Poh Ho Restaurant, 7 Crane Rd, S429356. Open daily 6.30am–1pm (except on two random rest days a month). Last orders at closing or until sold out.

Mohamed Jihath, 28, former assistant cook at Mr and Mrs Mohgan's Super Crispy Roti Prata stall. He’s now the head cook at the two-month-old Famous Crispy Prata Indian Muslim Food stall, still located at the same shop space that used to house the Mohgan’s biz since 2006 (until they recently relocated to a new venue a stone’s throw away).

Poh Ho Restaurant is an old-school, compact kopitiam with half-tiled walls and mosaic floors. The indoor area can get a bit stuffy, and though the owners have installed awnings, the seats along the five-foot way are partially exposed to the elements and it can get hot and humid. There is limited streetside parking at this corner kopitiam — though the situation is slightly better these days since most of the crowd have migrated to Mohgans’ new Joo Chiat venue. Tip: while waiting for your prata, order the drink stall’s yummy teh-o peng and the fried chicken wings from the economy beehoon stall within the kopitiam.

Soft-spoken lady boss Jamaldeen Yosliya, 31, who bought over Mr Mohgan’s old shop space from him (and in the process ‘inherited’ his former stall assistant/cook Mohamed Jihath, we’re guessing she probably couldn’t keep the Mohgan’s branding and had to rename her stall) two months ago, takes the orders and calls out the order numbers. She is quiet and doesn’t make small talk. One weekday morning at around 9am, we got lucky and had our prata ready within five minutes — something that never happened while the Mohgans were still helming the stall. However, though the crowds here are less than half of what the stall commanded when it was still run by Mr Mohgan, expect a short queue on weekends and an approximate wait of about 20 minutes for your prata.

Jihath hand-kneads the dough for about 1,000 portions each day with Ikan Terbung low-protein wheat flour (the brand commonly used by prata makers), sugar, salt, eggs, Planta margarine, vanaspati (vegetable shortening), and ghee.

“The prata will be crispy when you put ghee,” says Jihath. “[We don’t use] butter as it softens the prata!”

Before cooking, the dough balls are flipped and stretched thinly.  

It is then folded from its four corners and turned inside out before cooking. Jihath says that it took him three years to master these techniques from Mr Mohgan. Compared to Mr Mohgan who moves quick and efficiently, Jihath seems to be more deliberate in his cooking, appearing to pay more attention to his craft even when there's a line of hungry customers. 

Each side of the prata is fried for about two minutes on a hot plate over a small fire so that it gets crispy but not overly charred. However, Jihath says that the stove is old and the heat uneven, making the cooking process here challenging.

The prata’s exterior is superbly crisp, with some corners deliciously blistered and the layers within thin and distinct. Its texture is somewhat reminiscent of a flaky cruffin's. Those averse to margarine will be glad to know that the flavour is hardly discernible, but what’s missing here is also the fragrance of ghee.

That said, this is one delicately crisp prata that you can savour on its own, sans curry.

To those who order regular egg prata at a stall known for crisp pancakes: you are missing the point, because all egg-stuffed pratas inevitably turn soft. Get yourself a plaster instead, essentially a plain prata topped with a fried egg. To make this, a sunny-side-up egg is fried separately on the hotplate and when it’s almost cooked, Jihath slaps a plain prata on so that the egg is “plastered” on it. This allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds. The edges of a prata plaster tend to be even crispier because of the refrying process. Our only grouse is that the yolk here gets a little overcooked sometimes.

To make a serving of coin prata, two portions of prata dough are each flipped and stretched, then cut into three long strips.

Jihath then slathers each strip with margarine and sprinkles it with sugar.

The strip is then twirled into a cinnamon bun-like roll and fried on both sides.

The six little "coins" are light and crisp, but the Planta and sugar make it rather jelak after two pieces — though we imagine kids with a sweet tooth would have no problems devouring the whole plate.

A choice of assam fish curry, mutton curry or dhal is available. Jihath says that he has modified the fish curry recipe after Mr Mohgan left so that it is hotter, and on certain days it really is a delicious spice bomb with a good tangy punch from the tamarind. However, over our few visits, we find the dips are inconsistent — they can be bland and watery at times. 

The sambal chilli made with canned sardines is generally fiery and good, but can also taste a bit weak on occasion.  

Tin Yeang Restaurant, 300 Joo Chiat Rd (beside Dunman Food Centre), S429356. Open daily except Wed. Thur to Mon 6.30am - 1pm; Tue 6.30am - 11.30am. Last orders at closing or until sold out.

Somasundram Mohgan, 52, the OG behind the super popular Mr and Mrs Mohgan's Super Crispy Roti Prata stall, which opened at Crane Road in 2006. A month ago, Mr Mohgan relocated his biz just 500 metres away to a kopitiam near Dunman Food Centre. He doesn't cook all the time now though — he shares duties with three assistant cooks, whom he supervises.

