For the past two decades, Kiang Choon Tong has manned his porridge stall on the first floor of Amoy Street Food Centre – until a nasty fall forced him to take a two-year hiatus in early 2019. “I fractured my shoulder and had to undergo surgery. After the operation, I decided to take some time off to recuperate,” the 73-year-old hawker tells us in Mandarin.

During his break, Choon Tong leased his stall to a vegetarian food hawker. Three weeks ago, Soon Heng Porridge was back in business – much to the delight of his regular customers. The reopening was largely motivated by his participation as a mentor in the Hawkers’ Development Programme by the National Environment Agency.

The initiative encourages new hawkers to join the trade by equipping them with skills to run their own stalls. This includes an apprenticeship with experienced hawkers like Choon Tong. “I’ve always been active [with NEA activities]. When I heard about the programme, I wanted to sign up,” he says. “They had two participants who wanted to learn more about selling porridge, and I agreed to take them under my wing.”

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Soon Heng Porridge used to be famous for its yu sheng, or Chinese-style raw fish. Choon Tong would serve sliced Song fish (Asian bighead carp) or west saury in a sesame oil and soy sauce dressing, sprinkled with sesame, chilli, ginger and scallion as an accompaniment to plain porridge.

In 2015, a series of food poisoning cases that was linked to the consumption of yu sheng dishes led to an NEA ban on raw freshwater fish. In one of the cases, the patient developed medical complications that required all four limbs to be amputated.

The ban is still in effect today, which means the signature dish remains missing from Soon Heng Porridge’s menu. “There was a 50% dip in profits [back in 2015] as most of my customers came for the yu sheng,” recalls Choon Tong. “A customer can order three plates of yu sheng, but a person can only finish one bowl of porridge. That’s why we suffered an immediate drop in revenue.”

Regulars have been telling the hawker how much they have missed his raw fish porridge. “It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I don’t think raw salmon [an alternative that some other porridge stalls are using] is compatible with porridge, so we’re focusing on our other types of toppings like pork and cooked fish now.”

We asked Choon Tong if he considered pivoting to sell other food after the raw fish scare. “No, this is what I know best. I’ve been cooking porridge since I was 12 – my grades were not good enough so I didn’t continue my studies after completing primary school. I started helping my dad at his porridge stall at a kopitiam at China Street, and took over the business when he passed on.”

Porridge is also a part of Choon Tong’s family legacy – his younger brother Joon Chin, 66, is the owner of the popular Zhen Zhen Porridge at Maxwell Food Centre. The latter’s stall was also famed for its Song fish yu sheng and now only sells fish and chicken porridge.

“He was assisting me when I was running the stall at China Street. Over the years, we’ve developed our own styles of cooking porridge. For example, he doesn’t sell pork porridge at his stall,” shares Choon Tong.

Unfortunately, the legacy will not be carried on to the third generation. The hawker’s three children, who are in their forties, have no interest in joining the business. “My kids are all doing well in their respective careers,” says Choon Tong matter-of-factly. “If my apprentices are up for it, I’ll consider letting them take over my stall.”

We can’t picture a more fitting mentor than Choon Tong, whose gentle demeanour reminds us of Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid. His apprentice, Dawn Tan (right in pic), 55, agrees. “We’re very blessed to be paired with Mr Kiang. He’s been very selfless and patient with us.”

“He doesn’t hold anything back. He introduces us to the suppliers and regulars. We’ve learned a lot under his guidance,” adds Angeline Peh (left in pic), 56, who used to own a logistics company.

Just like Mr Miyagi’s iconic wax-on-wax-off training, the veteran hawker also has exacting standards for his apprentices. “The most challenging part has been learning to slice the pork. It’s important to get the right thickness as it affects the cooking time and eventual taste of the pork porridge,” shares Dawn, an ex-graphic designer. “Mr Kiang uses fresh pork, so we have to get the prep work done every morning starting from 5am. It’s been difficult for someone like me who doesn't have good knife skills!”

Dawn and Angeline, who are church friends, have been learning the ropes from Choon Tong for the past six months. They plan to join the NEA Hawkers Succession Scheme after completing the current programme, with the goal of partnering their mentor to run Soon Heng Porridge in the future.

Choon Tong, who is Hainanese, describes his porridge as “Hainan-style”. The consistency lies somewhere between the super creamy Cantonese congee and the firmer rice grains of Teochew porridge.

Another distinction is the use of dong cai, or preserved Tianjin cabbage as a topping. “This is how the Hainanese do it”, he tells us proudly while sprinkling the pickled vegetable on a bowl of steaming porridge.

The hawker uses Australian pearl rice to make his porridge, as he prefers the texture of this premium grain. Instead of plain water, the rice grains are simmered with pork bones to lend a richer flavour to the resulting porridge – no wonder the stall has been doling out an impressive 100 bowls of porridge every day since its reopening.

Choon Tong hopes that in time, the stall will return to its former glory of serving close to 200 orders per day. “My regulars have just started to come back. I hope to see more of them soon.”

The porridge is smooth and thick, and the not-too-mushy rice grains provide more bite than your typical Cantonese congee. We enjoyed the old-school toppings: homemade meatballs, sliced pork, pork liver and small intestine. The sliced liver is a highlight – tender, with a lovely, soft center thanks to Choon Tong’s “special prep” and expert cooking time. We were also delighted by the generous strips of small intestine, which are fresh and devoid of any foul odour.

All ingredients are delivered fresh to the stall daily – Choon Tong eschews the use of frozen pork, even though he tells us it can be five times cheaper. Fragrant lashings of sesame oil, fried shallot, white pepper, scallion and diced dong cai take the delicate flavours of the porridge to the next level. The serving is hearty enough to make a filling meal.

Think fish porridge is bland? This version may just change your mind. Heady with the scent of ginger and dong cai, this comforting bowl contains springy slices of Song fish buried under the gooey congee. We recommend adding crispy you tiao (50 cents) to elevate the overall texture of the delicious porridge.

For a bit of everything, try the Mixed Porridge, which has homemade meatballs, sliced pork, sliced fish, cuttlefish, pork liver and crunchy peanuts. All the fixings are meticulously seasoned and prepared, so every spoonful is full of wonderful flavours and textures that work well together.

Simple and soul-warming porridge that will keep you satisfied for a good few hours. While pig’s organ porridge can sometimes be hit-or-miss due to a lack of freshness or improper preparation, Choon Tong’s meticulous standards ensure his version is delicious and clean-tasting. Visit soon if you wish to enjoy porridge personally cooked by the OG boss before his apprentices eventually take over.

#01-36 Amoy Street Food Centre, 7 Maxwell Rd, S069111. Open daily except Thu, 7am-3pm.

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Photos: Alvin Teo