Fresh $10 crimson grouper fish head soup hidden in Ang Mo Kio

Word on the road is that Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup is the place you head to for those who’re up for some inexpensive crimson grouper fish head soup. This humble stall has been making its rounds on social media because of its beneficiant parts of recent crimson grouper fish head, which supposedly solely go for S$10 a bowl!

You can discover Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup hidden away in Chong Boon Market & Food Centre, a bustling neighbourhood hawker centre that’s a 12-minute stroll away from Ang Mo Kio MRT.

Based on the storefront alone, Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup seems similar to your common fish soup stall. 

Apart from promoting the same old fish soup fare, similar to Sliced Fish Soup (S$5/S$7), Fried Fish Soup (S$5/S$7) and extra, I urge you to take a better take a look at its menu, as you’ll discover a number of gadgets that stand out: Red Grouper Fish Head Soup (S$10/S$12) and Fried Fish Head Soup (S$5/S$7), simply to call a number of. 

A not-so-popular facet dish is even out there right here: Fried Fish Roe (S$2/S$4/S$6)!

Chong Boon Market & Food Centre won’t be the simplest to navigate, because the cooked meals stalls are positioned in a big U-shape, with the moist market stalls positioned within the centre of the world. 

You’ll discover Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup alongside the stretch of stalls going through Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, away from the bustling neighbourhood centre.

Impressively, Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup garners lengthy queues irrespective of the time and day. If you’re coming for the Red Grouper Fish Head Soup, we suggest that you simply come round lunch, as it would get offered out because the day progresses.

What I attempted at Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup

I got here right here for one dish: Red Grouper Fish Head Soup (S$10). 

While I’m personally not the kind to go for fish head, I do know that it tends to get fairly pricey and is tough to arrange, so I used to be wanting to see how Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup would ship on this dish.

Note that Plain Rice is charged individually at S$0.50 per bowl.

For simply S$10, I used to be immediately shocked by how beneficiant and enormous these chunks of crimson grouper fish head have been! I counted no less than 6 to 7 items, with a very good number of components— I noticed a watch, a fin, part of the mouth, and extra.

I admit that I struggled fairly a bit with the fish head items, not realizing one of the best ways to eat them, however I ultimately discovered a sure pleasure in taking my time to dissect each bit. The fish meat was agency— a positive signal of freshness— and had a touch of briny sweetness. 

I think about that my grandparents, who’re avid fish head followers and would simply polish off every half, would take pleasure in this value-for-money bowl of Red Grouper Fish Head Soup, and I made a psychological observe to convey them right here the following time spherical.

I need to say that Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup was actually considerate, and even offered me with a folded paper waste bin for me to throw my fish bones in. Huge plus factors for that!

The soup was my favorite a part of the dish. Incredibly gentle, candy and clear tasting, I may style a powerful sweetness from the fried yam slices, in addition to a yummy full-bodiedness from the broth. This was actually scrumptious and soothing soup that warmed me from the within. I couldn’t style any MSG in any respect, and even after sharpening off the whole bowl, I wasn’t thirsty within the slightest as a consequence of any synthetic flavourings.

If the beneficiant quantities of crimson grouper fish head items weren’t sufficient, the Red Grouper Fish Head Soup got here with loads of different substances, similar to fried sliced yam, thick wedges of tomato, small cubes of tofu, and cabbage.

Though the remainder of the substances have been fairly common, what I appreciated was how the cabbage wasn’t boiled along with the soup. Instead, the recent cabbage is positioned into the empty bowl first and the piping sizzling fish soup is poured instantly on high after, in order that the lettuce continues to be crunchy in a while.

For selection, I made a decision to order my favorite fish soup merchandise: Double Taste Fish Soup (S$5.50), which comes with each fried and recent fish slices. I additionally requested for evaporated milk to be added to my Double Taste Fish Soup, and requested for skinny bee hoon.

As in comparison with Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup’s plain fish soup, the milky model was a lot smoother and silkier. However, the addition of evaporated milk appeared to have negated any pure sweetness from the unique fish soup, and as a substitute made it somewhat saltier and full-bodied. Despite being an avid fan of evaporated milk in fish soups, I discovered myself gravitating again in the direction of the Red Grouper Fish Head Soup.

To my disappointment, the sliced fish and fried fish have been each dry and hard. I’ve positively had higher, more energizing and softer items of fish meat earlier than. The sliced fish tasted prefer it had been cooked previous to being added to the Double Taste Fish Soup, whereas the fried fish appeared to have been deep fried and disregarded within the open. 

After seeing a number of regulars order Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup’s Fried Fish Roe, I made a decision to present it a attempt as effectively. The Fried Fish Roe is offered in three sizes: S$2/S$4/S$6, however I made a decision to go along with the smallest measurement.

These have been attention-grabbing, to say the least. Though it tasted somewhat stale and positively not as crispy as I’d like (I believe that just like the fried fish slices, these weren’t deep-fried upon order), the little bits of fish roe have been addictively briny and mildly salty. While I had anticipated them to be extra on the savoury finish, some chunks have been barely extra bitter than others, so I’d say that that is an acquired style.

To fight any doable muskiness or brininess from the Fried Fish Roe, I’d extremely suggest that you simply pair it with the fermented soy bean sauce or chilli that’s out there at Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup’s storefront.

Final ideas

Though I struggled to complete the Double Taste Fish Soup, I discovered myself totally having fun with the Red Grouper Fish Head Soup for its naturally candy and no-MSG tasting soup, in addition to the beneficiant chunks of fish head items. For simply S$10, the dish is a particular steal, and a really value-for-money choice for these seeking to satiate their fish head cravings.

For those that aren’t into fish soups, you could be happy to know that Cai Ji Fried Fish Soup additionally sells noodle dishes like Minced Meat Ee Mian (S$4) and Handmade Noodle (S$4), however frankly, I’m fairly positive that Chong Boon Market & Food Centre would have loads of different choices for you, similar to fellow author Aaron’s favorite bak chor mee stall, Yong Xin.

Still, value a attempt.

Expected harm: S$4 – S$10 per pax

Other articles you may like:

Dian Lao Er: Traditional claypot sesame oil hen, soups & braised pig’s trotters in Ang Mo Kio

11 inexpensive noodle spots in Ang Mo Kio to curb your starvation pangs