Authentic Taiwanese lu rou fan, however Hakka-style from S$4.80

Despite it being 2pm and sweltering scorching, Lin’s Braised commanded a good and unending queue of consumers at its quaint stall in Dunman Food Centre.

Dunman Food Centre is definitely no stranger to well-known and well-loved hawker stalls, boasting in style stalls akin to Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau and Dunman Road Char Siew Wan Ton Mee. 

However, Lin’s Braised looks like a promising contender, with its genuine Taiwanese braised dishes and home-style fish soup priced affordably, with dishes ranging from S$4.80.

The stall is single-handedly helmed by Eileen Lam, who held an workplace job in an F&B firm dealing with issues like procurement, buying, operations and franchises. 

Across the years, Eileen travelled to many components of Asia (principally due to work). After being retrenched because of the pandemic, she determined to carry one among Taiwan’s most iconic dishes to Singapore— lu rou fan, also called braised pork rice.

“Considering Singapore’s weather, I knew I needed to adapt the recipe a little,” she shared. “Taiwanese braised rice tends to be on the sweeter side, so I decided to consult a Hakka chef and eventually came up with a recipe that infused local Hakka flavours into the lu rou fan.”

Thus, Eileen’s signature Hakka lu rou fan was born.

What I attempted at Lin’s Braised

I began out with Eileen’s iconic dish: Signature “Hakka” Braised Pork Rice (S$5.80), which got here with preserved greens, beancurd, tau pok, egg and pearl rice.

All the components are ready from scratch— sure, even the preserved greens!

If you’re not feeling so hungry, you will get the “Hakka” Braised Pork Rice (S$4.80), which omits the tau pok and beancurd.

This bowl of braised pork rice was fantastically simple to eat. After mixing all the components collectively, this grew to become your quintessential home-cooked rice that’s soaked with braised gravy. It was comforting, acquainted and completely scrumptious.

There was simply sufficient braised gravy to drench the pearl rice— such that every chunk had steadiness of candy and savoury flavours whereas guaranteeing that the rice was not drowning in sauce.

Hearty and meaty, every spoonful had a pleasant appetising zing and crunch from the preserved greens, whereas the minced meat got here in massive chunks that added a satisfying chunk. 

Later, I learnt from Eileen that she makes use of zero gentle soy sauce within the gravy (which shocked me), however relied on the juices from the minced meat and preserved greens, with slightly darkish soy sauce for color.

Out of all of the components, my favorite was the tau pok. It had soaked up all of the gravy, so the beancurd pores and skin was delightfully smooth, however stuffed with smoky, savoury and umami notes.

I made a decision to strive Eileen’s Braised Pig Trotter La-Mian with Salted Vegetable (Dry) (S$8.80).

Despite its barely hefty price ticket, I used to be stunned to see massive chunks of pig trotter meat which got here with the bone.

Be positive to provide the noodles stir, as Eileen’s do-it-yourself chilli sauce coats every skinny strand fantastically. 

Reminding me of Malaysian-style dry chilli ban mee, this bowl of la mian had a wealthy soy-based sauce that had robust hints of garlic and smoky chilli. 

The chilli was fairly robust and stunned me with its brilliant depth, so for those who can’t deal with your spice, do ask Eileen for much less chilli.

The pig trotter meat got here in massive chunks, with a good quantity of meat and fats. While the meat leaned in the direction of the harder finish (most likely because of the nature of the reduce), I loved the way it had absorbed the braised gravy and was a tad bit salty.

The final dish I attempted was an merchandise from Lin’s Braised’s Fish Soup menu: Fried Fish Soup (S$5 for small).

Curious as to why there was fish soup on the menu when the stall’s focus was on braised meat, I made a decision to ask Eileen for extra data. 

“Some people need a soup dish to pair together with their braised rice,” she shared. “Rather than go to another stall to place their order, I decided to start selling fish soup so that they can get it both at one place.”

Clean and light-weight, the fish soup tasted precisely like home-cooked meals— it was soothing with refined briny notes, and I couldn’t style any additions of MSG or synthetic flavours. I may style the pure sweetness of the cabbage and fish, whereas the seaweed added a well-needed salty kick.

This is a bowl of fish soup that I’d gladly have on a wet day, although its flavour profile was lighter than anticipated.

If you’re a fan of braised meat, just like the sorts you’d discover in your kway chap, you’ll be able to think about getting Eileen’s Braised Pork Large Intestine (S$5) to share.

I used to be impressed with how clear it tasted, because it had none of that iconic gamey style or odor. Instead, every smooth piece was delightfully peppery, with depth of flavour from the wealthy braised sauce.

Eileen’s tip: you’ll want to pair this along with her do-it-yourself sambal belacan sauce, which falls extra on the watery facet, however comes with that acquainted brilliant and tear-inducing spiciness.

Final ideas

I cherished Lin’s Braised’s Signature “Hakka” Braised Rice for its comforting flavours, which warmed my tummy and jogged my memory of satisfying home-cooked meals. 

For simply S$5.80, you’re definitely getting a ton of high quality in a single bowl, contemplating that Eileen makes every part from scratch— most notably the preserved greens, minced meat and braised gravy, and pairs it with Taiwanese pearl rice for essentially the most genuine lu rou fan expertise.

Eileen’s hearty choices had been easy however scrumptious, and I’ll positively be again for it.

Expected injury: S$4.80 – S$11 per pax

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