Carrot cakes and char kway teow are a dime a dozen in hawker centres. But, hidden from the spotlight are a few hawker foods that are slowly losing recognition among Singaporeans today.

Some of these hawker foods used to be thriving in our grandparents’ or parents’ generation but have gradually become endangered as more stalls give up passing on their legacies. But, we’re not going to just let them pass us by.

From rare Teochew kuehs to traditional Malay pancakes, we’ve dug up 8 vanishing hawker foods in Singapore you have to try before they’re gone forever and where to find them. Get a taste of your grandparents’ favourite dessert or your parent’s after-school snack!

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/chianghongkeat/

#1 BUBUR TERIGU

Resembling a paler-looking bubur hitam, the bubur terigu is a sweet wheat porridge. Boiled for at least an hour, the white wheat transforms into a sticky, gooey stew. It is usually sweetened with fragrant gula melaka and coconut milk to give it that extra oomph.

This traditional treat can be found stewing at a small handful of stalls such as Gong He Guan and Hua Jie Traditional Desserts.

Gong He Guan
28 Upper Cross St
Singapore 058337
Tel +65 6223 0562
Daily: 10.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

Hua Jie Traditional Desserts
17 Upper Boon Keng Rd, #01-70
Singapore 380017
Nearest Station: Boon Keng

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/pohcheukitchen/

#2 CHI KAK KUEH

Black sesame? Charcoal? Nope, it’s mugwort. Known as “chi kak kueh” or “shu ke kueh”, this Teochew snack features mugwort-infused skin stuffed with sweetened green bean paste. Similar to the more familiar ang ku kueh, it’s delightfully chewy on the outside.

Only a few stalls in Singapore make this rare type of kueh, such as Yan Seng Cooked Food and Poh Cheu Soon Kueh & Ang Ku Kueh.

Yan Seng Cooked Food
#01-313, Tekka Centre, 665 Buffalo Road
Singapore 210665
Tel +65 6314 0630
Daily: 6am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Little India

Poh Cheu Soon Kueh & Ang Ku Kueh
127 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-222
Singapore 150127
Tel +65 6276 2287
Mon – Sat: 8am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Queenstown

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/tonguedynasty/

#3 FUZHOU OYSTER CAKE

Resembling golden-brown UFOs, these Fuzhou oyster cakes are the perfect snack for when you’re craving a deep-fried indulgence. These flat discs are usually stuffed with oysters, minced pork, coriander and roasted peanuts. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these babies are super addictive.

You can find them at Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake and Fuzhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake.

Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake
1 Kadayanallur St, #01-05, Maxwell Food Centre
Singapore 069184
Mon – Sat: 9am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

Fuzhou Poh Hwa Oyster Cake
166 Jln Besar, #02-34
Singapore 208877
Tel +65 8112 5286
Daily: 10am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Lavender

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/lee.belinda.98/

#4 NOI JI SUAN

The lotus seed version of tau suan, this traditional dessert is basically a sweet lotus seed porridge. The lotus seeds are cooked till soft and crumbly, but with slightly more bite as compared to that of mung beans. Cooking this dish involves a pretty laborious process of removing the pith of each seed, which is probably why it’s getting harder to find.

Thankfully, House of Dessert in Tampines Round Market and Food Centre are still dedicating themselves to whipping up a solid bowl of noi ji suan.

House of Dessert
137A Tampines Street 11, Tampines Round Market and Food Centre, #01-02
Singapore 522137
Tues – Wed: 7am – 3pm
Fri – Sun: 7am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Tampines West

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/chianghongkeat/

#5 PIG TROTTER JELLY

Maybe the name of this dish alone is enough to make some of you gag. We’re not gonna lie, pig trotter jelly definitely has an acquired taste. For those of you who have never tried it, expect chilled gelatinous pork trotter stew cut into bite-sized strips. It is usually dipped in vinegary chili sauce to balance out the heavy, meaty flavour.

This Teochew delicacy can be found at Lao Liang Pig Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat in Jalan Berseh Food Centre.

Lao Liang Pig Trotter Jelly & Shark Meat
166 Jalan Besar, Jalan Berseh Food Centre, #02-37
Singapore 208877
Tues – Sun: 11am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Jalan Besar

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/theburpcouple/

#6 ROTI KIRAI

Roti kirai translates into “net bread”, which is pretty self-explanatory when you look at the snack. It is traditionally served on special occasions such as birthdays and weddings.

