Culinary Grad Opens Porridge Stall Serving Triple Egg, Abalone Congee From $3.50 To $9

After a four-month internship at Mediterranean small-plates restaurant Lolla, the new graduate’s pragmatism kicked in as he opted for the hawker route instead of continuing to work at restaurants. “Many local restaurants were either closed or operating at a reduced capacity [due to the pandemic]. I felt that there was a lot of potential in the hawker scene.”

In January, he opened Duke of Congee. Jia Chen chose porridge as it is “an underdog dish”. “You don’t think too much about it, but there’s a huge difference between a good and mediocre bowl of porridge. I try to make sure we are not mediocre,” he explains.

To the culinary school graduate, a good bowl of congee should have a “very creamy mouthfeel” and be “not too one-dimensional”.

Picking the Hainanese variant – which has a texture that falls between silky smooth Cantonese congee and the soft grains of Teochew porridge – was a matter of personal preference (even though Jia Chen is not Hainanese) and market research. “I like it the most, compared to Cantonese and Teochew porridge. It’s more homely, and it’s what most of us grew up eating,” shares Jia Chen.

He uses a mix of new crop jasmine rice and glutinous rice, cooked with chicken stock, for his porridge base. “Glutinous rice gives it more body. Without it, I find that the congee becomes a thickened version of Teochew porridge.”

Peering behind the counter, you might confuse the spacious kopitiam stall, which costs $30K to set up, with a restaurant kitchen. At the back stands a fancy $4K steam-injected boiler that can cook up to 180 portions of porridge. “Without this machine, someone has to stand and constantly stir the congee for half an hour or more,” he shares.

There is a tidy toppings station, where ingredients like century egg wedges, meatballs and pork liver are stored in stainless steel containers, complete with individual mini tongs or spoons for hygiene.

Jia Chen’s culinary education is most apparent when he’s at the stove, vigorously stirring each pot of porridge to order with a spatula – as if he’s making polenta or risotto – until his handy timer beeps when the cooking time is up. This precision is also evident in the way he speaks, which is punctuated with technical jargon.

“Yeah, that’s for the agitation of starches [referring to the constant stirring to produce a creamier texture]. My culinary studies have definitely helped with running the stall. I can troubleshoot problems more easily,” shares Jia Chen. For example, he learned pretty quickly not to store porridge in stainless steel pots. “I realised I had to use a rice warmer to keep the porridge at the right temperature. If not, the grains will continue to swell and become like kueh.”

“It was difficult looking for assistants when I first started out. The immediate help I could get is from her – and she’s still here now,” says Jia Chen, gesturing to his girlfriend and former classmate, Lilyan James Baptist, 23. The soft-spoken young woman specialised in baking in culinary school.

“My passion is still in baking, but I’m glad that I’m able to help him out. When business is more stable, I can go back to baking,” she tells us. “Provided we let her go!” the cheeky hawker quips.

We ask the couple if they have faced any challenges working together. “I’ve learned that watching our tone is very important,” Jia Chen answers. “Especially when it gets busy! We have to speak louder, and it may cause a bit of unhappiness. We try not to bring it home,” adds Lilyan, who lives with her boyfriend.

The stall’s Chinese name (‘zhou gong’) is a pun on the expression “to meet Zhou Gong [Duke of Zhou]”, which indicates that someone is sleeping or dreaming. Jia Chen uses the Chinese character for porridge, also pronounced ‘zhou’, for wordplay. Hence, the translation: Duke of Congee.

“Porridge is synonymous with comforting, filling food. After you eat my congee, you can take a good nap. Younger folks may not understand the pun. Some even think it’s obnoxious to call myself the duke!” he says with a chuckle. “But it’s ok. Older folks get the joke and would say to me ‘time to meet Zhou Gong after I’m full!’”

Business was brisk for the new stall at this bustling kopitiam – Jia Chen tells us that before the no dine-in rule, they usually serve about 280 bowls on a weekday, and up to 400 orders during the weekend. About thirty percent of the business is from food delivery, via apps such as Deliveroo and Foodpanda. For now, takeaway orders have dipped while the delivery orders remain stagnant.

Previously, his dine-in customers were made up of young families who live in the area, as well as workers from the nearby schools, offices and industrial parks. With the new restrictions, most of the latter are working remotely and this has undoubtedly affected his business.

“We’re working on joining Makan Guru [a food delivery platform] and other group buys to further expand our reach across the island to cope,” says Jia Chen. “I wouldn’t say I am disappointed. I am more concerned about the rising number of cases in the community. We will do our part by ensuring safe distancing and we’re actually trying to reach out to the staff at Tan Tock Seng Hospital to offer our assistance through providing [free] meals.”

Jia Chen offers an impressive number of topping options for his porridge – 22, to be exact. “We want to provide a wide variety so there’s something for everyone, from traditional cuttlefish and peanuts for older folks to popcorn chicken for kids,” explains the hawker. Prices range from $3.50 for Cuttlefish & Peanut Congee to $9 for the most extravagant Abalone Seafood Congee. Portions are pretty big, so each bowl makes for a satisfying meal.

Side dishes, though featured on the billboard, are currently unavailable as the stall is short-staffed.

Despite being the ‘plain Jane’ cheapest option out of the three porridges we’ve tried, this simple bowl is our favourite – a testament to the wonderful porridge base. Technical jargon aside, Jia Chen’s constant stirring certainly pays off as we’re rewarded with creamy congee that is flavourful enough to shine on its own. His version is also slightly thicker than the other Hainanese porridges we’ve tried, most likely due to the addition of glutinous rice.

Savoury notes and piquant funk from the salted egg and century egg mingle in harmony, and the freshly cracked egg adds silkiness when you mix it into the piping porridge. Fried shallot and spring onion provide aromatic flourish, while deep-fried you tiao slices add a much-needed crunch to each spoonful.

This is Jia Chen’s recommendation for those who aren’t sure what to order. “You get to try a bit of everything and find out what you like for your next order,” he explains. The signature porridge includes cuttlefish, pork liver, meatballs, sliced pork and sliced snakehead fish. We can tell that special prep goes into most of the ingredients. For example, the sliced fish is bouncy and has a hint of ginger and the lovely meatballs are made from marinated coarse minced pork. The toppings are also generous enough to justify the rather high price for porridge.

If you like rich, meaty congee, this is your pick. All traditional fixings are present: pork liver, small intestine, sliced pork and meatballs. Though we were pleased with the fairly big slices of liver, we think they could be a tad more tender and pink on the inside. Jia Chen tells us he braises the small intestines with cooking wine, ginger and secret spices to ensure that there is no “nasty taste” – a job well accomplished.

Velvety, creamy consistency in every bowl and thoughtfully prepared toppings — Jia Chen’s fancy cooking techniques are put to good use in this humble hawker dish. The cheaper porridges are pretty good value-for-money, considering the ingredients are hearty enough to make for a filling meal. Be sure to order a side of freshly fried dough fritters ($1 each) to go with your congee.

Duke of Congee is at C&T Cafe, 704 Bedok Reservoir Rd, S470704. Opens daily except Tues, 7.30am-8pm. www.facebook.com/dukeofcongee Available on Deliveroo, GrabFood and Foodpanda

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Photos: Alvin Teo