Soon kueh ($1 each) & Soya bean drink ($1.10)!
A hawker breakfast: pan-fried Teochew soon kueh stuffed with bamboo shoot, and a fresh soya bean drink. Around $3.
A cheap, cheerful hawker breakfast with BB: soon kueh ($1 each) and a soya bean drink ($1.10). ๐
What we had (around $3):
- A couple of soon kueh
- A soya bean drink
Soon kueh (็ญ็ฒฟ) is the Teochew steamed dumpling filled with shredded bamboo shoot, dried shrimp and mushroom in a translucent rice-flour skin, and this stall does it right. Each one was steamed soft then pan-fried on the bottom, so you get a lovely contrast: a soft, see-through top and a golden, slightly crispy base, with a little dish of sweet soya and chilli for dipping.
The filling is the test, and it was good: plenty of finely shredded bamboo shoot with that gentle earthy-sweet flavour, the dried shrimp adding a savoury, umami hit and the mushroom backing it up. The skin held its shape without going gummy.
The soya bean alongside was fresh-pressed and still slightly warm, the giveaway that it was made that morning, smooth and gently sweet. Soon kueh and soya bean is one of those classic, underrated breakfast pairings, cheap, filling and honest. Finding $1 soon kueh these days is a small win, as most stalls have crept past $1.20.
Overall: 4.4 / 5. ๐๐๐ผ Soft, crispy-bottomed soon kueh with a fresh soya bean, a lovely cheap breakfast. Would re-order.
