We aren’t exactly sure why there’s been a surge in home-based businesses selling ngoh hiang since the pandemic (we counted at least two dozen of them when doing research for this article). Most of the owners on our list launched their businesses around last July, while Mum’s Ngoh Hiang was one of the earliest to start operating in May.

 Several owners told us that their customers disliked the ‘gluey’ and ‘pasty’ texture of mass-produced ngoh hiang and were happy to support the homemade versions instead. The deceptively simple rolls require sophisticated culinary technique with contrasting textures and seasoning to create an addictive snack that is much more than the sum of its parts. It’s painstaking work. 

We also think its popularity is linked to scarcity — and the desire for home-cooked comfort food to stave off the blues that come with an unprecedented pandemic. Before the recent boom, many of us only get to enjoy homemade ngoh hiang that our mums and grandmas prepare during CNY or special meals, but with home-based businesses offering these labour-intensive treats on demand, of course customers will bite. We’ve chosen to feature 11 of the more popular HBB offering this deep-fried treat, and we tell you which are our faves.

The ngoh hiang made by Tracie Tan, 44, promises to live up to her tagline: taste of home. “I’ve always loved to cook and bake, and during the Circuit Breaker, I got to do more of both,” shares Tracie, who works full-time as an executive assistant. “After a few months, my sister encouraged me to start a HBB to share my food with more people.” 

She launched U Kitchenette last July, offering homely creations such as baked tapioca cake and steamed glutinous rice, as well as specialty items such as walnut cookies for Christmas. Ngoh hiang, a family favourite, is the latest addition to the menu – a special request from Tracie’s sister.

Clearly a perfectionist, Tracie tells us that she orders fresh pork belly from a wet market stall, which minces the meat according to her preference. The avid baker, who used to run a cookie business in 2015, opts for raw sugar in her marinade to lend a slightly richer flavour. “I also prefer to use pepper from Sarawak, which is stronger, but unfortunately it’s currently unavailable,” says Tracie. 

With or without Sarawak pepper, we loved the flavour of her appetising ngoh hiang rolls. There is a distinct, heady scent of ginger that permeates the pork and prawn mixture. Tracie uses turnip instead of water chestnut, which together with onions provide a welcome touch of sweetness. Every order also comes with fresh hand-pounded red chilli paste made by Tracie’s father, which we couldn’t get enough of.

Order here or visit https://www.facebook.com/U.Kitchenettesg

There are usually two camps of ngoh hiang lovers: those who love water chestnut, and others who swear by turnip. Desmond Kang, 40, who runs Ah Ma’s Ngoh Hiang with his brother Melvin, 44, belongs firmly to the latter.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from customers who prefer water chestnut, but we want to stay true to my late grandma’s recipe. After all, the business is named after her!” shares Desmond. His conviction seems to have paid off – the brothers, who also own a commercial printing company that faced a halt in production due to the pandemic, currently sell about 65kg of ngoh hiang every week and are considering moving to a central kitchen after the busy CNY period to cope with increasing orders.

The brothers, who owned and sold a Korean restaurant about three years ago (they declined to name it), get their ingredients from restaurant suppliers. This is evident from the freshness of their ngoh hiang filling. “Our other secret lies in the marinade and preparation techniques, which help to preserve the juiciness of the meat mixture without the unwanted ‘porky’ taste,” Desmond tells us proudly.

These rolls boast generous chunks of prawns and every slice also delivers a moist bite of minced pork, carrot, spring onion, onion and turnip, interspersed with intense, addictive garlicky notes – no condiments required for this piquant roll. The texture of the individual ingredients is so well-executed that we hardly missed the crunch of water chestnuts, which we usually love.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/ahmangohhiang

For Peggy Ng, a working mother in her mid-30s, picking ngoh hiang as the specialty for her HBB was a no-brainer. “I grew up cooking with my grandma, and her ngoh hiang has always been one of my favourites – I truly believe it’s the best I’ve ever tried,” shares the cheerful home cook. 

She admits it has been “pretty tiring” juggling a full-time job as a sales coordinator and taking care of her family while running a HBB which she started in late May to earn extra income. Positive customer feedback is what keeps her going – “it has been a pleasant surprise to receive so much love and support from my loyal customers and it brings me great joy to know that other people enjoy my grandma’s recipe as much as I do.”

Photo: Food.ally/ Instagram

Peggy tells us that the only modification she made to her grandma’s recipe was to cut down on the five-spice powder and salt to cater to modern tastes, and we think she got the pepper-forward seasoning just right.

The hearty, aromatic pork and prawn filling is mixed with carrots and onions and we’re especially impressed by the large chunks of crunchy water chestnuts that did not poke through the beancurd skin – in fact, the outer coat remained flawlessly intact and shattered easily with every bite. We recommend dipping yours in Ngoh Hiang Kia’s tangy, garlic chilli sauce appropriately named Shiok Chilli ($8 for 260ml), which adds extra dimension to these short, plump rolls.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/ngohhiangkia

Chua Bee Eng, 63, was a babysitter who had to stop working due to the pandemic. The homemaker, who loves whipping up big meals for her family and friends, was spurred to start selling ngoh hiang after treating her daughter’s friends to some during a visit.

