70-year-old hawker stalls win heritage award

SINGAPORE — To recognise long-standing hawker stalls that have been run by the same family for at least 50 years and that serve food popular with Singaporeans, a new awards category — the Heritage Hawker Stall — was introduced at this year’s City Hawker Food Hunt.

Two stallholders bagged the inaugural title today (Nov 8): China Street Fritters in Maxwell Food Centre and Yong Seng Satay in Bukit Timah Market and Food Centre. Both stalls have been around for more than 70 years.

The first is touted as one of the three remaining hawker stalls in Singapore that sell Hokkien fritters. One of its owners, Mr Ng Kok Hua, 58, said his family has stuck with their father’s recipe from the beginning.

“The recipes were laid down by our father, and we don’t try to mix them with other items. He wanted us to ... maintain these dishes,” said Mr Ng, whose stall is famous for its handmade sausages, ngoh hiang (fried meat roll), liver roll and egg slices.

The other winner was Mr Teo Ah Thiam, 53, a third-generation stall owner, who said his family’s recipe for marinating satay has been passed down from his grandfather about 80 years ago. Yong Seng Satay stall is known for its pork satay, he added.

“Because of SG50, we thought it was only fitting that we search for these hawkers,” said Ms Diana Neo, the corporate and marketing communications manager for City Gas, one of the co-organisers of the event.

“We know it’s rare but we want to recognise them for passing down the stall to their family members.”

While both stalls were chosen for their long history, both Mr Ng and Mr Teo have yet to find successors among their family members. None of Mr Ng’s nor his brother’s children are keen on taking over, while Mr Teo said his two daughters are still studying.

Apart from the Heritage Hawker Stall awards, members of the public were given seven months to vote for the top 10 stalls within four food categories: Popiah, lontong, fish head curry and tau suan.

Maxwell Food Centre was voted the favourite hawker centre among Singaporeans, while Kovan Market and Food Centre was recognised for being the cleanest.

A 200-page bilingual food guide was also launched yesterday. It lists 50 of Singaporeans’ favourite hawker dishes, the history behind those dishes and recipes from local celebrity chefs. Copies of the book are not for sale and can be redeemed at City Gas Gallery.

The eighth edition of the event was held yesterday in partnership with Shin Min Daily News, the National Heritage Board, the National Environment Agency and the Health Promotion Board.

At today’s ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said hawker food culture is part of Singapore’s heritage. “If you do a poll of Singaporeans to ask them what (they) think is our heritage in Singapore, I think certainly, within the top three things that people think about and feel about as part of their heritage, hawker food will be there,” he said.

The event venue, Taman Jurong Community Club, was also significant, said Mr Tharman, who noted that the first hawker centre to house resettled street hawkers was Yung Sheng Food Centre, located near the club.

“When you think back on our traditions, the hawker centres and the hawker stall owners have seen through a real transformation in Singapore, but they’re still part of our living heritage,” he added. “So let’s keep this heritage alive, let’s celebrate our hawker food and our hawker stall owners and those who are working with the hawker stalls. Let’s celebrate what they’re doing to keep our culture alive.”