A Pilot's Journey To The Perfect Bowl Of Kway Chap

HOST

This is Eat by Ear, where every episode is inspired by a beloved dish, and the chef who cooks it with care … like an artist.

The Eater, played by an actor, will “ooh” and “ahh” over the food … with you.

I'm your host, Woo Yen Yen. This programme is brought to you with the support of Lasalle College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore.

Are you relaxed? Are you comfortable? Do you have your pack of tissues ready …

Because listeners … you might salivate.

CHORUS

Kway Chap

CHEF JASON

Because before I get married, right? My wife always thought that she's marrying a pilot. Then after married already, right? So she always tell her friends, you know, I always thought that I marry a pilot ley 哪里知道hor, from the highest kind of job that you can find in the sky, kind of job. Then he come and do the hawker ley…

HOST

Chef Jason Koh is a third generation KWAY CHAP hawker. He’s been cooking and selling Kway Chap for over 20 years in a hawker centre in Serangoon Market Food Centre in Singapore.

Kway Chap, a popular breakfast and lunch dish in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, comes from the Teochew people in Swatow or Shantou, on the Eastern coast of Guangdong, Southern China.

GIRL

Why? Every Saturday

she wakes me up early

just to go to the market with her

I don’t want to wake up early

I don’t want to go to the market

Only good thing is

I get to eat KWAY CHAP

if not, I cannot

HOST

Kway Chap has two parts.

Part 1

A bowl of flat rice noodle sheets, known as the KWAY.

In Thailand, the Kway doesn’t come in flat sheets but comes as little curled up rolls.

The KWAY is served in a spiced broth made with pork bones and pig offal.

When served to customers, the broth is called the Chap, which means “sauce.” When it is used as a “Braise” in the kitchen, it is called the “LOR.”

So KWAY CHAP refers to the KWAY immersed in the CHAP, also known as the LOR.

GIRL

Wah! Come out 5 minutes later only

And there’s already a long queue

I will queue

Don’t need to talk to Mommy.

Give her the silent treatment

For waking me up so early

HOST

When he first told his parents he wanted to be a hawker instead of the pilot he had been certified to be, all hell broke loose…

CHEF JASON

So I was telling them, okay lah, I’m helping you all already, why not? let me, slowly, take over this stall’s business lor. Then wah, their reaction was very immediate one ley. Immediately, at that point of time, my mother say, go, go, go, go, go, you go, go away now, don't stay at this store anymore. We don't need your help anymore. She was so angry about this idea that I want to take over the stall’s business, rather than, you know, go and continue with my flying career after coming back from Australia, right?

I understand why they insist that I don't do the hawker job anymore, because, to them, is like, so tiring, so physically straining. You really have no family time, no social time.

HOST

Part 2:

The toppings—a plate of pig offal that also doubles up as an experiential biology lesson.

The star of the dish,

Large intestines,

Also

Small intestines,

The belly

The stomach

The ear

The trotters

The skin

Served with optional

Braised tofu

Braised peanuts

Braised preserved vegetables

Braised hard-boiled egg

And, as a refreshing dip, a light chili sauce mixed with garlic and vinegar.

[The sound of Chef Jason chopping]

GIRL

2, 4, 6, … 17 people in the queue

Mommy! stop waving at me

He is cutting the pork parts

Sharp, focused, accurate

Like an engineer

Even when there are 2, 4, 6, 18, no, 20 people in the queue

It’s like

he’s in the Avatar state

nothing can break his focus

The customers?

We wait

HOST

Before the first bowl of kway chap is served, before there are cars on the roads, before the cockerel lets out his first cock-a-doodle-doo,

Chef Jason arrives at his stall. 3.30am.

He starts with the broth, also known as, the LOR.

