Soon kueh ($1 each) & Soya bean drink ($1.10)!
Friday hawker breakfast — soon kueh ($1 each) + soya bean drink ($1.10). The Teochew steamed dumpling + traditional soya bean combo.
Friday breakfast at the hawker centre — soon kueh ($1 each) + soya bean drink ($1.10). The Teochew steamed dumpling-and-soya-bean combo at honest hawker pricing.
We ordered:
- Soon kueh — $1 each (we got a couple)
- Soya bean drink — $1.10
Total: roughly $3.10 for the breakfast.
Soon kueh (筍粿) is the Teochew steamed dumpling filled with shredded bamboo shoots, dried shrimp, and mushroom, wrapped in a translucent rice-flour skin. The kueh is steamed first, then often pan-fried briefly on the bottom for the slight crispy contrast against the soft top.
This stall’s soon kueh was the proper version. Translucent skin (you could see the bamboo shoot filling through it), pan-fried on the bottom for a golden crispy contrast, served with a dipping sauce of sweet-soy and chilli on the side.
The filling was the test. Bamboo shoots are the substance, shredded fine enough to eat without effort, with the slight earthy-sweet flavour that proper bamboo shoots have. Dried shrimp added the umami salt component; chopped Chinese mushroom added the secondary umami. Light soy seasoning kept the overall flavour profile clean.
The skin was the second test. Properly steamed rice flour skin should be soft and slightly chewy without going gummy. This batch was right — soft on top, crispy on the bottom from the pan-fry, holding its shape without tearing.
Two soon kueh at $1 each is the proper hawker pricing for hand-made Teochew kueh. Stalls that still charge $1 are getting rarer; most have moved to $1.20-1.50 territory.
Soya bean drink at $1.10 was the morning beverage. Fresh-pressed at the stall, slightly warm (the giveaway of made-that-morning rather than from the cooler), sweetened with sugar syrup added at the till. The kind of pour that you don’t overthink — it’s eighty cents to a dollar for a proper traditional drink.
The combination of soon kueh + soya bean is the classic Singapore breakfast pairing that doesn’t get enough attention. Cheap, filling, honest. Both stalls had been doing the same dishes for decades, and the quality showed.
Phase 2 hawker breakfasts continue to deliver the best value-per-dollar in the city.
Overall: 4.4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid hawker breakfast — would re-order.
