PUBLISHED October 22nd, 2020 05:00 am
Driven by unfavorable economic currents, some Singaporeans have taken to their home kitchens to whip up childhood memories for sale. Made from scratch mostly by hand, in small batches and at hard-to-beat prices, we simply can’t ignore the rise of home-based businesses sprouting all over this island. Plus, many of them lost their rice bowls in the wake of the pandemic or are trying to supplement slashed pay checks.
Though not professionally trained in cooking, there are many with one-dish wonders, which we’d never have access to if not for this unprecedented time. We shine the light on some who have made a lasting first impression:
Savoury
2 Mamas And A Wok
Gone are the days when our mamas used to squat over a mortar and pestle, sweating and pounding chili padi and herbs to make rempah. Started by a trio, 2 Mamas and A Wok is a lifesaver for clumsy cooks that hate to clean up in the kitchen. Comprising Grace Kee (Mama G), Tracy Khalil-Cherbonnier (Mama T), and Michelle Kam who drives the marketing efforts (the wok!), expect freshly made and sealed Peranakan rempah for laksa and rendang with clear marking of ingredients used.
At S$12 per pack, they last for two weeks in the fridge from the stated date and each feeds up to four people – life just got easier for aspiring cooks at home. Coming up is their Christmas special of two different sambal and signature dry laksa rempah – so go ahead and bag some rempah for a blowout laksa party, we won’t tell.
Order from 2 Mamas and A Wok here.
Hot Sauce Su
A professional photographer that had to halt work during Circuit Breaker, Sulin Lee, takes heat by the nose and makes her own habenero hot sauce in 160ml jars that have been disinfected before being filled and sealed before undergoing a second stage of sterilisation. The ingredient list reads wholesome – full-sized habaneros imported from Peru with seeds and all, freshly squeezed limes, shallots and carrots. The consistency is like a puree and takes on the orange of carrots. The heat though kicks in fast and serious. Spicy warriors, add this hot sauce to pasta or as a dip for crackers and fries. Each bottle costs S$6 and can be delivered on the same day from $5, depending on location and availability.
Direct message Hot Sauce Su to order here.
Munch-Kins
Started last December by Karen Yuen, a former marketing director of a cruise company, Munch-Kins is the talk of this side of town. Their piece de resistance? Radish cake – the kind that you might enjoy in dim sum restaurants – but in the shape of an actual round cake that’s approximately 1.2kg set on a shiny gold board. Armed with a recipe passed down from her grandmother, the 30-something home cook elevated this popular street food using Japanese daikon, sakura ebi, dried scallops, shiitake mushrooms, waxed Chinese sausage and Jinhua ham from Hong Kong. She then finely diced them to add to the cake and on top of it.
Going for S$68 each, the waiting list runs for up to a month so get your pre-order in early. Do look out for the exclusive festive special – Munch-Kins Christmas fruit cake that is fed and matured with brandy for at least a month before pick-up.
Direct message Munch-Kins to order here.
Eat Hum
It’s a family affair at this household that’s just humming with cured cockles, or hum as some call it. A stay-at-home mom of four, Val enjoys making her husband’s favourite thing to eat, it’s no wonder she turned this into a money-making business – and it’s helped since his printing business was badly affected during the lockdown. Besides cockles from Malaysia or Indonesia, their offerings include imitation abalone slices, topshell, lala and gong gong that are marinated using the same secret sauce except for the imitation abalone.
The mollusks are cleaned thoroughly twice, and they also taste the batches to ensure freshness. The best part? You get to decide how spicy you’d like your order; from 0% to 400%, we recommend 50% for a light touch and 100% for mala lovers. Each chilled box starts from S$18 (250g); with a laborious process that takes up much of the day, delivery times are scheduled between 5pm and 9pm on pre-set dates.
Sweets
Ade’s Homebake
Mention ondeh-ondeh cake, and chances are you’ll be sent to the OG baker – Ade’s Homebake. The former professional baker at five-star hotels in Singapore has been baking her original ondeh-ondeh cakes from home since the lockdown from S$32 (600g). Using natural pandan essence, Adeline came up with another signature – durian ondeh-ondeh cake (S$50, 600g) using Mao Shan Wang grown at her relative’s durian plantation in Muar, Malaysia. There’s also D24 durian pengat cooked with coconut milk and palm sugar at S$20 for 10 cups!
Don’t just drool over all of this, order now. And know that the money spent will go into Adeline’s steep annual medical expenses to cope with an autoimmune disease that has left her blind in one eye.
Order from Ade’s Homebake here.
Dearborn
After relocating from USA for Singapore and departing two-Michelin-starred Waku Ghin, seasoned chef Chris Kong started his home-based supper club in 2018. Seats were difficult to book since the whole island of foodies were wrestling over (very limited) dates for just one table. However the lockdown halted all of that, and Chris has pivoted to selling freshly made granola in one-litre jars indefinitely. Thankfully, business has been booming for the 33-year-old; pre-orders drop on Monday at 12pm and sell out in minutes. Pick-up or delivery is then arranged on the same weekend. Some of our favourite combinations include chocolate & hazelnut, strawberries & macadamia, and chocolate & peanut butter.
To help become a more sustainable planet, Chris insists everyone brings their own bags, and return the glass jars when they order again. We do miss his sustainable dinners though, so here’s hoping he gets a dine-in space sooner.
The Humble Bakesters
An all-women team, the Lam family started popping out snowskin mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival this year. The amateur bakers handle everything from conceptualising flavours, putting their wares on social media, taking orders and interacting with customers, and sourcing for packaging. Now the trio have created cheesebites in 4 different crusts – oreo, lotus biscoff, milo and ovaltine cookies with regular cream cheese in the center. Available in a box of six at S$18, they might look like mini mooncakes but when chilled they’re like cheesecakes. Freeze them and the ladies swear it’s like having ice-cream!
They’re currently experimenting with flavoured cream cheese for a Christmas launch, so celebrate the holidays with these sweets.
Direct message The Humble Bakesters to order here.
Huangry Baker
Freelance food writer and editor Joyce Huang enjoys feeding friends. It’s no wonder that she spent circuit breaker doing so – making mini burnt cheesecakes, sometimes naked, other times with berries on them. The 36-year-old finally sold her first one on her friend’s insistence on Father’s Day. Choose four or seven inch Philadelphia cream cheese or pungent blue cheese varieties from S$19. Soon enough, the avid cook experimented on making fruit tarts after a friend gifted her a bunch of passion fruit. The results were lip-smackingly good.
From S$19 for a five-inch President butter tart tart, customers are guaranteed they are freshly baked and not overly sweet since this home-based baker leans towards sour desserts herself. Currently, only weekend collection is available and expect Joyce’s mini savoury pies and must-have pecan pie up for sale soon this Christmas.
Direct message Huangry Baker to order here.
The pandemic came unexpectedly and some have created opportunities to just tide through the circuit breaker, to make little to any cash to feed their families. We try to do our bit for our community by bringing to you the highlights, some of which can be found at Pasar United and Sweets United Facebook groups. Join these groups for up-to-the-minute posts on the latest deals and to support the community!