A satay bee hoon that comes with chicken instead of pork, and feels surprisingly guiltless to indulge in.
Very candidly, I'd like to think that the business name of this chain hawker stall that sells curry chicken noodles and satay bee hoon is a real misnomer. Contrary to what it suggests, it's obviously much better at its satay bee hoon craft than otherwise.
And I suspect that I'm already addicted to their satay bee hoon — which probably explains why I'm eating it twice a week these days. In fact, I'd even go further to proclaim that this is now my new comfort food.
For most people, it's easy to discount a hawker dish that comes with a thick sauce or gravy as a "heavy" or "hard to digest" meal and just shut off the option. But believe me, this is one satay bee hoon that feels so light that I feel almost guiltless to eat — more often than I initially thought I would.
A standard version of this satay bee hoon comes with cockle flesh and a few cuts of a springy poached cuttlefish, but I personally prefer to have it with just the tender chicken shreds, deep-fried bean curd puffs, fresh bean sprouts, and of course — the must-have poached water spinach. That may well be why my version of this dish tastes so light on the palate.
By the way, pork isn't an option at this stall at all, although it isn't certified Halal.
In my opinion, Hock Hai's satay bee hoon is essentially the Chinese equivalent of the Malay noodle dish of Mee Rebus, just that the satay bee hoon sauce isn't as gooey and tastes more savoury than sweet (it actually struck a perfect balance between sweet and savoury tastes), thanks to the deep-fried sole fish powder added to its proprietary satay bee hoon sauce mix. Plus, the main carbs aren't yellow noodles but easier-to-digest rice vermicelli.
So, in comparison, it's less of a burden on the digestive system and I don't end up feeling stuffed even after wiping off a full plate of this delish fare.
While I can't say that this is healthful food, I definitely think that this is highly therapeutic comfort food that you should consider escaping into, on some of your cheat days.
Locate it
Address:
Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Curry Chicken Noodle
Fernvale Community Club / Hawker Centre & Market
1 Sengkang West Ave, #03-14, Singapore 797650
Operating Hours:
Opens Daily, 8 a.m. - 8:15 p.m.
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