Ayam Bakar - Changi Village Makan

There is no shortage of good food in Changi Village and today, I feature an Indonesian Pan-Fried Chicken stall - Ayam Bakar.

Located in Block 3, the stall is 01-79 and simply named Indonesian Ayam Bakar. It is one of the more popular stalls at this side of the hawkers' centre and if you go there around lunch time, be prepared to wait in queue. The chicken is done Java style.

The chicken is first cooked in a spiced chicken broth containing turmeric and blue ginger. When the chicken thigh is cooked, it is then pan-fried.

And the result of the pan-fry is a charred skin and a nice pan-fry smell.

When you order the meal - which consists of lettuce, pineapple salad, soup, rice and a piece of chicken thigh, macik will ask what sauce you may want. There is the "Diving" sauce which is primarily pineapple and cucumber salad in kacap manis with green chili. Gives it a tangy and sweet taste. Then there is the Sambal Lado and then the rendang. There is also a tomato based sauce for those who do not want spicy.

Seen above in order of spiciness (from bottom to top) - the dark red sauce at the bottom of the picture is the least spicy tomato sauce. Then the Sambal Lado which I understand to be medium spicy and then the rendang which is the most spicy.

This is my Ayam Bakar in Sambal Lado sauce. See the amount of chili seeds? Sedap! But I have to say this - bring lots of tissue to wipe off that perspiration. And it also helps if you have a cold drink nearby to quench that thirst.

When you cut into the chicken thigh, the meat simply falls off the bone and retains it juiciness. The taste of the spices also permeates the meat and the sambal adds that extra oomph to the chicken thigh.

The whole set meal is a very reasonable $4. Definitely fills the stomach and settles your craving for "grilled" chicken. Honestly, I feel this is better than most of the Ayam Penyet stalls in CV. Look out for my other post on Sinar Murni. My favourite tahu goreng. Stall is just opposite to Ayam Bakar.

Indonesian Ayam Bakar, Stall 01-79, Changi Village Hawker's Centre. Open for lunch.

Changi Village - Sinar Murni

Changi Village for many is our daily haunt for food be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. And after one year renovation, the hawkers' centre was reopened earlier part of 2013. And with all renovated hawkers' centre, prices have gone up too. There are several stalls I frequent in CV and I shall start with my favorite stall for lunch - Sinar Murni.

Sinar Murni operates during lunch hours and typically opens around noon. Serving Malay cuisine, I love their Mee Soto, Tahu Goreng and the goreng pisang. They also serve Mee Rebus and curry puff too but I leave that for another day.

Today, I feature the tahu goreng. What I like about their tahu goreng is that they start from scratch. The taukwa is deep fried and while that sits in the fryer, makcik makes the sauce. First the crushed peanuts, brown sugar, some finely cut banana flower and then the tamarind juice. Fresh garlic and some fresh chili.

The taukwa is cut into cubes and blanched bean sprouts and sliced cucumbers are added on top. Then the sauce is slathered over the vegetables.

The sauce is the killer. Instead of using pre-made satay gravy like some stalls do, they prepare it when you order. The amount of freshly ground peanuts and fresh garlic gives the sauce a kick. The taukwa is piping hot and each bite mixed with the sauce is just heavenly… at least for me.

Operated by three sisters, they never fail to show up everyday except during the Ramadan period where they take a break. What is also nice is the fried snacks - goreng pisang, keledek (sweet potato), samosa and spring roll.

On this occasion, I could not eat much more so just stayed with the tahu goreng. The bananas they use are what they call pisang nipah - small varietal. A little dense and not so sweet. I shall do another blog on their fried items. I know some friends prefer the "Chinese" style goreng pisang where they use very tempura type flour as the outer coating. For me, I prefer the original style. More of that to come.

Visit Sinar Murni at Changi Village Hawkers' Centre, Block 3, Stall 01-75. They are located at the market side right behind the bus terminus.