Chuan’s Ladle: Little cakes that are big on taste

For the first time in a long while, I got up early in the morning to trek down to a new location for breakfast. The destination: Chuan’s Ladle at Tekka Centre, a stall that specialises in what they call ladle cakes (also known as mang guang ge), a type of fried food stuffed with turnips and meat. 

According to Chuan’s Ladle, the recipe for the cakes originated from the owner’s grandmother, affectionately known as Wai Po. Her husband had wanted a Hokkien dish called hei pia (Hokkien for prawn fritter) for a large gathering, but prawns were expensive. As a result, Wai Po had to look for a substitute for prawns, and that resulted in the birth of the ladle cake.

I was half expecting the food centre to be packed and the stall to have long lines, but it wasn’t as crowded as I had anticipated. Perhaps it was because it was a weekday morning.

What I tried at Chuan’s Ladle

A brightly lit signboard displays all of Chuan’s Ladle’s offerings with clear prices. In the interest of sampling all they have to offer, I opted for a Set Meal (S$6). It includes a serving of Scallion Oil Noodles (S$1.50 a la carte), 2 servings of Paper Wrapped Chicken (S$2.50 for 2 mid-wings), and some achar. I also added an Original Ladle Cake (S$2.50 per piece).

As the stallholder prepared my order, I observed the food warmer in front of me. Chuan’s Ladle also has 2 other varieties of ladle cake: Spicy and Coriander. All 3 varieties cost the same.

It didn’t take too long for my order to be ready, and it was served in a takeout box. The packaging wins points for being adorable – it’s styled after those old Chinese manuscripts that are bound with thread. Definitely a step up from a plain paper takeout box.

I also appreciate that the food hasn’t been heaped inside in haphazard piles – we do tend to eat with our eyes first so a neat presentation does add to the experience. The scallion oil noodles are garnished with spring onion and fried shallots, and the ladle cakes were thoughtfully cut into halves.

I started to mix the noodles and a whiff of fragrant scallion oil hit my nose. A strong start, I thought to myself. I mixed it thoroughly, and then took a bite. Texture was definitely on point; nice and springy, and not clumping together.

The taste of the scallion oil wasn’t quite as strong as I’d have liked, but the noodles weren’t bad by any means. They’re more forward on the soy sauce front.

Next up was the ladle cake. I’d never had anything like this before, and from the description alone, I was fully expecting it to taste like a fried popiah with a thicker and chewier batter. 

Well, it wasn’t anything like a fried popiah. The filling was slightly sweet, a touch earthy and full of flavour, and the chewy outer shell was nice. I couldn’t really make out the tofu that was listed in the ingredients, but it all worked together great.

The ladle cake had probably been sitting out in the warmer for a bit, so it was starting to get a little soggy. I bet a quick blast in an air fryer would make this 10 times better.

My final target: the paper wrapped chicken. It involved a little bit of yanking to get the paper off, as the former was extremely reluctant to separate from the skin. Once it had been successfully pried off, I took a bite. The chicken skin was very sticky, almost gummy and gelatinous. The meat was faultlessly tender, and came off the bone easily. 

The chicken wings were well-marinated and seasoned. I just wasn’t really sold on how… gummy the skin was.

Final thoughts

The more I ate, the more I started to experience something called “palate fatigue.” The flavours of all the components started to blend together, and only the achar provided some variety. It was bright, crunchy, and tangy, but it wasn’t enough to keep me interested in finishing the meal.

Separately, everything was fine, but together? It didn’t really work for me. 

I would happily go back for the ladle cakes, though. It’s wonderful to see that the owners (a trio of brothers) are so dedicated to preserving their Wai Po’s legacy, and if it means I get to eat more of these, all the better.

Expected damage: S$2.50 to S$8.50 per pax

Order Delivery: Deliveroo 

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