Mr Mohgan relocated his stall to this more spacious kopitiam a stone’s throw away from his former Crane Road locale (that’s now occupied by Famous Crispy Prata Indian Muslim Food, see above). Tin Yeang Restaurant has no shortage of retro charms: think weathered laminate tables, bent-wood kopitiam chairs and a coin-operated phone sitting in a corner. It also has a larger seating space, with about twice as many seats here compared to Poh Ho kopitiam’s, and the ceiling fans operate at full blast, making this joint a far more pleasant environment to wait for your prata. Another plus point: are also more parking lots here within walking distance for those who drive.

Poker-faced Mrs Mohgan, 51, continues to take orders, but this time she has a digital board to display numbers of orders ready for collection — so no more unladylike hollering for her. Foolhardy friends who visited during the weekend said they waited 45 minutes for their food. But it’s still an improvement over the 90-minute wait they had to endure when Mr Mohgan operated his shop at the smaller Crane Rd premises. It helps that the Mohgans now boast three stall assistants instead of just one (like in the past). Still, it’s best to go on weekdays — we waited just 15 minutes for our prata one Tuesday morning.

Mr Mohgan developed his recipe after years of experimentation. It’s pretty much identical to what Jihath does with his prata, but Mohgan says that he does not use Planta margarine in the making of the dough, only to lightly coat the individual balls to prevent them from sticking together. He adds that about 750 portions are made daily, but how much is sold depends on the number of people working at the stall: “If I am cooking alone, all I can serve is 500 portions. Anybody who tells you that he can sell 1,000 portions by himself is Superman!”
 
When we ask him if he ever considered automation since he plans to open five stalls within the next five years, he says that his prata dough is too soft to be properly cut using machinery.

Mr Mohgan also flips, folds and turns the prata prior to cooking. “These steps are what makes the prata crispy. You have to fold it a certain way — not like folding clothes!” he explains. “This is why even if you know my recipe and use my dough, you might still not be able to cook a good crispy prata.”

Yeah folks, it’s all in the technique and intrinsic skill the master possesses. Perhaps that’s why he was so confident, he didn’t mind leaving his former righthand man behind for the new stall owner of the Crane Road stall he sold off. Mr Mohgan also reveals: “I teach each of my assistants a different set of skills, I am the only person who knows how to do everything.”  Ah, no wonder.

Each side of a pancake is also fried for about two minutes over a small fire, but at this new stall, they have the benefit of a new hotplate which Mohgan says has the benefit of even heating. Most times, it may be one of his three assistants cooking the prata here rather than Mr Mohgan himself, but so far this hasn’t affected the consistency of the food.

The exterior of the pancake is crisp and some bits are super crunchy. The prata is thicker and more substantial here and while it isn’t as delicate as Jihath’s, it boasts a nice chewiness to it. “My pratas are good to eat with any kind of curry,” brags Mr Mohgan. His pratas also have a more distinct flavour and fragrance.

“My pratas are good to eat with any kind of curry,” brags Mr Mohgan. His pratas also have a more distinct flavour and fragrance. That said, even the old master can be overwhelmed when the crazy crowds descend on his stall — and the standard drops. The chances of getting a not-as-crisp prata is higher the longer the wait is. Moral of the story: if you can, visit his stall on weekdays.

The technique for making the plaster is identical to Mohgan’s former stall assistant’s at Famous Crispy Prata Indian Muslim Food.

However, unlike the latter’s, we like that the egg yolk in the prata plaster here is runny.

The preparation of this is the same as how Jihath does it, and splitting what could’ve been two pratas into six portions means that you maximise the crunchy surface areas. These are however, heavier, denser and even more filling than Jihath's. They're also 50 cents more expensive.  

Mohgan’s thicker prata is indeed perfect for sopping up his curries. Both the appetising assam fish curry and fragrant mutton curry (dhal wasn’t available on our visit) have a luxuriously velvety texture and richness. And they’ve been consistently good — this writer would know; she’s been eating their prata for the last eight years. The Mohgan’s addition of potent sambal at the side made with ikan bilis, dried chilli, belacan, garlic, onions and assam (which is more the practice for roti canai in Malaysia than Singaporean prata) is also consistently shiok. 

Mr and Mrs Mohgan's Super Crispy Roti Prata!
Our vote for the better overall experience still goes to old Mr and Mrs Mohgan. That said, the delicate quality of Jihath’s flaky pancakes at Famous Crispy Prata Indian Muslim Food is really quite special, and with the shorter waiting time there, his stall is worth a visit — provided that Jihath is still cooking behind the stove.  
 
 

Here's the full low-down on the Mohgan's and Famous Crispy Prata Indian Muslim Food saga.
 
Photos: Kelvin Chia