Bukit Merah Hawker Sells $2 Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Tau Pok, Price Unchanged For 20 Years
Decades-old hawker stall Charcoal Grilled at Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre may be better known for its tasty satay, but those in the know will order its grilled veggie-stuffed tau pok, which is listed vaguely as “Traditional BBQ Style” on its menu.
Consisting of grilled tofu puff stuffed with cucumber and veggies, slathered in hae ko (fermented shrimp paste) and topped with crushed peanuts, it looks and tastes a lot like rojak. The best part? It costs just $2. Rojak is also available from a very affordable $2.50.
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One of the longest-running stalls at the hawker centre, Charcoal Grilled is helmed by husband-and-wife team Fong Chin Wah, 68, and Sally Ng, 61. The business was started by Chin Wah’s father in 1973 before the couple took over around 30 years ago. It’s easy to overlook the stall — the unlit minimalist wood-style signboard is unassuming, with only its nondescript name spelled out in red font.
“Last time, the stall didn’t even have a name and signboard,” Chin Wah tells 8days.sg.
Stuffed tau pok made the traditional way
Besides the shopfront, little has changed since Chin Wah took over the reins from his parents. The stuffed tau pok is made the traditional way, grilled over a charcoal fire. He takes pride in doing so, telling us that theirs is one of the few rojak stalls that still uses a charcoal grill.
And despite inflation, they have kept prices of their stuffed tau pok and rojak constant for more than 20 years. There are no plans to raise prices with the recent GST hike, except for century egg, offered as an add-on to their rojak.
“There are a lot of old and needy folks here, so we try to maintain prices. We just earn a little bit,” Chin Wah says modestly. It helps that they own the stall space and only have to cover overheads which come up to “a few hundred dollars” a month.
“Uncle is playing masak masak,” jokes Sally. “My daughter and I have told him to raise prices, but he refuses.”
Chin Wah interjects: “We have the kampung spirit here. Customers have told me to up prices too, but never mind, I want everyone to be happy eating our food. They know they cannot find this kind of food and quality elsewhere.”
We ask if retirement’s on the cards. “I’ll have nothing to do if I retire, so I just continue working to pass time. We don’t work that long hours anyway,” says Chin Wah. He begins prepping at the stall at 1pm before opening shop from 3.30pm to 8pm. Sally, who mans the satay grill, joins him at 5pm.
And whenever they need a break, they will give themselves a day off, usually on Thursdays. “We can no longer work every day. Sometimes we need to rest, so best to call first if you plan to come down on a Thursday,” explains Chin Wah.
Grilled Stuffed Tau Pok aka Traditional BBQ Style, $2 (8 DAYS Pick!)
For $2, you get one veggie-stuffed tau pok and one you tiao. The portion size, which is good for ladies, or as an appetiser for sharing, is decent for its price. Be prepared to wait at least 10 minutes for your order as Chin Wah grills it along with the dough fritter fresh upon order.
The toasted tau pok, pre-stuffed with blanched bean sprouts, kang kong and cucumbers, is cut into quarters, then adorned with sliced pineapple and dough fritters, before being doused in thick prawn paste. The delightful mess is liberally sprinkled with chopped peanuts. You can also request for the sauce to be served as a dip on the side.
Rojak, $2.50
We also ordered a small plate of rojak to try. Our $2.50 portion — same size as the stuffed tau pok — came with a heap of grilled you tiao, tau pok, sliced pineapples, jicama, cucumber, and torch ginger flower bits, tossed in a concoction of hae ko, sugar, assam juice, lime, and finished with crushed peanuts. The sauce is thick and gooey, and we were pleasantly surprised by the addition of green mango slices which added a hint of tartness to the savoury-sweet mix. Between the stuffed tau pok and rojak, we prefer the former for its stronger, funky flavours. The cheaper price is also a plus.
Also available are rojak with jellyfish ($3) or cuttlefish slices ($5), and fruit rojak ($3/$5) featuring green and red apple, pineapple, guava, green mango, and jambu. Add-ons like dried cuttlefish and century egg are available at $2 and $1 respectively. The stall also sells pork, chicken and mutton satay from 80 cents a stick.
Charcoal Grilled is at #01-09, Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre, 115 Bukit Merah View, S151115. Open daily except Thur, 3.30pm to 8pm. Satay only available from 5.30pm. Tel: 9271 2208.
Photos: 8days.sg
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
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