Hawker, 80, Sells Unique Popiah With Crabstick & Fried Fish, Was Invited To Istana To Make His Dish
ABC Popiah’s Tay Chen Boon is so popular that Minister Ng Eng Hen — who is also the MP for the Toa Payoh Central division of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC — made a Facebook post about him.
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The stall is run by jovial veteran hawker Tay Chen Boon, 80, who has been selling popiah for 50 years. When we ask him about that mysterious “crunchy thing” — unidentifiable savoury brown crumbs — in his rolls, he laughs.
“Can you guess?” he asks mischievously. We attempt a few guesses, but fail. “It’s fried fish!” Chen Boon declares triumphantly.
No pork, no lard, but there’s crabstick
That’s not the only unusual ingredient in his popiah, though. Other than fried fish bits, Chen Boon also includes chopped crabsticks. “I used to put real crab meat, but it is too expensive now,” he says.
According to him, the crabsticks are a substitute for pork and lard, which are necessary in some traditional recipes for popiah fillings as they add flavour. “After the swine flu outbreak, I stopped serving lard. Most people don’t like lard these days anyway,” Chen Boon says.
Chen Boon shifted his operations to Toa Payoh some 40 years ago. Before that, he was at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre for 10 years, which explains his stall’s ABC Popiah name.
Went to the Istana to make popiah
At work, he dons an apron embroidered with the words ‘The President’s Award for the Environment’. The biennial award by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment “recognises and honours the sustained contributions by environmental champions from the People, Public and Private (3P) sectors.”
Chen Boon tells us that he was invited a few times to The Istana, along with other hawkers, to showcase his popiah at events like The President’s Award ceremony. “That was when Tony Tan was the president,” he recalls.
Just how popular is Chen Boon? His stall is now open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 7pm. On a good day, he says, he can sell “a few hundred popiahs.”
He candidly shares that he chose to sell popiahs as it was easier to make compared to other hawker dishes. “Popiah more senang lah. No need to wash plates or anything, just wrap,” he chortles.
On working at 80
At 80, he still works long hours. He hand-slices baskets of jicama for his popiah filling, and grates them using an automated industrial grater he bought for $5,000.
“I’m just used to my working hours. I sleep at 10pm, wake up at 3am. I don’t even need an alarm clock! I can’t stop working. Even my doctor told me not to stop. He said I should just reduce my hours if I have to,” Chen Boon says, adding: “I think it’s good to work at my age, when I can still move and drive myself to my stall.”
“Sometimes I had to take a plane, transfer to a helicopter and get dropped onto the oil rig in the middle of the sea. I went to places like Iraq. But I was on so many flights that I got sick of it! I was married with three kids, so I decided not to continue,” he shares merrily.
While he later moved to a stall at ABC Brickworks Market, he still peddled a trishaw at night selling his popiah as an illegal hawker. “Business was better for me at night. My kids were young and I needed the money for their education,” Chen Boon explains.
Popiah, $2
Due to inflation over the years, Chen Boon has adjusted his price. His popiah is now $2 a roll, and comes stuffed with his handmade jicama filling, taugeh, lettuce, grated peanuts, eggs and fried fish bits.
The hawker rapidly rolls a popiah within seconds, smacking the jicama filling flat. “So it doesn’t spill out when you eat,” he explains.
ABC Popiah is at #01-34 Toa Payoh Lor 4 Market & Food Centre, Blk 93 Toa Payoh Lor 4, S310093. Open Tues-Sun 8am-7pm.
Photos: Kelvin Chia
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