Tahu Telor

Ole Ole Javiyan - Stall 5 ,Bedok Camp Food Center

Junction of Upper East Coast Road and Bedok Road

It’s been a succession of unrelenting hot days. What better way to relief the heat then to head down to my favourite Cheng Ting stall in Bedok Camp Food Center. The car park was strangely empty as I trudged up the narrow footpath. My answer lies within. An entire row stalls, closed, as my thirst was unsatisfactorily quenched by the more common chin-chow.

Thirst quenched, it was my hunger for good food that now needed gratification. Almost reflexively, I made a quick order for sinful delight, the Tahu Telor.

I was told to wait ten minutes as I headed back to my table filled with various other fillers. After fifteen minutes, it finally came.

The reason it took so long is that the stall owners do not prepare it beforehand. While so many others do that, this stall has consistently met my freshness quota. Also, unlike many other places that replaces the tofu with a harder, easier to manage Tau Kwa, this stall, thankfully sticks to the good old smooth and silky cubes of white goodness.

Drizzled with a dark prawn paste sauce, the smell reminiscent of Rojak, another perennial local favourite of mine, my senses heighten as I tear apart the webby, spongelike egg structure. The toppings of cool shredded cucumbers and carrots fell into the oily mix of cholesterol busting eggs, tofu, and divine prawn sauce, lightly sprinkled with crushed peanut.

Whilst the egg itself did not present much flavour, nor did the usually bland tofu inject any distinct taste, the sauce does well to accentuate the two. It was like eating Rojak, but with a textural difference. Rojak being the rough, crunchy brother, Tahu Telor being the softer, gentler sister.

I would recommend sharing this dish. As much as I love the pungent prawn paste sauce and deep fried goodness of the eggs, finishing an entire plate proved a little much. Furthermore, I need the space for my fried prawn noodles and Cheng Ting. If only they were open. Must remind myself to avoid going on a Monday…