Empress Porridge: Tingkat and kids meals that taste like Ah Ma’s cooking

For those of us lucky enough to grow up with home-cooked food, nothing ever quite compares to it, does it? There’s just something so special about it, and for a long time, I thought that experiencing that same kind of cooking outside the home wouldn’t be possible. But today, Empress Porridge has managed to prove me wrong.

Empress Porridge originally began as a simple porridge cooked for a church event that grew into a small eatery, and is now a tingkat meal plan company. They focus on preparing family-friendly meals, and the menu features a wide range of both local and international cuisines. 

Meals are planned across 6 months, and they use premium ingredients for each dish. No more worrying about planning meals or what to eat – all the hard work’s already done. (And if you’ve tried doing meal prep, you’ll know what a nightmare it can be.)

Unlike some other meal plans, Empress Porridge has a very flexible subscription model which runs for 2 weeks, making it easier for you to schedule meals and postpone or cancel deliveries. Their Family Plan also includes a specially-designed meal box for children so the entire family can dine together.

What I tried from Empress Porridge

I received Dong Cai & Tang Hoon Soup and Hainanese Pork Chop with Tangy Tomato Vinegar Sauce with Carrots, Corn, Onions and Peas, Stir Fried Longbeans and Tomato Scrambled Eggs. Empress Porridge’s offerings rotate daily, so you can look forward to something different for every meal.

Each dish is portioned for 2 adults, and arrives sealed in microwaveable containers. You can simply pop these into the microwave oven for a couple of minutes, and have piping hot food. The seal is secure while being very easy to remove – I appreciated this immensely because I’m sure we’ve all encountered stubborn plastic wrap that won’t budge.

The first dish I went for was the Hainanese Pork Chop with Tangy Tomato Vinegar Sauce. The sauce is packaged separately from the pork chop so that you don’t get a soggy, mushy mess. Very thoughtful!

The pork chop was still crispy despite the delivery trip. The crust was slightly nutty, while the pork was moist and tender. The tomato sauce absolutely knocked it out of the park – it was thick with a deep, rich tomato flavour that was perfectly balanced between tangy and sweet. I could’ve eaten the entire portion myself.

A little backstory about me – as a child, I disliked long beans, but only in recent years have I come to appreciate them.. Empress Porridge’s take on this dish includes bits of garlic, a little chilli and onions. 

The long beans were lightly seasoned, just enough to draw out the natural goodness of the vegetables. The chilli imparted very subtle heat to the dish, and it was not oily at all. I prefer my beans with a little crunch, so these were a touch mushy for my taste. My colleague tried a bite and said that they tasted almost exactly like the way his grandmother used to prepare them.

Tomato Scrambled Egg is one of those dishes that most families have their variation of, and they will swear that theirs is “the best one”. I am no exception to this, but Empress Porridge’s looked like it could hold its own against mine. 

The curds were large and cooked till just set, resulting in bites of silky egg without any liquidy bits. The flavours were also balanced well, not too sweet and not too sour. I found myself piling spoonfuls of this onto the rice and wolfing it down. 

The nice thing about Empress Porridge’s tingkat service is that every daily menu includes a soup, and as a soup lover, this is a major plus point. The Dong Cai & Tang Hoon Soup was an opaque, light brown broth that had a relatively thick consistency. I had never tried this particular soup before, so I dug in with gusto.

The soup had bits of seaweed, sliced pork, and dong fen hiding in its depths. The dong cai (a type of preserved salted cabbage) added a good punch of umami, but I did find the soup a little bit too salty.

Kids also get what the adults are having, but presented in an extremely adorable bento box. I don’t know about you, but coming home to one of these cuties would totally make my day. The regular Dinner Plan has 1 complimentary kids meal per week, while the Family Plan includes a daily kids meal.

For those who need a hearty and wholesome lunch, Empress Porridge also does bento lunch boxes. Each box is incredibly generous with rice, 2 mains and 4 sides, for a total of 6 different dishes in 1 compact box. And of course, it tastes just as good as the tingkat fare.

Final thoughts

Empress Porridge has thoroughly impressed me with their food. I enjoyed all the dishes, especially the Hainanese Pork Chop with Tangy Tomato Vinegar Sauce. The homecooked quality of each dish was very apparent and I felt very satisfied after the meal – the portions were just right, and it was convenient to warm up and unpack the food. 

The fact that the menu changes every day means I won’t get bored of eating the same thing constantly, too – Empress Porridge has over 300 dishes on rotation. Sample their extensive menu too with coupon code SETHLUI25 to enjoy S$25 off Family and Dinner plans. (Not applicable for 1 pax and trial plans, other T&Cs apply.)

Expected damage: S$10 – S$20 per pax

* This article is brought to you in partnership with Empress Porridge.

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