Shaped like a tightly-woven lattice, this Malay dessert is made from flour, eggs, water and turmeric powder. It pairs wonderfully with curry but is delicious on its own too.

Get a taste of this delicacy at Roti Kirai Delights or Alimah’s Kitchen!

Roti Kirai Delights
851 Jurong West Street 81, #06-291
Singapore 640851
Tel +65 8498 5459
Mon – Fri: 12pm – 8pm
Sat – Sun: 12pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Pioneer

Alimah’s Kitchen
Block 2A Commonwealth Drive, Tanglin Halt Food Centre, #01-23
Singapore 141003
Nearest Station: Queenstown

#7 SWEET AND SALTY GLUTINOUS RICE

Most of us are probably familiar with lor mai kai and lotus leaf glutinous rice. But how about sweet and savoury glutinous rice? This type of glutinous rice was a breakfast staple in Singapore during the 1950s and 1960s, but has gradually lost its prominence in the hawker scene.

Loaded with stewed peanuts and fried shallots, the dish is irresistibly fragrant. The rice itself is chewy and sticky, with a good bite to it.

Millennium Glutinous Rice at Chinatown Complex Food Centre is the only one hawker stall which is known to be churning out this dish in Singapore.

Millennium Glutinous Rice
335 Smith St, #02-092, Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Singapore 050335
Mon – Sat: 7am – 3pm
Nearest Station: Chinatown

Photo Credit:www.instagram.com/goawaylobster/

#8 TAU KWA PAU

Char siew paus and tau sar paus have got nothing on the tau kwa pau. This rare gem sees deep fried tau kwa stuffed to the brim with a variety of ingredients — chopped fish cake, fried yam bits, hard-boiled egg and cucumber. Finished off with some thick savoury gravy, it makes for a really hearty meal.

Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau is the only stall left in Singapore that makes this delicious combo. Hurry down now to try this traditional delicacy before it goes extinct!

Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau
271 Onan Rd, Dunman Food Centre, #01-05
Singapore 424768
Tel +65 9488 7736
Tues – Sun: 8am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Eunos

Thanks to the downtown line, it is easier for us to explore other parts of Singapore in search of hidden food gems. And when it comes to hidden gems in Singapore, who can deny that Beauty World is amongst the top of most foodies’ lists? A secret food haven brimming with cosy cafes and eateries that serve tasty, affordable nosh, this enclave has it all.

We have here a list of great places that sell mouth-watering food. These places are located 5 minutes away from the MRT, so all you need to do is hop on the train, get off at Beauty World and then walk there!

Photo Credit: Buta Kin

BUTA KIN RAMEN 

Never would you expect to find good quality ramen in Singapore for under S$10. However, Buta Kin has managed to do just that. They sell restaurant-quality ramen in generous portions for S$6.90 a bowl, and we love how they are not stingy with their ingredients. Each bowl comes filled to the brim with thick slices of chashu, black fungus, nori, and a soft boiled egg.

144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #04-28
Singapore 588177
Daily: 11.30am – 8.30am
(Closed on Mondays)

CARPENTER & COOK

This is probably the most popular at Lorong Kilat that is both a vintage home store and cafe, with some of the prettiest cakes. This is the ideal spot to rest and relax with a nice warm cup of coffee and a book.

Mileslife is our favourite app to accumulate miles through everyday spending. You can earn miles for every dollar spent at this restaurant. Download and try Mileslife out now! You can use our code ‘Ladyironchef‘ upon your first spending to get 1,000 miles.

19 Lorong Kilat, #01-06,
Singapore 598120
Tel: +65 6463 3648
Mon to Fri: 10am – 10pm
Sat: 9am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Beauty World

G7 SIN MA CLAYPOT LIVE FROG 

To some, the idea of eating frog porridge may sound a bit squeamish. However, don’t dismiss it too quickly because frog porridge is actually really delicious! If you’re a first timer looking for a good place to try frog porridge, this would be a great place to try. The frog here is very sweet and tender, and tastes just like chicken — if not better!

