Tremendous low-cost conventional Cantonese homestyle dishes with lengthy historical past in Chinatown

That is undoubtedly not your common chap chye (blended vegetable rice) fare. Li Ji Cooked Meals is without doubt one of the finest stalls in Chinatown serving up conventional Cantonese-style dishes at tremendous low-cost costs. 

Some followers have  famous that it’s a uncommon sight of homestyle cooked objects in modernised Singapore. 

Chinatown is residence to numerous well-known hawker stalls. Li Ji Cooked Meals is one spot that I’ve missed on too many events. There may be at all times a protracted queue at their storefront even earlier than the enterprise opens. Their clientele consists primarily of outdated people who crave a serving of homestyle cooked meals. 

The enterprise is operated by a lot of ladies who work intently to dish out orders at fast pace. They typically promote out in 3 hours which leaves late clients to buy from extra expensive stalls out there. 

What I attempted at Li Ji Cooked Meals

The preferred dish was the Fish Abdomen. Virtually each buyer forward of me ordered not less than 1 portion of this merchandise. Nonetheless, I used to be knowledgeable that it contained many bones. As somebody who has bother deboning fish, I gave it a miss.

A lot of the dishes have been unknown to me, so I relied on the suggestions from my dad. The primary merchandise that I attempted was the Spicy Fermented Shrimp Paste Sliced Pork (S$1.20). 

Upon the primary chew, the saltiness from the pork slices shocked my palate. There was a light spiciness however I didn’t count on such a powerful salty flavour in any respect! The fermented shrimp did style much like har cheong gai (prawn paste rooster wings). Nonetheless, I most popular the deep fried rooster wings to this saucy model. 

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The gravy discovered on this dish was too starchy for my liking. I additionally felt that there was nothing a lot to shout about from the skinny pork slices used. They have been tender however not mind-blowingly succulent.

The second pork merchandise that I attempted was the Sliced Pork with Candy Preserved Greens (S$1.20). The addition of preserved greens adequately seasoned the meat with salt. There was additionally a delicate sweetness and I favored the gentle greens integrated into the meat dish.

This pork rendition was considerably much less salty than the primary merchandise I attempted. Nonetheless, the identical pork slices have been used right here. This meant that it was one other meat dish that I didn’t significantly take pleasure in.

One other merchandise that was a preferred selection amongst clients was the Bittergourd (S$0.80 per slice). Just like the renditions present in yong tau foo stalls, the bitter vegetable was full of fish paste earlier than it was deep fried. 

Sadly, I used to be not content material with this merchandise, both. The vegetable was one of the bitter that I had ever eaten. The fish paste was additionally not seasoned sufficient and didn’t have a definite bouncy texture.

The final merchandise that I added to my already-packed container was the Cabbage (S$0.70). Seasoned with fermented beancurd, this merchandise was the least salty of the lot. Nonetheless, there was not a lot flavour to the dish total. 

I cherished the dimensions of those cabbage items. They held a crunchy texture regardless of being cooked totally. I additionally cherished the incorporation of tofu pores and skin and black fungus as they launched totally different textures to the dish. 

Ultimate ideas

Usually, I felt that the objects offered listed here are acquired tastes and maybe extra acquainted to the older era. My dad expressed his disappointment in direction of my feedback on the dishes. In his phrases, it was ‘too dangerous’ that I used to be not in a position to admire this genuine Cantonese delicacies. 

Nonetheless, the lengthy queues in entrance of the stall clearly attest to its recognition. Head down to present them your help and a possibility to check out these conventional Cantonese homestyle dishes for your self!

Anticipated injury: S$3 – S$5 per pax

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