Good food is aplenty in the eastern part of Singapore and they're not just found in restaurants. Hawkers often have a long history of cooking up authentic, traditional dishes, and the halal hawker food scene is no different. We’ve handpicked these crowd favorites from the east that have stood the test of time.
Nasi Goreng Ayam. Photo: Nurhuda A. Bakar
The first thing you’ll notice about this chicken rice is its striking orange colour. A hot favorite from this Bedok stall that also serves regular chicken rice, Jefri’s Nasi Goreng Ayam is surprisingly not as fiery as its bright colour. More sweet than spicy, the rice is served with roasted chicken that has minimal bones for easy consumption and slices of cool cucumber to offset the richness of the chicken rice.
The tender chicken is topped off with a glaze of transparent brown sauce that gives an extra savory flavor. While the rice has a slight greasiness, the overall combination of the different elements results in a delicious plate of chicken rice that has received much love from customers.
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Mee Rebus. Photo: Nurhuda A. Bakar
The popularity of Afandi Hawa’s signature Mee Rebus lies in its broth. The mixture of shrimp, crab, and mutton flavours create a distinct savory taste with a hint of sweetness. Even with a substantial richness, the gravy still manages to remain light to the taste and blends well with the yellow noodles, bean sprouts, fried shallots, and whole boiled egg.
A surprise touch is definitely the slices of mutton hidden in the gravy that is so soft, it melts in the mouth. At just $3 a bowl, this Mee Rebus is a steal and a worthwhile delight.
Nasi Jenganan. Photo: Nurhuda A. Bakar
Warong Java serves a variety of traditional Malay rice dishes like Nasi Padang, Nasi Ambeng, Nasi Rawon and Nasi Sambal Goreng, but they are famous for their Sambal Jenganan. Best served within the Nasi Jenganan set, white rice is topped with that sambal jenganan — a mildly spicy peanut sauce mixed with boiled vegetable — and accompanied with sides of bergedil (fried potato patty), paru (beef lung) and sambal sotong (squid).
The result is a burst of flavour and texture from each element on the plate — from the soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside bergedil to the springy paru and chewy, spicy sotong — all for a reasonable takeaway price of $5.60.
Mutton Briyani. Photo: Nurhuda A. Bakar
What makes Mami Midah’s stall stand out is its claim to creating a healthier-version briyani. And the queue that regularly snakes in front of the stall is a testament to the success of their signature dish. Using low-sodium salt, and evaporated milk and vegetable oil instead of ghee, Mami Midah brilliantly retains the flavour and spice of their briyani while laying off the greasiness.
The Mutton Briyani is fragrant and lighter than the average briyani. Selling at $6.50, it is served with a side of dhal (lentil) curry. A chicken option is also available at $6.
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Peanut-flavored apam and corn-flavored apam. Photo: Nurhuda A. Bakar
A great breakfast or teatime option is to dig into a piece of apam balik and not many make these fluffy turnover pancakes better than GAPP. This delicacy is originally round like a pancake, then folded into two, creating a thick center and thin crispy edges, and stuffed generously with roasted peanuts. The peanuts are diced giving them a nice crunch alongside a sprinkle of sugar that gives the filling its sweet, buttery taste.
The apam comes in a variety of tasty fillings for a reasonable $2 — instead of peanut, try it with corn, red bean, peanut butter, chocolate, kaya, cheese or no filling at all! Combinations of fillings are also available for 50 cents per additional filling; a go-to favourite is the peanut and corn combo that infuses a moist texture within the fold.
Mee Soto. Photo: Nurhuda A. Bakar
A simple dish created to perfection — Inspirasi’s Mee Soto is a crowd favourite that relies on its chicken broth that’s cooked for hours to allow the flavour to seep through. This is evident in its taste; while slightly watery, the broth is strong and complements the yellow noodle and shredded chicken.
For spicy food lovers, addition of their chilli sauce — a light red concoction with small chilli strips — is a must. It gives a tangy kick that elevates the already delicious Mee Soto. There’s also an alternative with a similar soto base: soto ayam which serves compressed rice cakes instead of yellow noodles at the same price of $2.50.
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