PUBLISHED July 12th, 2017 06:00 am | UPDATED July 31st, 2017 05:32 pm
Whereas Singaporeans see kaya toast and oozy half-boiled eggs as their signature breakfast food, the same can be said for Hong Kongers and the humble congee: loose rice porridge simmered until it dissolves into a mouth-watering deliciousness. In the neon city, one particular Mongkok establishment, Mui Kee Congee, has stolen the hearts of locals and residents such that they’d put up with terribly long lines for a piping-hot bowl of their morning fix.
Since the beginning of this month, the Les Amis Group had brought over the almost 40-year-old eatery for a six-month stint at Singapore Botanic Garden’s Casa Verde, which offers local delights by day and Italian restaurant by night. It’s hardly the most accessible location on the island, but we’ve been known to travel long distances for less. Of course, you’ll find Canton-style porridge in just about any hawker centre here. Are they good? Sure. But as good or even better than Mui Kee? Unlikely.
This isn’t just rice and water I’m talking about. A good bowl of congee takes several hours to prepare. For 34-year-old Pierre Choi (who I’m affectionally introduced to as Ah Tung), the third generation owner of Mui Kee, it takes five arduous hours to achieve his family’s famous silky smooth texture. Preserved century eggs are used to break down raw rice grains before they’re cooked with bean curd skin to accentuate their smoothness. The rice is then slow-boiled with pork bones and fish, stirred every five to 10 minutes to result in an intensely aromatic flavour and almost creamy quality. Fresh ingredients, zero MSG.
As amiable and passionate as Ah Tung is, it wouldn’t make sense for him to abandon his post back home. In his place, he leaves us with the Les Amis Group’s Sous Chef Er Suen Liang, whom he personally trained for a year in Hong Kong.
$12.50 for congee may sound steep, but it’s a price worth paying for old-school ingenuity and authentic Hong Kong flavours. Each bowl is served with a side of freshly-fried youtiao (crispy dough fritters) and slices of creamy century egg – which is the traditional way of eating the Cantonese dish. Anyway, the porridge is scrumptious: tasty, nicely seasoned, fluid enough without being too watery, and laced with just enough green onions and ginger for spice.
Depending on your order, a selection of fresh ingredients are laden into the porridge. The signature Fish Belly Congee ($14.50), a crowd favourite, features threadfin (the original stall uses dace fish from Shunde Province in Guangdong) sautéed with rice wine to provide a beautiful wok hei flavour. There’s also the Scallop Congee ($14.50), which sees small tender and bouncy scallop adductor muscles tossed into the mix, and one with finely-minced Pork and Century Egg ($12.50). Other variants include the homemade Meatball Congee or Pig’s Innards Congee, as well as Sliced Beef (all $12.50).
It’s a good decision to supplement all that porridge with some boozy Drunken Chicken ($10) that’s been steeped in Shaoxing wine, a comforting dose of thick Kai Lan ($7) for fibre, or a refreshing bowl of tangy Pandan Jelly, Aloe Vera & Calamansi ($4.50).
If you’re planning to visit Casa Verde, be sure to head down early as they’ve been reported to have sold out within the first two hours each day. Word on the street is that there are plans for a permanent store to open by 2018, so keep your ears peeled. You can bet that we will.
The Mui Kee Pop-up Menu is available until 31 December 2017, Tue-Sun 7.30am — 3pm. Casa Verde is located at 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre, Singapore 259569.