24-year-old younger hawker’s daring try at $7.50 sambal stingray rice bowls and extra

I can’t bear in mind what I used to be doing once I was 24 years outdated, however I used to be definitely not formidable sufficient to begin my very own enterprise or go into the hawker commerce. And then there’s 24-year-old Noel Phua, the brains behind Sambae — a hawker stall at Ang Mo Kio that sells sambal rice bowls.

Noel at all times knew that he needed to work with meals. 

He studied at ITE College West, acquired a Nitec cert in Asian Culinary Arts, and his uncooked expertise for cooking paid off when he went on to compete in nationwide and worldwide competitions, equivalent to WorldSkills Singapore and ASEAN Skills Competition. He represented Singapore and clinched the third place for each competitions.

After commencement, he labored in direction of opening his first meals stall— particularly within the hawker scene. “I wanted everyone to be able to afford my food, and I can only do that if I come out to be a hawker,” he shared.

Why sambal although?

“Whenever I wanted to eat sambal stingray, I was frustrated because I always had to share it with family and friends. There was never a one-portion sambal stingray,” he mentioned. “That’s why I knew I wanted to come out to offer that.”

In truth, after weeks of stressing over the right way to identify his sambal-themed hawker stall, it was his girlfriend who finally coined the time period ‘Sambae’. “Why are you worrying so much? Sambal is your bae,” she instructed Noel. A lightbulb went off in his head and Sambae (aka sambal + bae) was born.

What I attempted

Noel shared that he makes his sambal from scratch, so I used to be fairly excited to dig into Noel’s Sambae Stingray Rice Bowl with Onsen Egg (S$7.50).

For simply S$7.50, I acquired three slices of stingray slathered in a house-made sambal sauce (Noel shared that the portion of stingrays go by weight, so every bowl will get round 100g of stingray), a mattress of pearl rice, an onsen egg, pickled cucumbers, and sliced onions.

The scent of the sambal made my mouth water immediately. It was aromatic and candy, with spicy base that jogged my memory of fried ikan bilis and fish inventory.

I took a chew of the sambal and was impressed by its depth of flavour. It was candy at first, however then the spice crept in and lingered on my tongue in a smoky method. It had gritty texture and wasn’t too spicy, and I loved it immensely with a cup of iced teh. 

As for the stingray itself— the chicken got here aside cleanly, which was an enormous plus level. However, relying on the scale and form of the piece of stingray, some elements turned out to be somewhat drier than others. Not to say that I additionally discovered some small bones within the stingray, which was a slight inconvenience.

However, I positively may see the enchantment of a sambal stingray rice bowl. I’ll now not have to share it with family and friends as a result of this particular person portion will probably be all for me.

Despite taking a while to take photographs of the dish, the onsen egg was nonetheless delightfully jiggly and tender, and I used to be happy with the consistency of the yolk, which was runny.

The onsen egg didn’t do a lot when it comes to flavour, however it added a pleasant creaminess to the rice, which acquired somewhat dry due to the dearth of gravy.

Noel’s Sambae Lala (S$12/S$14) was subsequent on the record. I completely love lala, so I used to be able to dig proper in.

This was my favorite dish for the day. Not simply because I really like lala, however as a result of Sambae’s sambal was smoky, full-bodied and savoury, and went completely with the tender meat from the lala.

This is the form of spicy and shiok sambal that made my ears tingle gently. I’m so glad that this underrated dish is lastly served with reputable sambal in a espresso store, as a result of I may see myself having fun with this with a pleasant chilly pint of beer.

I additionally managed to strive its Sambae Sotong (S$15/S$19), which was slathered in the identical house-made sambal sauce.

I’ve acquired to say, I understand how onerous it’s to cook dinner sotong as a result of it’s straightforward to overcook and the meat will find yourself robust and rubbery. 

However, Sambae’s sotong was completely cooked and I had no points biting by way of the tender meat. This was an awesome sharing piece, as you’ve acquired that briny sweetness from the seafood with a spicy kick from the sambal. I extremely suggest squeezing the lime so as to add a brilliant acidity to every chew.

According to Noel, the Chicken Nanban (S$4.90) is without doubt one of the extra standard objects on the menu, regardless of it not having any sambal in any respect.

This is as a result of most of Sambae’s prospects are likely to order beer, particularly in direction of the tip of the evening, so the Chicken Nanban is a good sharing aspect to nibble on.

I may instantly inform that the Chicken Nanban was freshly made the minute I bit into it, as a result of it was piping sizzling and extremely juicy. 

However, the nanban sauce is the undisputed hero of this dish due to its mayo-like sweetness. It was salty and tangy, whereas retaining a light creamy texture. Each chew was addictive, and my eating companions and I ended up sharpening this dish off first.

Final ideas

At 24 years of age, Noel Phua shows a uncommon tenacity and self-discipline that’s onerous to return by. His choices are definitely spectacular and promising, with a few shortcomings that may be simply tweaked with time. The subsequent time I really feel like indulging in stingray however don’t have the corporate to share it with, I’ll drop by Sambae for its single-portion Sambal Stingray Rice Bowl. 

I’m wanting ahead to seeing what else Sambae has to supply. If Noel bottled his house-made sambal sauce, I’d even contemplate shopping for it in order that I can go residence and pair it with plain rice or noodles. (trace trace)

Expected injury: S$2.90 – S$19 per pax

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