Curry Yong Tau Foo ($8.40)!
Bugis hawker curry yong tau foo (YTF) with kang kong greens, fried beancurd skin, hard egg, and side of fried fish balls. $8.40.
Lunch at the Bugis hawker. Curry yong tau foo (YTF), $8.40. 😋👍🏼
What was in the bowl:
- Curry broth (orange-red): coconut milk + curry spice paste, lighter than laksa, the YTF-friendly version
- Picks in the bowl: kang kong (water spinach), fried beancurd skin (fu pi) folded into the broth, hard-boiled egg, mixed YTF items
- Side dish of two fried fish balls: deep-fried golden crust, soft inside
- Two side sauces: thick sweet sauce (red) and chilli sauce (orange) for the picks
Curry YTF is the curry-broth variant of the standard yong tau foo format. Same picks (tofu, beancurd skin, fish-paste items, vegetables), but instead of the clear stock that defines classic YTF, the picks swim in a coconut-curry broth that turns the dish into something between YTF and curry mee.
The curry profile here was on the lighter side:
- Coconut milk base: smooth, not too thick
- Curry powder + spice oil: gentle warmth, not aggressive heat
- Less assamboi than laksa: cleaner, more delicate finish
- Salt-forward rather than sweet: balances the coconut richness
The fried beancurd skin (fu pi) deserves a callout. Submerged in the curry broth, it absorbs the spiced coconut while still keeping a chewy bite at the edges. The textural contrast with the kang kong (soft, leafy) and the hard-boiled egg (firm, smooth) makes the bowl work.
The side fried fish balls are the bonus protein. Standalone snacks meant to be dunked in sweet/chilli sauce, not in the curry broth. Best eaten first while they’re still crispy.
At $8.40 in the Bugis area for a full curry YTF set, this is mid-tier mall food court pricing. Slight premium over budget hawker ($5-$7) but the curry component upgrades the experience.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid curry YTF, would re-order for the fu pi in curry alone.
