Pastry For Life

Mochi mochi mornings

In our pursuit of pretty food for social media, what, I wonder, are we missing out on? None of my recommendations this week are pretty. But I would rather have any of these snacks than some gussied-up and overpriced pastry or cake.

Take, for example, the jian dui ($1.20 each) from Pastry For Life, not something that I would ordinarily pick out of a line-up. But these are fresh out of the deep-fryer and calling out to me. The round ones are filled with ground peanuts and the oval ones with lotus paste.

Go at the right time – between 7.30 and 8am – and you might be lucky enough to score a couple of freshly deep-fried ones too. The thin crackle of the skin yields to sublime QQ-ness and then to chunky peanuts or smooth lotus paste, neither of them too sweet. The lotus paste one is off-the-charts springy. Aromatic sesame seeds add to the charm. The balls are good for an hour or two but do not wait, please.

The first time I go to the stall, they are out of mini pandan chiffon cakes ($1.80). Given that it is barely 10am, I am gobsmacked. These little cakes, which measure 8cm in diameter, are popular. Cuteness aside, they are airy and fragrant, textbook pandan chiffon. Note that these are available only on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

If there are curry puffs (S1.60 each) still available when you go, grab one. Like the cake and jian dui, the sassy lady boss makes them from scratch, taking the trouble to fry the spice paste enough so it does not taste harsh. There is a good chunk of chicken in there, along with potatoes and hard-boiled egg.

The pastry is a marvel – I just do not know how it is possible to make flaky pastry in a hot hawker centre. But if you dedicate yourself to pastry for life, nothing is impossible.

Where: 01-90 Empress Road Market & Food Centre, 7 Empress Road
MRT: Farrer Road
Open: 7am to 2pm, Thursdays to Tuesdays; closed on Wednesdays

Granny’s Pancake

Pillowy or crispy

The first time I stop by the stall, I notice how the lady who runs it smears some peanut butter in between a piece of peanut mee chiang kueh for the customer ahead of me. When I return another day, I ask her why she does that.

“If I put the peanut butter in at the start, it will make the pancake soggy,” she says. Such a lot of trouble to take for a $1.50 snack. Such a lot of difference it makes. The pancake is perfect when I eat it. The peanut filling retains its crunch, and a bit of the peanut butter has worked its way into the thick, soft pancake. Just skin-deep, not enough to dampen its springiness.

As lovely as the soft mee chiang kueh is, what I will keep going back for is the crispy version ($4). The first time, my eyebrows rise at the price, but it looks so tempting I cannot resist. No regrets. The thin pancake, measuring 30cm in diameter, is delightfully brittle. Some peanuts adhere to it in the pan, but most of the filling falls out.

No matter. I pour it all into a bowl, break off shards of pancake and use them to scoop peanuts from the bowl. That, and a cup of kopi-o, make for a great breakfast after a wet-market run downstairs.

Where: 02-71 Tiong Bahru Market & Food Centre, 30 Seng Poh Road
MRT: Tiong Bahru
Open: 6am to 1pm, Tuesdays to Sundays; closed on Mondays

Puffs N Deli

Homespun bakes

There are just four Fried Curry Puffs ($1.70 each) left when I turn up at Puffs N Deli at about 10am. There is one customer ahead of me. My heart beats faster. What if she swipes all four? Phew. She takes two. I snag one, feeling triumphant. This better be good, I think to myself.

I had gone tearing into industrial Tai Seng because of Puffs N Deli’s Apple Puff ($2.60) and Chicken Mushroom Puff ($2.60). A friend had given both to me and I especially love the chunks of tart Granny Smiths in the apple puff, balanced out by just enough sugar.

My friend tells me the store had run out of the prized fried curry puff and I wanted to see what the fuss is about. Yes, I would say the fried pastry is better than the baked. The spice paste for the curry puff could have been slow-fried a tad longer, for the flavours to round off. But that is a small quibble. That blistered, crisp-but-not-hard pastry makes up for it.

If I had my druthers, all the puffs would be deep-fried. Just think, hot apple. But logistically, this would be difficult because uncle runs a one-man operation, as do all the purveyors featured here. To help customers, he gives the best time blocks to visit: 8.15 to 9.30am, 12.30 to 2pm, and 3.30 to 5pm.

From 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 2 to 3.30pm, he is busy restocking. Indeed, I see bowls filled with pastry in the tiny kitchen behind him.

These logistical hurdles really benefit his customers. It means that throughout the day, we get freshly made puffs. I just have to hope the customers ahead of me are not ravenous.

Where: 01-16 Tai Seng Point, 11 Irving Place
MRT: Tai Seng
Open: 8am to 5.30pm on weekdays; closed on weekends
Info: www.facebook.com/puffsndeli