Hawker stall serving 35 sorts of appam at Republic Polytechnic, open to public

A little bit birdie advised me about Appam Aunty, positioned within the North Canteen of Republic Polytechnic. Not solely does it promote over 35 styles of appam, however it’s additionally simple on the pockets as properly. The most enjoyable information is that it’s open to the general public day by day! I knew I needed to test this place out since appam is a dish that I hardly ever attempt.

After exploring the huge grounds of Republic Polytechnic, I lastly reached the canteen. As it was a Sunday, each stall had its shutters down, aside from Appam Aunty. The complete place was so silent that you may actually hear a pin drop. Finding a washroom right here was fairly difficult, and also you’ll want course.

To my astonishment, there have been a few college students, an entire household, and some supply riders hanging round while ready to gather their orders. The place wasn’t so lifeless in spite of everything!

The proprietor, Shalini (Appam Aunty) nonetheless does the standard fermentation and flour preparation strategies utilizing the identical recipe up until now, which had been handed down for generations from her late grandmother, for the reason that Fifties.

I took a second to compose myself, as I used to be a little bit overwhelmed with the sheer variety of selections obtainable. In the top, I settled for two candy and a couple of savoury appams.

What I attempted at Appam Aunty

I kickstarted my Sunday lunch with the Egg & Cheese Appam (S$3.50) served with a Coconut Milk dip. There was a mound of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese on high, concealing the centre of the pancake. As I pulled the pancake aside, the cheese pull wasn’t as superb as I’d imagined it will be— how disappointing!

The egg had penetrated into the core of the pancake, remodeling it right into a golden-yellow sunshine-like piece. Although the appam was lusciously creamy and velvety from the richness of the egg, the feel nonetheless remained barely chewy like a mochi.

The Coconut Milk dip had a faint tinge of sweetness, and contrasted properly with the slight savouriness of the cheese. However, that being stated, I’d’ve most popular one thing spicy, like a curry, to pair it with.

To take a look at that idea, I shall return subsequent time to attempt the Fish Curry or Prawn Curry dip— we’ll see!

I then moved on to attempt the Satay Goreng (Mutton) (S$5). On high of the perfectly-round appam, there have been chunks of mutton satay, cubes of crimson onion/cucumber, and a dollop of peanut gravy by the aspect.

The mutton satay was well-marinated with dominant hints of lemongrass and galangal. The peanut gravy was barely spiced and went hand-in-hand with the meat. The cubes of crimson onion and cucumber supplied components of juiciness, spiciness and crunchiness altogether directly.

Similar to the Egg & Cheese Appam, the centre of the pancake was fluffy and had a honeycomb-like construction— Nyonya kueh followers will discover it just like kueh ambon.

When I ate this dish as an entire, it was a multi-sensory expertise which was extraordinarily satisfying— you’ll have to expertise it for your self to grasp!

Next, I used to be excited to attempt the Kaya Toast Appam (S$3). Visually, it appeared very interesting with the glistening puddle of kaya coating the centre of the pancake coupled with the melted cubes of butter.

Even earlier than I took a chew, my senses have been seduced by the fragrant whiffs of pandan. The wealthy and candy coconutty style of the kaya was additional enhanced with the creamy lusciousness of the melted butter.

The crispy corners of the appam added some satisfying crunchy touches to the dish too.

I ended my afternoon with the final dish, the MSW Durian Appam (S$3.50). The pancake was loaded with a beneficiant topping of Mao Shan Wang durian puree.

The intense aroma and style of the durian would drive haters far-off— not me! The pure bitter-sweetness of the puree didn’t overwhelm my palette with richness, permitting me to benefit from the dish with out feeling jelak.

Final Thoughts

If you’re round Woodlands and wish to discover someplace new for lunch, Appam Aunty can be the best alternative.

Explore Republic Polytechnic on weekdays when it’s swamped with college students, or on weekends when hardly anybody is  round— the selection is yours. I used to be blissful to go to when it was much less packed.

Expected injury: S$2 – S$8.50 per pax

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