“They asked me to make more and sell to them! At first, I told them I’m happy to cook it for them at no charge but my daughter convinced me that we should try selling ngoh hiang to make up for my lost income,” shares the good-natured homemaker.

Bee Eng’s ngoh hiang is truly a labour of love. She wakes up at 6am to start the preparation process, which includes rubbing a special cut of the pork belly with salt to remove any odour before chopping it by hand into her desired texture. 

“It’s tedious, but that’s how my late father did it as well. I’ve tried using minced pork from the market, but it just tastes different and not as good,” the self-described “fussy” cook tells us.

Thanks to her high standards, we’re rewarded with an impressively moist and well-seasoned pork filling accompanied by fresh hand-chopped prawns and refreshing water chestnuts and celery. The crisp, crunchy beancurd skin of these skinny rolls holds up excellently as well – this is the rare ngoh hiang that we’ll reach for even when it’s not piping hot.

Visit https://www.instagram.com/beeengfood/

The youngest business owner on our list is Evangelyn Wong, 21, who graduated from fashion design studies last year. With Covid-19 affecting her job hunt, Evangelyn’s mother encouraged her to hop onto the HBB trend with a treasured family specialty.

Her ngoh hiang follows a recipe created by her late grandmother – Evangelyn even orders minced pork from the same wet market stall that she frequented. “There’s a specific ratio of lean to fatty meat that she would instruct the stall owners to use. Even I don’t know exactly what it is – I just tell them I want my grandma’s order!” Evangelyn tells us.

Whether you go for the petite parcels or the jumbo rolls (these were the thickest ones on our list), every bite is refreshing and visually pleasing thanks to the fresh and colourful shiitake mushroom, spring onion, water chestnut, carrot, crab stick, and prawn mixed with pork – we have a feeling it’ll be an easy hit among the kids.

Then there’s the superbly crackly skin (we find the bite-sized nuggets a tad crunchier) – the result of skipping the usual steaming process before deep-frying. While the five-spice powder is less prevalent than the others we’ve tried, we liked the strong peppery seasoning, which helps to cut the richness a bit.

The juicy shiitake mushrooms and prawns (she uses a generous one-to-one pork-prawn ratio) were an absolute delight and we recommend skipping the sauces to pick up on all the subtle flavours.

 Visit https://www.facebook.com/ninthstoreykitchen/

Husband and wife team Desmond Ho, 44, and Serenena Koo, 42, started their HBB after noticing the spike in demand for home-cooked food delivery during the Circuit Breaker.

The business is a wholesome family affair: Desmond is the main cook while Serenena, who loves all things spicy, is in charge of the seasoning for their tom yum ngoh hiang. The couple, who have full-time jobs in security systems and hospitality, bring their two adorable sons aged five and ten along on weekend delivery routes, which double up as fun outings for the boys. 

The only recipe on our list that isn’t passed down from a family member, Desmond created his own ngoh hiang based on his love for the dish. “I have a weakness for fried food, and ngoh hiang is my favourite. Since I was a kid, whenever I see ngoh hiang on the table, I know I have to get an extra bowl of rice,” he jokes.

Desmond finds that saltiness is the make-or-break factor in ngoh hiang, which is why he is extra mindful when seasoning and marinating the filling. The result is a well-balanced, savoury bite-sized meat parcel lifted by superior grade cooking wine and soy sauce.

The ingredients are equally generous: chopped (instead of minced) prawns for better texture, and we also appreciated the chunkier cuts of water chestnuts and carrots which give the ngoh hiang a more refreshing crunch – it’s no wonder Yummyrollz has won glowing reviews from celebrities like Zoe Tay and Gurmit Singh.

When brainstorming new flavours to add to their menu, tom yum became a clear winner as it’s Serenena’s favourite dish. Desmond also adds cuttlefish to the mixture to give it a more pronounced “seafood” flavour. 

The tom yum twist was executed perfectly – we were won over by the distinct lemongrass aroma upon opening the box, and were glad to find that the restrained infusion of spicy-sour flavour was just right and did not overpower the ngoh hiang.

Visit https://www.instagram.com/yummyrollz/​​​​​​​

After getting laid off from her billing coordinator job at a logistics company, Cecilia Seah, 32, launched her HBB with the encouragement of her cousin, who also owns an online business. “I started out with hair accessories, but it didn’t work out so I decided to try selling food instead,” shares the diligent business owner, who is also attending a part-time logistics course.

Currently, her menu includes ngoh hiang and banana kueh – both are recipes that Cecilia has learned from her grandma, whom the business is named after. The ngoh hiang has been an instant hit, with customers ordering 15 boxes at one go.