CHORUS

THE LOR

CHEF JASON

The initial stage of the LOR itself, I added pork bones and duck bone, duck carcass. So this is something that my father don't do because he believe that the amount of pork that he put inside is enough to make the gravy already. So this is what I put in extra lah. Because I find that actually with the duck bone flavour, right. There’s another level of umami-ness ah, then all the spices and garlic, ginger, then all the seasoning la.

[The sound of boiling LOR]

HOST

While the LOR is boiling, he starts the hardest part, cleaning the large intestines, Dua Deng in Teochew, or Da Chang in Mandarin.

CHORUS

Da Chang or Dua Deng!

CHEF JASON

Because 大肠 large intestines is the soul of the whole dish, I spend the most time doing 大肠 one ley.

HOST

Most diners, when they talk about a good KWAY CHAP, they wouldn’t really say, “oh the intestines are so tasty”. They would say instead, “Oh, the intestines are very clean”. So one important metric for how good the KWAY CHAP is, is actually how clean the intestines are. And there are many steps to cleaning intestines.

Step ONE - FLIP THE INTESTINES

CHEF JASON

For the 10, 15 kilograms carton, right. I spend about 40 minutes flip them to the correct side, which I want. I mean, they come on the fat side. So I got to flip them back to the glossy slimy side.

HOST

Step TWO: TRIM FATS

CHEF JASON

So I spent about 40 minutes doing that with checking the fats and all this. Sometimes still have to trim off some fats, remaining one.

When you really want to seriously get rid of the fats, right? Sometimes when you tear the fats, you tear away the lining of the intestines also. The lining is where you get the texture, the…a bit of crunch, that kind of texture.

HOST

Step THREE: REMOVE THE SMELL

CHEF JASON

Then after that I need to do the process to get rid of some of the stench. Like after flipping them to the slimy side out already, then need to add salt, need to add vinegar, which is the most ancient way of doing la.

I mean now people may not use salt and vinegar. They may just use salt and flour. But I just follow what my father taught me. Salt and vinegar.

[Sound of kitchen utensils]

Salt and vinegar. They will get rid of the slimy surface, all the slime, the mucus. … (“Tzim”?) “Tzim” and also need to like wrangle them. Make sure that the slimy thing, kena rub off most of them lah.

HOST

STEP 4 - RINSE

[The sound of Chef Jason rinsing the intestines]

CHEF JASON

So after that you spend about 15 minutes to 20 minutes doing that process right. Then after that you rinse it with water, rinse two times, three times with water until you get not so murky water.

HOST

Step 5: BOIL AND DRAIN

[Boiling sound]

CHEF JASON

Now after that you need to boil it for about 30 minutes, then drain it out

HOST

STEP 6: Swish, scrunch and squish, like you’re washing clothes

[Intestines-washing sound]

CHEF JASON

Drain it out, then you have to do the like wring-a-ling like that lor need to like washing (好像洗衣服醬) like doing the dhobi kind of thing.

All in all right, from starting to do the intestine, I need to spend about two hours before putting it to cook.

HOST

Six steps and 2 hours in the early morning just to clean intestines?

Surely, there must be more efficient ways to do this?

CHEF JASON

When my father is there helping me, he will always tell me, you have to do this. You have to do this before you do this. I say from A to B right, you want go from A to B. I draw a straight line can go. Why you must make me go to point A.1 then point A.2 then come to B? Correct or not? Then I say I just go A to B lah.

Then after when I do it myself, I realise really cannot get the flavour that I’m used to…You know, that kind of flavour that they cook. Really cannot reach that stage.

GIRL

Ah… my turn

I want KWAY CHAP FOR 2

With everything

CHEF JASON

你要猪脚吗

GIRL:

Yes, 要要

And

2 big bowls of KWAY, extra “you cang”

CHORUS

The Kway

CHEF JASON

The KWAY itself, right, the flour mixture is more of milled rice than flour. They need both the milled rice and the flour to do the kway chap. But this one, they have more of the milled rice compared to the proportion are more of the milled rice and then the flour. So the texture is more Q. 比較Q一點

HOST

Q, written as the English letter Q (in caps) is the Chinese word for a bouncy mouth-feel. So not mushy, not hard, and on the softer side of al dente. You could say the noodle is Q, the fish ball is Q, you could even say, the fried chicken thigh is Q.

