Don't go away, Chye Tow Kway

Don't go away, Chye Tow Kway

When the 20-year lease for Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre comes up next May, a lot of food and market stalls may disappear and there is no certainty that they will return. The centre will be undergoing extensive upgrading that might last up to 18 months.

One stall that might not return is Lian He Chye Tow Kway, which has been renting a unit at the food centre for 14 years. The owners are undecided as to whether they will return because as renters, they are not assured of a unit when the centre reopens after refurbishment.

The husband-and-wife team still make the "kway" or radish cake from scratch every day at 5am. The stall offers white chye tow kway, cooked by the wife, and the black version with dark sweet soya sauce, made by the husband. I love the stall's white one. The radish cake, which is just firm enough, is cooked with a generous amount of egg and chye poh or preserved radish. It is cooked until the egg is slightly crispy, then smeared with tasty sambal.

But I usually order yin-yang ($4), which is a serving of black and white chye tow kway - the black one just for a hint of sweet-salty on the palate. A serving of chye tow kway starts at $2.

Where: Lian He Chye Tow Kway, Block 20 Ghim Moh Road, 01-30
MRT: Buona Vista
Open: 6am - 3pm (Tue - Sun). Closed on Mon


Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.