Shiok dry lontong & nasi ambeng at Haig Road Food Centre

As Singaporeans, we’re actually blessed to get pleasure from a array of cuisines at our native kopitiams and hawker centres. I crave for lontong on occasion and I’m glad I discovered Sinar Harapan at Haig Road Food Centre. This Muslim-owned institution has been round because the opening of the meals centre again in 1977— that’s a complete of 45 years!

I used to be greeted by the intense yellow signboard with totally different picks of dishes crammed to the brim at each stage of the shelf show. My eyes have been form of overwhelmed scanning via the in depth number of dishes, inflicting my empty abdomen to rumble— I used to be prepared to begin feasting!

Headed by 65-year-old Mdm. Suppiah, every part at Sinar Harapan is painstakingly ready by her and her two sisters— like Charlie’s angels! The three of them begin preparations at 5am, taking turns cooking the meals, serving, and organising vendor provides. The third technology, 41-year-old Nurul and her two siblings, assist out on the stall a number of instances per week at any time when their work schedule allows them to.

What I attempted at Sinar Harapan

Sinar Harapan serves their meals in easy disposable styrofoam plates and bowls— nothing fancy. I started my yummy feast with Nasi Ambeng (S$8). I lifted the plate to my desk and it was fairly heavy! It was loaded with components at each nook.

It consisted of a pile of white rice topped with serundeng (desiccated coconut) and curry gravy, a giant piece of beef rendang, begedil, eggplant sambal, achar, sambal goreng, a complete sambal egg, and a handful of frivolously blanched bean sprouts and kangkong.

My enamel bit via the meat rendang with out a lot effort— it was tender and intensely nicely marinated. The delicate rendang spices got here via after chewing the comfortable meat and I used to be off to an excellent begin— can I order a complete bowl of beef rendang please?

The eggplants have been monster-sized and there have been two items— excellent for somebody like me who loves eggplants! The flesh was comfortable and creamy, and the sambal on high tied every part collectively properly.

The home made sambal belachan at Sinar Harapan tasted like a precise duplicate of my Peranakan grandma’s model— it made every part style higher! Nostalgic reminiscences got here flooding again with the acquainted style of residence. Perhaps my solely gripe was the achar. It was slightly bland and didn’t present an acidic kick to the dish.

I attempted their Lontong (S$4.50) subsequent. It got here with a number of items of lontong, a complete sambal egg, a great deal of cabbage, and one large piece of tau kwa served with lemak gravy. The lontong was silky easy and melted in my mouth immediately. The serundeng was the umami of the dish, giving the lontong scrumptious coconutty flavours. If Romeo and Juliet have been components on this dish, they might be lontong and serundeng respectively— these two components ought to by no means be separated, ever!

I swore my fork was getting ready to breaking once I poked it via the piece of tau kwa. It was so large and had already soaked up the gravy like a sponge. Sinking my enamel via it immediately gave me a way of satisfaction. The cabbage supplied somewhat crunch which surprisingly labored for me— I desire it comfortable normally.

I wanted that the lemak gravy was thicker and gave extra oomph because it was on the watery facet. There was additionally a slight sourish aftertaste to it, which didn’t sit fairly nicely with me. I shared my suggestions with Nurul and she or he stated they’ll look into it— such a optimistic angle {and professional} response from them… thumbs up!

The spotlight of my lunch was the Lontong Kering (S$7). Translated to dry lontong, this dish is just not generally present in Singapore and I used to be excited to strive it! It got here with 4 items of lontong with a beneficiant sprinkling of serundeng on high, a chunk of their legendary beef rendang that I had earlier, begedil, paru goreng (fried beef lung) and sambal goreng.

No one in my circle loves paru goreng. They get fairly intimidated by its blackish color and the truth that it’s beef lung. I find it irresistible although. The paru at Sinar Harapan is so tender not like the numerous powerful ones that I’ve tried previously. Smokey and flavourful, I don’t thoughts risking my uric acid ranges to spike up only for this!

Mdm. Suppiah was so good and provided to chop up the meat rendang into items for me. I used to be as soon as once more again at rendang heaven as I paired the comfortable chunks of meat with the comfortable lontong topped with the serundeng— I can eat this on a regular basis for positive.

Final ideas

Sinar Harapan is a household enterprise that was first began by Nurul’s grandmother who handed down all her recipes to the second technology— consisting of Mdm. Suppiah and her two sisters. It warms my coronary heart to see the third technology becoming a member of forces to supply assist to this stall.

Most of our good hawkers are getting previous and can in all probability retire within the close to future. Sinar Harapan really stands for “rays of hope”. Hopefully, we will prepare new blood to hitch within the dying hawker scene and hope issues will shift round for the higher.

Head right down to Haig Road Food Centre and pay them a go to. I for positive shall be heading again for his or her lontong kering quickly!

Expected harm: S$4 – S$7.50 per pax

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