Shiok mala Hainan-style curry rice units from $3.50 at Toa Payoh

I like Hainanese-style curry rice. There’s simply one thing a couple of sloppy, messy plate of curry-drenched rice that makes me immediately salivate. Add mala to the combo and also you’ve transformed me into an immediate fan— working example: Kim’s Curry Hainan.

I discovered this humble curry rice stall at J99 Eating House at 186 Toa Payoh Central— the exact same espresso store I used to frequent every day when the SethLui.com workplace was across the nook.  

Kim’s Curry Hainan is a current phenomenon, as its first outlet solely opened at Admiralty in Jul 2022. In a span of some months, it rapidly expanded to Bedok and Toa Payoh, and its fan base grew because of its reasonably priced curry rice units that include essentially the most addictive mala gravy.

Despite the model’s relative newness within the F&B trade, Kim’s Curry Hainan comes with a ton of historical past. Not solely does the key household recipe for its Hainanese curry date again to 1974, the household behind Kim’s Curry Hainan initially began out as a tingkat and catering enterprise in 1999.

As with most Hainanese-style curry rice outlets, Kim’s Curry Hainan provides a choose few set meals. The least expensive is its Curry Chicken Wing Set (S$3.50), whereas its priciest is the Signature Kim’s Curry Combo Set (S$6.80). Other standard units embody the Crispy Pork Chop Set (S$5) and Braised Pork Belly Set (S$5.50).

You also can select to order à la carte type, similar to your common caifan stall. However, the distinction between Kim’s Curry Hainan and different outlets is the selection of curry that can drench your rice afterwards.

In an virtually ingenious method that makes me go “why didn’t I think of that sooner”, Kim’s Curry Hainan provides distinctive gravies, akin to mala and hen collagen, which you’ll choose on high of the same old lor bak and curry gravy.

What I attempted at Kim’s Curry Hainan

Oh, wonderful curry rice! The sight of my Crispy Pork Chop Set (S$5) made me want I might’ve dug in instantly, however alas, the digicam wanted to feast first.

Each curry rice set got here along with your normal suspects: a sunny-side up, smooth cabbage, a mattress of white rice, your alternative of curry gravies, and your alternative of protein.

For this explicit set, I made a decision to get the mala gravy. It may be value noting that the mala gravy is doused on high of the common curry gravy, so that you’ve bought to present it a superb combine to make sure the spicy flavours are distributed evenly.

What I beloved about Kim’s Curry Hainan was how its base curry gravy was scrumptious by itself, with a well-balanced saltiness, warmth and savouriness, and a texture that was satisfyingly creamy but not too thick. 

The addition of mala to an already wealthy gravy solely made your complete expertise 10 occasions higher, because the tell-tale numbing spice crept up slowly but absolutely, tickling my style buds and inflicting me to sweat midway by means of the meal. 

When paired with the lor bak sauce, which leaned in the direction of the sweeter finish, all the things grew to become heavenly addictive. I merely couldn’t put my spoon down!

I had a love-hate relationship with Kim’s Curry Hainan’s pork chops. While I beloved the breading, which was tangy and jogged my memory of Hakka-style fried pork stomach in fermented beancurd, it wasn’t crispy sufficient. It additionally wasn’t freshly deep-fried and had been sitting in a pile on the counter, able to be served to the upcoming lunch crowd.

I moved on to my second plate of Hainanese-style curry rice: Braised Pork Belly Set (S$5.50).

If Kim’s Curry Hainan’s pork chops had dissatisfied me earlier, its glistening chunks of braised pork stomach greater than made up for it. These have been massive, rectangular cubes of soppy and jiggly braised pork stomach that have been so tender that I had issues selecting them up with my spoon!

This have to be probably the greatest braised pork bellies I’ve eaten in my total life, and in a single heartbeat, I knew I’d simply make the journey again to Toa Payoh once more only for this. Each delectable piece of braised pork stomach melted in my mouth, forsaking a particular meaty and savoury style that might solely come from a stellar lor bak gravy.

One phrase simply stored repeating in my head again and again: Shiok.

While the smooth cabbage and sunny-side up weren’t notably a stand-out merchandise, they complemented the remainder of the scrumptious parts of the dish completely (similar to Robin is to Batman). The cabbage added a textural distinction to the curry-laden rice, whereas the sunny-side up, although just a little overcooked, made every chew creamier.

Final ideas

Marrying mala and Hainanese-style curry rice is an ingenious mixture that undoubtedly paid off. Seriously, why was mala curry rice not a factor till now? Plus factors undoubtedly go for Kim’s Curry Hainan’s affordability in addition to beneficiant portion sizes.

While the pork chop wasn’t my favorite as I needed it had been crisper, I believe I’ve discovered essentially the most ideally suited mixture: braised pork stomach with mala curry. The approach that the tender braised pork stomach melted in my mouth might simply rival these of different standard Hainanese curry rice stalls. The subsequent time I’m again for Kim’s Curry Hainan, I would even simply ask for extra curry for that additional shiokness.

Expected harm: S$3.50 – S$6.80 per pax

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