup Chong has pork skin too. Its texture is similar to that of fish maw, but it has a more fragrant aftertaste. The small intestines had a bitter finish that only some people can accept. It looked really clean, so I guess it’s the natural taste of the intestines!

Boy, I left this for the last on purpose. THE. EGGPLANT. IS. THE. BOMB. I already love eggplants in the first place. But this was another level. When I see the worker stuffing the fish paste into it, I didn’t think much. Gosh, when I had my first bite, I said to my friend who doesn’t appreciate Yong Dou Foo “YOU MUST TRY THIS”.

Alan shared that Hup means “come and eat together” and Chong means “it’s for everyone to eat”. While most yong dou foo stalls purchase their ingredients from suppliers, Hup Chong painstakingly handmade all of their meat/fish paste ingredients! Commendable!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.