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Hainanese Chicken Rice at Pow Sing, Singapore

Posted by  | Categories: Chinese, Featured, Malaysian, Restaurants, Singapore, Travel

It was the day after attending our dear friend’s wedding banquet at the Fairmont Hotel in Singapore. Knowing that avoiding gluten at a Chinese banquet would be literally impossible I made the choice to eat gluten that night so I wouldn’t miss out on any of the gorgeous delicacies served to us all. I had psyched myself up for this event for months and was fully prepared to deal with the onslaught of symptoms that would ensue in the following days.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Waiting to be devoured

When I got up that morning it was hard to distinguish what were the after-effects of eating gluten and what were due to the alcohol excesses. The tell-tale spots of eczema were only baby fledglings at this stage and for a change had not appeared on my face…yet. As a gesture of their gratitude to us for coming to all the way to Singapore to share the happiness on their big day, our friends and their parents invited us to join them and their family for lunch at Pow Sing Restaurant; a place famous for its Hainanese Chicken Rice along.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

CHOP CHOP CHOP…DONE! So quick!

Since my arrival in Singapore I have been dying to try this classic favourite especially as I know it is one of the main hawker’s foods that is easy to do gluten free. Hainanese chicken originates from China and it is found in Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai cuisines and many Singaporeans consider this to be their national dish. The whole chicken is delicately poached in a broth of pork and chicken stock which is infused with ginger. This stock is then used along with rendered chicken fat to prepare the rice resulting in an extremely flavourful dish.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Hainanese Chicken

Pow Sing’s Hainanese chicken did not disappoint. The chickens were plump, soft and very succulent; the meat nearly dissolved in your mouth it was so tender.  The rice looked innocent enough but as soon as I served myself some I could smell its fragrant aroma. Each rice grain was coated in the tasty oily broth giving it a full body of flavour. To accompany our chicken; my friend parents proceeded to order a long list of Nyonya favourites for us to try.  I could feel myself getting caught up in the fun of it all and figured seeing as I felt rotten from the night before eating a little bit more gluten was hardly going to make that much more of a difference provided I was careful and didn’t go overboard.

"Honey bean pod" "vegetarian" "straw mushroom" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Honey bean pod with straw mushroom

The sweet crunchy honey bean pods served with the delicate, musty, slightly earthy flavoured straw mushrooms were a refreshing dish after the oiliness of the chicken.  Straw mushrooms have been used in Chinese cuisine for over two thousand years and are so named because they’re grown on straw that’s been used in a rice paddy.

"Crispy Nyonya Squid" "crispy squid" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Crispy Nyonya Squid

The crispy Nyonya squid was another flavour bomb.  The squid are coated in a batter containing coconut and then deep-fried giving them a very crunchy texture. They are then stir-fried in chilli and garlic and then dipped in a tangy sweet and sour hot sauce before serving. This was quite unlike any fried squid I have had before and I could have easy demolished the plate but I held myself back knowing the batter would probably contain flour.  One taste was all I allowed myself….pace yourself girl!

"Fried sambal lady’s finger" "okra" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Fried sambal lady’s finger

"Ngog Hiang" "five flavours roll" "spring roll" "five spice roll" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Ngog Hiang

The ngog hiang is a Nyonya style of spring roll. Meaning “five flavours” in Hokkien, it was initially brought to Singapore from the Fujian province in China.  The original five flavours were prawn, pork rolls, pork liver, egg and pork sausage.  These days they are made with all sorts of different meats which are usually combined with water chestnuts, other vegetables and then seasoned with five-spice powder. The outer layer is made with bean curd skin. For preparation they are steamed first followed by a short time in the deep fryer.  Absolutely delicious but not for those with heart disease as I’m sure too many of these tasty morsels would clog the arteries!

"Tauhu Prawns" "tofu prawns" "seafood" "tofu" "tauhu" "prawns" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Tauhu Prawns

"Assam Pedas Fish" "tamarind fish" "fish curry" "assam pedas" "nonya fish curry" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Assam Pedas Fish

Many of you may know my penchant for tamarind dishes; I love the sweet and sour aspect of these dishes much better than the horrific sickly Australian take on sweet and sour. The asam pedas is basically a fish curry made with tamarind paste and various vegetables. Ours contained okra, tomatoes and eggplants.   It had a fair bit of kick to the heat and I noticed the Boy politely avoiding serving himself seconds as the rest of us dipped in for more.

"Spicy Beancurd" "spicy tofu" "Mince Meat" "Spicy Beancurd with Mince Meat" "tofu" "tauhu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" Singapore Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Spicy Beancurd with Mince Meat

 "Nonya Otak otak" "otak otak" "fish cake" "mackerel" "banana leaf" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" Singapore Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Nonya Otak otak

Otak otak are a type of fish cake made from fresh mackerel meat pounded and marinated with ground chilli, lemon grass, ginger, turmeric and coconut milk.  The end result is something that looks more like fish paste than the traditional fish cakes I’m accustomed to in Thailand. This fragrant paste is then wrapped in banana leaves and gently steamed or cooked over hot charcoals. The banana leaves trap in the moisture and flavour making it into a mouth-watering, custardy sweet treat.

"Salad Flour Roll" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" Singapore Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Salad Flour Roll

"Crispy Nonya Tauhu" "crispy tofu" "egg tofu" "nyonya tofu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" Singapore Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Crispy Nonya Tauhu

The crispy Nyonya Tauhu is made from egg tofu and deep-fried to exact point to have a crispy thin exterior yet a velvety moist interior. The egg tofu is made by filtering whole beaten eggs into the soy milk before the tofu is set.  It is a paler yellow colour and has a silken soft texture and milder flavour.  These little creamy logs were to be dipped into the accompanying sweet black sauce and nearly seemed like a dessert than savoury course.

 "Chendol" "pandan jelly" "red bean" "coconut milk" "asian desserts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "chinese wedding banquet" "Pow Sing, Singapore" "Singapore food" "Singapore" "Hawkers food" "Hainanese Chicken" "Hainanese Chicken rice" "Nonya food" "Nyonya food" "Nyonya cuisine" "Malaysian food" "Pow Sing" "Serangoon Gardens" "travel blog" "Singapore travel blog"

Chendol

We finished our feast with a recommendation from the Bride; a chendol.  Like all Asian desserts this came laden with all the sugar in all the land! The basic ingredients of this sticky drink included coconut milk, green jelly made from rice flour and Pandan flavouring, shaved ice and sugar. Ours was enhanced with layers of presumably highly artificial colourings and flavourings. At the bottom of my glass were red beans and grass jelly.  The beans were a welcome relief from all the sugar!

Giddy with the sugar combined with my gluten induced haziness I felt like I was intoxicated all over again. Despite knowing the next week was going to be rough on the body, I walked away feeling satisfied that I had made the most of my gluten onslaught by eating wonderful dishes that ordinarily I would avoid.  Most of all, not only did I get to appreciate how insanely delicious Hainanese Chicken rice is I tried it from a location that many consider to be the best in Singapore!

Pow Sing Restaurant
65 Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 217970 | +65 6282 7972 | http://www.powsing.com/index.html
 
Price:                     $$
Food:                    9/10 (ok now bear in mind this is coming from a naïve Westerner, but all dishes were brilliant)
Service:                4/5 (speedy, no fuss)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (hustling and bustling; this place remained packed)
Total:                     16.5/20