Elderly Hawker Couple Who Closed Stall Restart Min Jiang Kueh Biz From Their 1-Room Flat
He had attempted to look for a new stall previously, but was disheartened when he was repeatedly outbid by other would-be hawkers. On his stall’s last day of operations on Aug 31, Ah Bee had a snaking queue with regulars who were very sad to see him go.
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Min jiang kueh sold out of a one-room flat
Home for Ah Bee is a rented one-room flat near his old stall in Buangkok Crescent, just across the road from Singapore’s last kampong village called Kampong Lorong Buangkok. He lives with his wife Lee Gay Lee, 71, who had been helping him take orders at the kopitiam.
The couple moved into the relatively new housing estate 14 years ago, after selling their four-room flat in Nee Soon due to a personal family decision (they have two sons and a late daughter).
Husband-and-wife had secured it to the railing just outside their main door, lovingly flanking the sign with two solar-powered fortune cats that were also from the stall. Gay Lee laughs when we ask if the signage was deliberately placed there to help customers find her flat. “No lah, we just put it there for your shoot today. If we leave it there, our neighbours will think we siao!” she giggles.
The lively couple busy themselves most afternoons with taking care of their younger son’s two children, who are in Primary 1 and 3. During our visit, the grandkids stream into the house after school and immediately clamour for Ah Gong’s min jiang kueh when they see him making pancakes. “What do you want? Peanut?” Ah Bee coos lovingly.
He gives his grandson a pancake on a plate, fresh off the seasoned metal griddle that he has been using for 60 years. “I gave a griddle pan to my sister who lives in Canada, she tried making min jiang kueh there but she said she couldn’t make anything like mine,” he chortles. “If I stop doing this, nobody can do it like me. Sometimes when I’m free I would make min jiang kueh and give it to my neighbours and friends. Just to make everyone happy lah.”
Apartment cleaner than a professionally-run eatery
Ah Bee and Gay Lee’s one-room flat on the eighth floor is airy, brightly-lit and cosy. It consists of a small living room, a partitioned bedroom and a kitchen where Ah Bee makes his min jiang kueh. The space is simply furnished, with the only luxury being a 60-inch flatscreen television that Ah Bee bought for his wife for slightly over $2,000 as “she loves watching TV”.
‘Canes’ in the kitchen
There is also a bunch of rattan canes tucked behind some pipes in the kitchen, which some folks may recognise from their childhood, erm, disciplinary sessions. But nope, they are not for the grandkids. “I use it to beat my flour,” says Ah Bee, who lets his flour rest for a few days and whack it with the canes so that his batter produces amazingly soft pancakes.
Over the years, he also started offering newfangled flavours like creamed corn, cheese, egg and picnic ham (or any variation of the aforementioned) to attract younger customers. “But if anyone wants ham, they will have to let me know in advance because I only buy it when somebody orders it,” he says.
How to order min jiang kueh
According to Ah Bee, here is how you can order his min jiang kueh. It is self-collection only and packed in paper-lined styrofoam boxes. “I can’t do delivery because my pancakes are too inexpensive to justify the delivery costs,” says Ah Bee.
- Place your order by calling him at 8947-5069 at least one day in advance (no minimum order).
- Let Ah Bee know what time you are planning to collect your min jiang kueh, as he makes the pancakes at the time of collection so you get ’em hot and crispy-edged.
- If you are unable to collect your min jiang kueh personally, you can also arrange for your own delivery driver for the pick-up.
The menu
Ah Bee sells a whole pancake (about 16cm in diameter which yields three slices) at just $1 each for the Peanut, Coconut and Red Bean Paste flavours. The Cheese or Egg flavour is priced at $1.30 each, while a min jiang kueh with ham or any customised combination of savoury ingredients like creamed corn costs $1.50.
Ah Bee is not calculative about charging customers extra if they want additional toppings. “Anything lah. When we do business we want customers to come back, so it’s more important to make them happy,” he chirps.
What to get
The veteran min jiang kueh hawker’s pancakes are different from his competitors — when savoured freshly-cooked, the thin pancake is fabulously soft and fragrant with a hint of crispiness from the hot griddle. Where we could normally only eat a maximum of two slices from the average min jiang kueh stall, we find ourselves scarfing down five slices of Ah Bee’s pancakes in a row.
Despite starting a home-based business, Ah Bee still hopes to eventually get another stall to sell min jiang kueh. He muses: “But it can’t be too far, because the transportation costs will be very expensive. If it’s near my home, I can get a bicycle and cart and cycle to work.”
To order, call Ah Bee at 8947-5069 at least one day in advance. Self-collection or self-arranged delivery only.
Photos: Alvin Teo
