WHEN the recently renovated Ang Mo Kio market and food centre in Avenue 6 reopened last month, I went looking for one of my favourite yong tau foo stalls.

What makes Xi Xiang Feng's stuffed beancurd stand out is the chilli sauce, which is cooked from scratch by stall-owner Tan Soh Eng, 58, and her full-bodied soup.

The oomph in the chilli sauce comes from dried prawn (hae bee) which is first fried without any oil, then blended before it is incorporated into the paste made with lots of shallots, garlic, dried chilli and other ingredients.

Mixed with good-quality sweet sauce, the result is a sauce that is a little spicy and a little sweet which goes perfectly well with dry noodles. The toasted sesame seeds sprinkled over the sauce add a nice touch.

The accompanying soup, which comes with a generous topping of coriander, is really good. The yellow beans are cooked till tender and the ikan bilis impart a natural sweetness.

The soup is apparently also cooked with a few old hens and simmered for more than six hours.

What also works for me here is the freshness of the food. The never-ending queues during peak hours ensure a high turnover.

The sheer variety gives regulars a lot of choice, with more than 40 different types of yong tau foo at 30 cents to $1 a piece.

You pay 50 cents more if you want laksa gravy. There's also chee cheong fun (rice noodle roll) at 80 cents per roll. Whatever you pick, the items must add up to a minimum of $2.50.

There are the usual steamed beancurd, taupok, fried wonton and vegetables such as lady's fingers, to name a few.

The deep-fried items are done so that they stay crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Only the homemade porkballs are over-fried and a bit too hard for my liking.

You should be able to get your food in about 15 minutes because there are two people cooking now. Previously, with just one cook, you would have to wait for about half an hour.

But don't expect service with a smile, though. The hawkers can be pretty gruff at times.

But as a regular customer queueing in front of me during one lunchtime said: 'It doesn't bother me. The food's good, so I just eat and go. This is still my favourite yong tau foo stall.'

Xi Xiang Feng
Block 724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, 01-23
Open: 6.30am to 8pm, closed on Sundays
Rating: ***

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Feb 24 2008.

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