Dragon Village Hainanese curry rice ($3)!
A budget plate of Hainanese curry rice at Dragon Village: rice with a fried pork cutlet, curry cabbage and long beans, all under mixed curry gravy. $3.
A wonderfully cheap, old-school lunch at Dragon Village: Hainanese curry rice, $3. π
What I had:
- Hainanese curry rice: rice topped with a fried pork cutlet, curry cabbage and long beans, with the curry gravy poured over everything
You donβt see $3 plates like this much anymore, and Hainanese curry rice is exactly the dish to spend it on. The whole thing is about that gravy: a curry sauce ladled generously over the rice and toppings, so everything sort of melts together into one savoury, gently spiced, slightly sweet mess (in the best way).
The fried pork cutlet was the centrepiece, sliced into strips, with a crisp, breaded crust that softens just where the gravy soaks in, and a tender pork inside. The curry cabbage had drunk up the sauce until soft and flavourful, and the long beans added a fresh, garlicky bite. Everything gets eaten in saucy spoonfuls with the rice.
It is humble, messy, deeply comforting heritage food, the kind of plate that has fed Singaporeans for generations. At $3, it is almost unbelievable value, and a lovely reminder of how good cheap eating here can still be.
Overall: 4.6 / 5. πππΌ A crispy pork cutlet and gravy-soaked sides over rice, comforting heritage food for $3. Would re-visit.
