Singapore’s food culture may not have a long history, but through the migratory journeys of the various races, Singapore’s food culture became the diverse mosaic it is today. Foodstuffs located within Singaporean cuisine are not unique solely because of what it is, considering that many of these dishes originate elsewhere. Instead, it is the journey that was taken, ingredients chosen as a result of circumstances, which gives the unique brand of Singapore food. History becomes the key ingredient that sets Singaporean cuisine apart from the world, a flavour only made possible through the journey to Singapore. One dish that exemplifies this is the kong bak pau (“braised pork bun” in Hokkien). This essay will follow how a Hokkien family and a Cantonese Hawker from Singapore came to encounter this dish, each developing and interpreting this dish. Through their differing perspectives, it will unearth how their personal history and the history of Singapore came together to give this dish its special Singaporean taste. This in turn further sheds light on the uniqueness of Singapore’s food culture.
This essay will feature the first-hand accounts of a hawker, Mr Yeo Yu Chou (or Mr Yeo), whose signature dish is the kong bak pau and also of the family of Mr Bernard Lim and Mrs Cynthia Lim. Although both parties declined to reveal the exact details of their recipes, they were more than willing to speak about how their personal histories led to development of their kong bak pau recipe; Bringing a personal, meaningful, and unique insight to the journey of kong bak pau.
For Mr and Mrs Lim, the story of their kong bak pau recipe carries much more meaning than just simply being a food dish. It is a family heirloom and tells a unique story of how both their families came together. Originally created by Mr Lim’s grandmother, this recipe was passed on from generation to generation, moving from the Fujian province in China, to Melaka, and eventually to Singapore, following the migration of the Lim family.
Throughout their sharing, Mr and Mrs Lim continually emphasised this dish was “authentic”, and that it remains true to its Hokkien roots. According to Mr Lim, this recipe has migrated together with their family, yet remains unchanged until arriving in Singapore. What is interesting is that this authentic Hokkien family recipe was passed on not only to its own members. This recipe was taught to the Lee family (Mr Lim’s in-laws), a Teochew family. While the authenticity of this dish is challenged and remains questionable, the movement of the recipe showcases how Singapore became the bedrock for the clash and melding of different cultural cuisines, with this development only happening in the context of Singapore.
Mr Yeo Yu Chou owns a hawker stall in Toa Payoh named Teochew Handmade Pau. For Mr Yeo, his kong bak pau recipe is a culmination of the sum of his life experiences. Migrating from Guangdong, China to Singapore, he began working not in Cantonese restaurants but in Teochew restaurants. Inspired by his personal experiences in Singapore, he experimented and tinkered with merging the varied cooking techniques from each dialect group. This recipe is the result of his own personal history in Singapore.
In comparison to the Lim family’s kong bak pau, Mr Yeo makes no attempts to claim authenticity for his dish and instead revels in the multi-dialect origins of his own recipe. This dish was made popular due to its non-adherence to traditional norms – for example in the type of pau used. Unlike the traditional form of kong bak pau where the meat is sandwiched between the lotus leaf bun (Mandarin: 荷叶包 he ye bao), Mr Yeo chooses to hand make his pau and wrap it around the meat. Another is his choice of lean meat, which differs from the traditional cut of pork belly, an especially fatty cut of meat.
Despite the different stories of how each recipe was developed, one point stands out: spices. During Mr Lim’s sharing, he discussed how in earlier versions of their recipe, spices were not included. However, with the accessibility of spices in Singapore, at some point in time the Lim family opted to add a specific spice blend which includes star anise and cinnamon during the braising of the meat. This improved recipe became what is recognised as the Lim family recipe. Similarly, Mr Yeo explained that the taste of spiced dishes from other ethnic groups in Singapore and availability of unique spice blends and mixes in Singapore, inspired him to add spices into the braising meat process.
For the Lim family, the journeys of each generation led to the creation and continued preservation of their family recipe. For Mr Yeo, his own experiences culminated into the recipe he created. However, the true Singaporean flavour in their kong bak pau is not just about accepting their own familial history but comes from learning from others, enjoying the multicultural experience of Singapore and adapting to the circumstances. Their individual journeys may have brought this dish to Singaporean shores, but these are the ingredients which spices the kong bak pau to be uniquely Singaporean.
