If you're craving for delicious, piping hot individual-portion curries with rice, there's no better place than this.
You might think that it makes little sense to be eating a hot curry in such a sweltering weather, as it's likely to make your day even sweatier. But trust me, this is just what you need to whet your appetite, if the hot weather is coming down hard on your palate.
Housed in the Redhill Food Centre that's well-known for serving up Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's favourite deep-fried chicken wings, Hock Shun Home-Made Claypot Curry has already been around for nine years. While it's no stranger to those who live in the vicinity, this would be a hidden gem to the world outside the Redhill Lane housing estate.
What the fish!
Serving up a range of claypot curries at the stall, Hock Shun's offerings include fish curry, chicken curry, vegetable curry, and Yong Tau Foo curry. And you may choose to pair them with either their signature turmeric steamed rice, white steamed rice, or bread.
My favourite curry at the stall will always be the $6 fish curry. Savoury, sweet, umami, and tangy, the curry is extremely aromatic and flavourful and it sends my palate into overdrive instantly as it hits my tongue. In fact, I feel myself salivating even before savouring it!
Above: Chunky sea bream in the fish curry
Above: The fish curry's filled with fresh vegetables, including brinjal, okra, and tomatoes
Fresh sea bream is the prime choice for this fish curry as it it's sweet, chunky, and a perfect match with the smooth, rich curry gravy. Coupled with the natural sweetness of fresh vegetables like brinjal, okra and tomatoes without seeds, this dish is a perfect combination of savoury, sweet, umami, and tangy flavours.
It's so good that I wiped off even the last trace of the curry gravy from the claypot.
Above: The turmeric rice tastes so much like chicken rice!
It's probably quite a unanimous opinion that the best friend of curries is rice, although some like them with bread, especially the local baguette. But at Hock Shun, they've upped the game by not just offering the usual white steamed rice, but also turmeric rice.
The turmeric rice is a very aromatic yellow-coloured steamed rice seasoned with turmeric, garlic, and salt, which I initially mistook for chicken rice when I paid my first visit to the stall. I would strongly recommend you to go for this because it totally complements the flavours of the curry and will literally bring your enjoyment of this dish to the next level.
Of course, for those who'd like their curry with bread, the option is also available at the stall.
Chicken curry's the bestseller
Chicken curry comes in two versions at Hock Shun — chicken thigh ($5) and chicken wings ($4.50) — and they are easily the most popular items on the menu, say the stall-owners. While both options are delish, I personally prefer the meatier chicken thigh to the chicken wings.
For sure, what you'll notice about the chicken curry here is that the curry gravy is much richer than what most other similar food establishments would offer, and it's a lot more flavoursome, less watery, and comes with no oil blobs floating on it. As a result, you'll get to enjoy the curry flavours to their fullest, without feeling any uneasiness in your stomach from too much oil.
And that's why I said earlier that I literally wiped off every trace of the curry from the claypot!
Above: Chicken curry with tender, meaty chicken thigh and the curry gravy's really flavoursome
It's vegetable curry but not vegetarian
The vegetable curry ($4) would be a godsend for those who miss your veggies but also your curries. With this curry, I'm very sure that you'll be able to fulfil your daily recommended intake of two servings of vegetables, plus a load of great flavours!
But vegetarians or vegans won't rejoice over this, as the gravy used for this curry is made with dried shrimps to give it its unique flavours. So while it is teeming with healthful vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and long beans, together with beancurd puffs (a.k.a. tau pok), it won't be readily suitable for vegetarians or vegans yet.
Above: Vegetable curry teeming with fresh cabbage, sliced carrots, long beans, and tau pok, with umami-ness from the dried shrimps
Great taste for excellent value
This is honestly one of my favourite places to set foot in when the my curry cravings get the better of me. And it never fails to meet my expectations as a true curry lover.
Although the Yong Tau Foo curry ($4.50) here hasn't quite caught up with the rest of its fraternity, the curry dishes here are a taste to reckon with. And being pocket-friendly only adds more value to these classic dishes, which I believe should not go unnoticed.
Locate it
Address:
Hock Shun Home-Made Claypot Curry
Redhill Food Centre
85 Redhill Lane, #01-66, Singapore 150085
Operating Hours:
Opens daily except Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Call:
9145 8876
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