GIRL

White sheets of kway

Relaxing in the dark brown pool of CHAP

Folding over each other

A cuddle puddle

The swirling fragrance of

Cloves, pepper, garlic, and pig, a lot of pig

Reaches into my soul

Before I even sit down with my tray

A handful of “you cang” fried shallots

Golden brown

Chopped coriander and parsley

A refreshing green

Sprinkled on top

lightly adorning

The delicate KWAY

Mmmmm…

Still not talking to you, mommy.

CHEF JASON

Everything in my big pot. Everything will go in.

So the flavours, right? All the different things, all the different parts, stomach, or whatever, the 猪脚，skin, all will be boiled together in the big pot.

But the timing is stipulated. So my first thing in will be stomach and the belly pork. Then after that will be the 大肠and 粉肠. You just have to get the timing correct.

You don't overcook or undercook. Overcooked, you get. You get mushy, mushy and don't have that kind of texture.

GIRL

The plate of pork parts

Evenly cut into perfect bite-sized pieces

Each piece has its own voice

This one is bouncy

That one is firm

Jelly-like, juice squirting, fibres splitting, fat melting

Like

Like

An Ode to Pig, in Teochew

CHORUS

[sung to Ode to Joy ]

Dua Deng大肠

Hoon Deng粉肠

Sam zam bah 三岑肉

Ter dou 猪肚

Ter hee 猪耳,

Ter kah 猪脚,

Ter pueh 猪皮

Cai buay 菜尾

He Piah 鱼饼 Tau kuah 豆干

Lor Neng 卤蛋

and a bowl of KWAY

HOST

Yet, It’s not always joyful in KWAY CHAP LAND. There have been crises.

Even though food is a big part of Singapore’s national identity, the country’s food supply is 90% imported. For Chef Jason, he uses frozen meats. Intestines are imported from Denmark, stomach from Ireland or the UK; small intestines from Australia; skin from Holland or the Philippines; pork leg from Scotland or Brazil.

The reason for frozen pork? Well, because otherwise, the supply could be … frozen.

CHEF JASON

Before the JB side, the swine flu happen, right? All our pork, are fresh ones… We don't like the frozen pork. Nobody will buy one, nobody will use.

Then after that swine flu thing, Singapore government, 就 close down the Abatos (?) here. People, then start using all these frozen things lor… then prices of fresh pork go up, double the price of before the swine flu lor, so no choice ah, most hawkers change to frozen supplies lor.

HOST

Besides supplies, every hawker in Singapore struggles with another big challenge, hiring help.

CHEF JASON

You know, it's very frustrating one ley when you put advertisement in the classifieds and all this, right? Those aunties or uncles, they call up. Wah! They interview me ley, not I interview them ley.

What is my working hours?

I only want four to six hours.

I only want casual job.

I don't want to do any washing, I don't want to do cooking.

Always like that one. Singaporeans. Then I reply them lor, sorry ley. I actually trying to hire a helper, not hire a boss ley. 我在请工人，我不是要请老板。

GIRL

A spoonful of KWAY

A piece of pork belly

A spoonful of KWAY

A piece of intestine

HOST

In 2020, Singapore’s hawker culture made it to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. Locally, many Singaporeans feel like many more complex dishes are disappearing. The median age of hawkers in Singapore is 60.

Many hawkers are retiring and with their retirement, the dishes they cook are also disappearing.

CHEF JASON

You see, a lot of older hawkers, they just, in the end they retire. Even their children don't want to do it.

