Best Things Under S$10: Chef Thian Boon Hua

SINGAPORE — Success for many of our local culinary heroes came via an arduous journey. Alternatives were rare. “It is tough in the past because resources (such as clean water to prepare the food and stall) were not easily available,” said Thian Boon Hua, owner-founder of one of the island’s top picks for chicken rice, Boon Tong Kee.

Thian had dropped out of school at age 13, and could only find a job as a dishwasher. But fate rewarded him for his hard work when his shifu (master) decided to teach him to cook a few dishes, including the dish he has built an empire of seven outlets on. And Thian will not soon forget having to borrow money from his family to set up his first stall and then struggling to sell six chickens a day. He added: “People in the past were also more conservative when it comes to trying new dishes. And if you are doing a common cuisine and you are nowhere near the benchmark set by the more famous food stalls, you tend be eliminate due to poor business.”

He explained that such challenges are similar to those facing would-be hawkers today, such as those competing in MediaCorp TV’s Wok Stars. “Rising ingredient costs will mean lower profits, he said, adding that hawker cuisine is also facing tough competition, given the proliferation of similar dishes. And this is if these new hawkers are able to persist “under tough conditions”, he continued, highlighting the fact that, with better education and living standards, many might give up thinking that they have alternatives.

Thian, who was a guest judge on the show, also noted how the contestants lack culinary foundation. “I doubt (whether) future champions of the competition will be fully equipped (in terms of culinary skills) to operate a food stall … it requires time for any stall operator to hone their culinary skills. In other words, it is still too early to determine (whether) the contestants are ready,” he conceded. He is, however, quite sure that innovating hawker fare is just as important as preserving the quality of traditional dishes. “However, any stall vendor will have to note that presentation is the crucial factor, (and this includes) food presentation, stall cleanliness and hygiene of the food stall operator.”

> Breakfast: I enjoy rice rolls (zhu chang fen, S$1.60 for two strips) with chilli and sweet sauce and kopi-C (90 cents) at the hawker centre on Boon Keng Road (Near Boon Keng MRT). The stall operator provides a good blend for its sweet sauce and chilli sauce and the combination provides good flavour for the rice rolls . The kopi-C provides a finishing touch to the savoury rice rolls.

> Lunch: Mixed Rice Vegetables (around S$9.50) at Lee Kee at Chinatown Complex Food Centre (335 Smith Street). (I) would go without carbs and focus more on the dishes like fermented tofu sauce with pork. This hawker emphasises on not using MSG, and their dishes give me the feeling of traditional and original home-cooked food.

> Dinner: Teochew Porridge at Maxwell Market (S$9) because the savoury dishes like dried radish with egg and poached squid goes well with the plain porridge. Simple, original and traditional cuisine which is hard to come by these days.

> Supper: Fried hor fun (S$8) from Hong Kong Street Chun Kee (with outlets all over Singapore). I like the smooth texture of the hor fun and especially when this food-stall chain uses pork lard to stir fry the hor fun. The pork lard gives (the dish) an elevated wok hei, which normal cooking oil cannot emulate. DON MENDOZA

Catch Wok Stars on Wednesdays, 8pm on MediaCorp Channel 5.