5 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Tel: +65 64677317
Singapore 599730
Daily: 12pm – 3am

Photo Credit: Eatalltheyumz

HE ZHONG CARROT CAKE 

Tucked away in Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre is He Zhong Carrot Cake, which hands down sells some of the best white carrot cake in Singapore. For just S$2.50, you get an incredibly generous portion of chunky, springy and fragrant carrot cake that is great to chow down by yourself or to share around. For an extra kick, you can dip it in their tangy homemade chili sauce.

Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre
#02-185, Upper Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 588215
Thu to Tue: 6am – 8.30pm
Wed: 6am – 1am

Photo Credit: Jew Kit

JEW KIT CHICKEN RICE 

This place sells some really great chicken rice, and is a great place to go to when the chicken rice cravings hit you hard. The chicken served here is incredibly tender and silky, and it goes really well with their fragrant rice. Order a whole chicken to share around if you’re planning on going in a big group!

Bukit Timah Shopping Centre
170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #B1-16/17/18
Tel: +65 64632637
Daily: 10am – 9pm

Photo Credit: Limpehtakemeto

JOO SENG TEOCHEW PORRIDGE AND RICE 

Joo Seng Teochew Porridge is one of our go-to places when we need to have our Teochew porridge fix. They have a plethora of ingredients to choose from, and it’s all very affordably priced. This place is great for a gathering with family and friends as you can order and try more dishes to share around.

14 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Singapore 599738
Tel: +65 64630768
Daily: 10am – 4am

KINDRED FOLK 

Tucked away in the new KAP Residence Mall is Kindred Folk, a charming double-storey ice cream cafe that serves a decent selection of unique homemade ice creams such as Roasted Rice Milk Tea and Wasabi. Besides ice cream, they also sell mains such as pasta and chicken drums.

9 King Albert Park
#01-09, King Albert Park Shopping Mall
Singapore 598332
Tel: +65 69283043
Daily: 12pm – 10pm

Photo Credit: Remintheeatingplace

PROSPERITY SEAFOOD WHITE BEE HOON 

Seafood White Bee Hoon is becoming a popular food item for a lot of Singaporeans these days, and it’s not hard to understand why. There is something incredibly satisfying about a steaming plate of white bee hoon that’s accompanied by a copious amount of seafood. Prosperity Seafood Bee Hoon does this job well and sells must-try white seafood bee hoon.

Bukit Timah Hawker Centre
51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-182
Singapore 588215

Photo Credit: Jessalynnnhoe

SIN CHEW SATAY BEE HOON 

Satay Bee Hoon is one of the less raved about dishes here in Singapore, and we feel like it deserves more attention because it’s so sinfully good! Sin Chew does a good job of making a plate of satay bee hoon, and its hard to resist their plate of rice vermicelli smothered in a copious amount of sweet and savoury satay sauce.

Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre
51 Upper Bukit Timah Road #02-162
Singapore 588215
Wed and Thu: 5pm – 10pm
Sat and Sun: 11am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 10pm
(Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Friday)

Photo Credit: Kianzoid

XIE KEE HOKKIEN MEE  

Xie Kee Hokkien Mee is hands down one of the best Hokkien mees we have ever tried in Singapore, and its never-ending long snaking queues can attest to that! What makes them special is that they use flat noodles instead of the usual yellow noodles. The noodles soak up the gravy really well and have that satisfying touch of wok hei to it.

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-174
Singapore 588215
Daily: 11.30am – 11pm

Photo Credit: Platgal 

ZHONG ZHONG FINE SPICE  

If you’re looking for a stall that specialises in ngoh hiang, this is the place to be at. They have a decent variety of ingredients here such as crispy prawn fritters, you tiao, yau kwa, whole stuffed squid and pink sausages. We love dunking it in the pink sweet sauce for a sweet touch!

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-149
Singapore 588172

Photo Credit: The.coolbean

ZHOU PIN PORRIDGE  

We feel that Zhou Pin porridge does not get as much credit as it deserves. This humble stall sells a wide range of porridges that are great for a rainy day or if you’re looking for some comfort food. Each bowl comes with a long, crunchy stick of you tiao, and the owners are very generous with their servings of porridge. 

51 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #02-149
Singapore 588172

Read: Beauty World Food Centre Guide – 8 hawker gems to try