People look at hawkers like the status very…You know, what I'm always frustrated about is hawkers, right? Our ingredients, our supplies, even the labour, is no different from a restaurant or a cafe. The only difference is our rental. But people always expect us to sell that kind of price, which is that kind of very cheap price.

GIRL

I have no more KWAY

But, still three more pieces of intestines

But not more KWAY

And the line is so long

How to get another bowl of kway

Howwwwww?

CHEF JASON

Like other stalls they always say why you like never take extra off or whatever. So my only off day is Monday. But since I started working here, right. There's no one day that I've taken MC.

HOST

MC means medical certificate from the doctor. In Singapore, it means taking a day off. Chef Jason has never taken a day off besides Mondays, for 20 years.

CHEF JASON

Even when I chop off one third of my fingertip right. I went to do the surgery, cover it back and everything. I still working ley. Then even then when I sprained my ankle so bad that it becomes swollen like a ball like that ah. Until when I go to the doctor, doctor have to use a big needle to poke holes to let all the fluid come out.

I wrap a plastic bag. I still continue working ley.

Because like I said, this is a very laborious job. I mean backbreaking.

Since I started doing this, my lower back really is everyday sore one ley. Then sometimes it's so bad until I cannot walk properly. I have to walk very small, small steps.

HOST

I asked Chef Jason why - why does he give so much of himself? He tells me he doesn’t have a choice. He said “Bopian”

CHEF JASON

Bopien ah, I mean it's the kind of responsibility la, I would say. When they want to come for my Kueh Chap, sometimes they come all the way from Bukit Timah, from Jurong. So, it's a kind of responsibility to the customer also.

GIRL

What is this?

A bowl of kway

Half full

Just enough for me

Mom’s hand

Pushing it across the table

To me

“Mommy,

You sure you’re done?

You can’t finish?

You sure ah? You sure?

Ok ah. Only if you’re sure.

Thank you mommy

CHEF JASON

OK, until now I already got third generation customers already, ley. The first generation is my father's regulars. Then after that they bring their small children. Then after 20 years that I'm doing now, my second-generation customer got third generation already. So they still come down. You know, even I got one girl, since primary three. She started coming with her parents. Now she graduated her lawyer thing with her bar degree bar. She graduate, she came down with her graduation, the gown. Come and take photo with me. Just come down with the gown to take photo with me.

That's why I say when you visit a hawker store, right, there's one flavour we call 人情味which you can't find in restaurants one la. Because it's kind of personal touch.

CHORUS

[sung to Ode to Joy ]

Dua Deng大肠

Hoon Deng粉肠

Sam zam bah 三岑肉

Ter dou 猪肚

Ter hee 猪耳,

Ter kah 猪脚,

Ter pueh 猪皮

Cai buay 菜尾

He Piah 鱼饼 Tau kuah 豆干

Lor Neng 卤蛋

and a bowl of KWAY

HOST

Chef Jason Koh, serves Kway Chap, at Garden Street Kway Chap at Serangoon Garden Market in Singapore from 9am to 3.30pm, every day except Mondays.

Eat by Ear is written by Woo Yen Yen produced by Woo Yen Yen & Terence Lau

Our sound designer is Lim Tingli

Our voice artist and singer is Yakuza Baby

Our theme music is composed by Joe Ng

“Ode to pig” is arranged by Chua Chia Hui based on Ode to Joy by Beethoven

Field recording by Arnold San Juan & Terence Lau

Studio sound engineering by Steven Cheong

Our production assistant is Chua Chia Hui

Design and photography by Timothy Wee

Our advisors are KF Seetoh & Patrick Cox

Eat by Ear is a Woo Yen Yen production

A huge thank you to LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore for supporting this work.

You can listen to all our episodes and find photos and important notes about each episode at eatbyear.com.

For the final minute, find a comfortable seated position. You can sit cross-legged on the floor or sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Keep your spine straight.

Gently close your eyes.

Listen.

[SOUNDS OF THE STALL]