Braised duck rice ($4.10)!
Aljunied hawker braised duck rice for $4.10 — Teochew-style lor ark with five-spice gravy over yam rice. Honest, comforting weekday lunch.
Friday lunch — back at the Aljunied hawker for a plate of braised duck rice. Teochew-style 卤鸭 is one of those dishes that doesn’t photograph well but eats like a hug.
We ordered:
- Braised duck rice (with yam rice) — $4.10
The duck was the test. Slices were tender without falling apart, with that proper layered fat that comes from a long, slow braise in a deep five-spice and dark-soy 卤汁 (loh chap). Skin had soaked up colour and flavour, gave way under the chopsticks.
Yam rice was the right base — fluffy, with chunks of yam giving it texture and faint earthiness. The braising sauce was ladled over generously and pooled around the rice, picking up flavour as you ate. Side of pickled greens cut through the richness.
Chilli garlic vinegar on the side is the move — you mix a small dish of it with a bit of the gravy and dip each slice of duck in before each bite. Not optional in my house.
At $4.10 a plate, Aljunied hawker prices still feel fair compared to the renamed and rebranded versions elsewhere. This isn’t the famous stall in town, but it’s a quietly good one.
Overall: 4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Good neighbourhood duck rice — easy revisit.