The compactly wrapped ngoh hiang rolls boast hearty fillings made from minced pork, prawn and water chestnut. We also detected a liberal ratio of fatty pork – great for those who prefer a sinful-but-flavourful meaty aroma, which is accentuated by an emphasis on five-spice powder in the seasoning.

We ordered the frozen ngoh hiang so we could control the crispness of the skin after frying it ourselves, which gave us satisfying, shattering bites, but feel free to opt for the pre-fried variant for convenience. 

Visit https://www.facebook.com/Eng-嬤-103573351603388

After all her children got married and moved out, Mdm Tay, 60, who has been a dedicated homemaker for the past three decades, didn’t quite know what to do with her sudden free time. “My kids suggested that I start selling ngoh hiang, which is one of my specialty dishes, as it’s a good way to keep myself occupied while earning some extra income,” Mdm Tay tells us.

Her daughter Amber helps Mdm Tay with social media marketing and orders, while the home cook concentrates on preparing ngoh hiang and hae bee hiam (dried shrimp sambal) for the online business.

Mdm Tay’s ngoh hiang only uses five ingredients: minced pork, prawn, mushroom, carrot and spring onion. There is a deep mushroom flavour that is infused in the roll, and we also like the slightly larger prawn chunks that give the ngoh hiang a better mouthfeel. 

The absence of water chestnuts was definitely felt, but the lack of crunch is somewhat compensated by the perfectly fried, crispy beancurd skin. We also like that this ngoh hiang is not too salty, so it pairs really well with the container of Thai-style sweet chilli that came with our order.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/Mdm-Tay-Eats-101334031674032/

Previously featured in our Christmas HBB list, Cai Ngoh Hiang & Sambal is run by siblings Amanda, 32, Irwin, 28, and Charmaine, 22, who came together to work full-time on expanding their HBB since last year’s Circuit Breaker. Their signature dish uses a recipe from their late granny.

Their plan has worked beautifully, as the trio has shared that they will be opening a takeout store next month (the location will be announced at a later date).

Made from minced pork, prawn, water chestnuts and spring onions, this homely, neatly-packed ngoh hiang is robustly marinated and we thoroughly enjoyed the freshness and flavour of all its ingredients. They are bite-sized and nicely textured too. Get this over the slightly mushier Mala-flavoured ones. The rolls are steamed, then frozen before delivery – you can either fry them in a pan or bake in a toaster oven to get them hot and crispy.

Visit https://www.instagram.com/cai.eats/

Fashion designer Samuel Wong, 34, started his Instagram food business with his mum Ellen Kuah, 65, last year when his projects were halted temporarily due to Covid-19. In our previous interview, the duo told us they picked ngoh hiang as they wanted to sell something “nostalgic and comforting”. 

Ellen’s version excludes the use of five-spice powder (even though ngoh hiang means “five spices” in Hokkien) as she doesn’t enjoy its taste. Another thing that sets Mum’s Ngoh Hiang apart is the use of a ‘special’ cut of pork for the filling that is “usually more expensive than normal minced pork”.

Here’s more proof that melted cheese makes (almost) everything better. The savoury, oozy mozzarella in the freshly fried rolls elevates the juiciness of the ngoh hiang filling, which is made from pork, prawn and water chestnut.

 Do note that these rolls are only sold in raw, frozen form as cheese hardens when pre-fried. It’s worth the effort to fry them at home though, as ngoh hiang tastes yummier when it’s hot and fresh.

Try the regular pork and prawn ngoh hiang (which comes pre-fried) too if you’re looking for something less rich.

Visit https://www.instagram.com/mumsngohhiang/

Dental training coordinator Tommy Ng, 38, started Shiok Shiok last September after the pandemic put a stop to his frequent work trips. The home-based business specialises in Hakka yong tau foo, a signature of Tommy’s mum. A month later, they added another specialty of hers to the menu: mini ngoh hiang. 

Shiok Shiok is largely a family affair, with Tommy’s sister Helen, 41, her husband and a cousin, regularly banding together to prepare orders during the weekend. “Our mum is 70, so we don’t want her to help out too much. She mainly supervises and makes sure the taste is alright,” Helen tells us.

This ngoh hiang come in petite rolls made with a special cut of pork that is “more tender” according to Helen. They are dotted with water chestnut, carrot, shallot, spring onion and onion, though we could barely discern the crunch of the water chestnut.

Interestingly, Shiok Shiok’s version does not include prawn in its filling — and we can tell because of the pork-heavy flavour and texture. “Our mum’s recipe does not use prawns as I’m allergic to seafood,” shares Helen. The personalised twist has won them unexpected fans, as they’ve received many orders from ngoh hiang lovers who are also allergic to prawns.

We loved the accompanying homemade dipping sauce – the zesty, refreshing chilli boasts fragrant notes from coriander, sesame oil and lime juice. It’s so good that the siblings have recently started selling it in jars ($9 each; $25 for three).

Order here or visit https://www.instagram.com/shiok_shiok/

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