A Hokkien feast at the 50 Cents Fest
Bigger than ever before, the 50 Cents Fest is back for its 4th edition!
Happening on 27 and 28 July 2019 at the Chinatown Food Street as part of this year’s Singapore Food Festival, the 50 Cents Fest takes a dive into the roots of Singapore’s largest dialect group: the Hokkien Chinese. Over 40 food stalls selling savoury and sweet dishes will be featured – from nourishing soups and all sorts of Hokkien-style noodles, to old-school frozen desserts and kueh.
The best part: prices start from a mere $0.50! None of the 50-plus dishes will cost anything above $3 either – talk about value for money.
Think that’s crazy-cheap? Simply key in the promo code “FOODFEST” during the 50 Cents Food Fest from 27-28 July 2019 to enjoy an extra 50% off when you pre-book your food on Klook. To avoid scrambling for change and hogging up the queues, pre-purchase these items on Klook and just flash your mobile voucher to redeem:
Hungry? Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect at this year’s 50 Cents Fest!
1. Buddha Jumps Over The Wall
Where else can you get a taste of Buddha Jumps Over The Wall at this price point? This nutritious soup is made with a medley of premium ingredients like conpoy, fish maw, abalone and ginseng, remaining deeply flavourful while still maintaining a refreshing brightness in the broth.
Price: $3.00
2. Fried Black Hokkien Mee
The first thing you’ll notice when you receive your bowl of Hokkien Mee are the huge piece of pork lard! The noodles are savoury and oozing with pork flavor and they even bring a hint of wok hei. You’ll find generous pieces of lean pork, fishcake, pork lard and green leafy vegetables all well tossed in a slightly sweet black thick black sauce. Grab your bowl of noodles and slurp away!
Price: $1
3. Herbal Prawn
With every order of Herbal Prawn, you’ll get three plump prawns that have been marinated in a heady mix of shaoxing wine and a medley of Chinese herbs. This infuses the broth with a deep herbal flavor, which is lightened up by the prawns’ seafood sweetness.
Price: $2
4. Braised Duck Rice
A well-known hawker centre favourite, a portion of the Braised Duck Rice won’t disappoint. Topped with a fairly generous amount of braised duck. Each slice of duck is smooth and tender without tasting gamey in the slightest, and comes drenched in a savoury dark sauce that’s not too sweet. The accompanying rice was delicious as well, with each grain coated and seasoned by the dark braising sauce.
Price: $1
5. Chilli Crab
It’s not a Singaporean hawker feast without the iconic Chilli Crab. While a Chilli Crab dish at any seafood restaurants will usually set you back $60 to $80, a serving here will only cost you $2 – plus it comes with 2 pieces of crab! The crab meat was plump and sweet, and paired perfectly with the tangy eggy sauce.
We bet this will be one of the most popular dishes, so head down early!
P.S. Mantous not provided.
Price: $2
Here are some other dishes not to be missed at the 50 cents fest!
6. Hei Zho Prawn Rolls
When compared to the more familiar ngoh hiang, Hei zho, or deep-fried Hokkien prawn rolls, is “same-same, but different”. It’s made from minced meat as well, but contains a higher prawn-to-pork ratio, and is shaped as individual pieces as opposed to a long roll. This bite-sized Hokkien favorite is feathery-crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. In other words, incredibly addictive.
7.Cha Gay Ah (Hokkien Tapioca Noodles)
This might look like your typical noodles, but don’t be fooled. The “noodles” in this lesser-known Hokkien dish are actually made of kneaded tapioca flour!
This gives the Cha Gay Ah – which is actually more of a savory kueh – it’s quintessential chewy consistency. After being shaped and cut, the thin tapioca pieces are then wok-fried with dried shrimps, dark sauce and some leafy vegetables to create the final end-product. A must-try if you haven’t before!
8.Orh Pia (UFO Oyster Cake)
Nicknamed for its UFO-like apperance, Orh Pia is a traditional Hokkien dish that’s slowly disappearing from Singapore’s food scene.
This battered disc of marinated minced pork, oyster and peanuts is deep fried till crisp and golden-brown, before being topped with Chinese parsley for a touch of freshness. Enjoy it right out of its old-school newspaper packaging, no utensils required!
9. Kiam Png (Hokkien-Style Cabbage Rice)
A staple comfort dish found in Hokkien households, this fuss-free one-pot dish Kiam Png literally translates to “salty rice”. In every bite, you’ll get the sweetness of the cabbage and the hae bi, along with earthy dried mushrooms and slightly sticky broken rice grains.
10 . Kong Ba Bao
Heritage restaurant Beng Hiang brings its famous Kong Ba Bao to the table at the 50 Cents Fest, and it’s a beauty.
This melt-your-house braised pork belly bun might look simple, but hours of work and patience go into its preparation – from a long bath in a flavorful marinade, a flash-fry to render out the excess oil and to ensure it doesn’t fall apart during the braising process.
Tucked into a pillowy-soft mantou bun, the thick slab of caramelised pork belly truly does melt in your mouth. Don’t miss this.
11. Ai Yu Jelly
You might know Ai Yu Jelly as either a bubble tea topping, or as a staple Taiwanese night market street food – but this dessert actually has Hokkien roots! Made from the seeds of the creeping fig, this refreshing jelly dessert has very mild taste on its own. Paired with syrup, ice and a generous squeeze of lime, a bowl of ai yu jelly is just the palate cleanser you need after all that feasting!
Score exclusive freebies at the Klook Booth
Before you start off on your food journey, head over to the Klook Booth to redeem exclusive freebies!
Just show the Klook 50 cent food vouchers you’ve purchased to any of the Klook staff around, and you’ll be entitled to 1 free spin on the Klook Gachapon Machine. There are also free fans that you’ll want to have on hand while queuing up for your food in the sweltering Singapore heat.
P.S. Our Gachapon Machine is stuffed with Food Festival prizes you won’t wanna miss!
Take on the Singapore Food Festival this Summer
Taking place throughout the entire month of July, the annual Singapore Food Festival presents a smorgasbord of food-themed events. From exclusive Chilli Crab Ramen collaborations, 7-Eleven ready to eat Salted Egg Tamagoyaki and even Kueh Symposiums, get ready to feast till you drop!
Klook is proud to be the official travel partner for the Singapore Food Festival and this means exclusive discounts, skip the line privileges and more!
