Liu Da Xia: 24 y.o. GenZ hawker makes Singapore’s first ever white curry prawn noodle
As I currently know, 24 is a unique age. You might have just started your first job or finished your college exams. Your friend could just have gotten married, and you might still be searching for a job. This is certainly not the case for Xiao Xuan, 24, who recently opened Liu Da Xia at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre.
Liu Da Xia was founded as a completely new venture by their primary company, Liu Kou Shui, which serves fusion rice bowls. Liu Kou Shui began as a humble home-based business selling char siew rice at the peak of COVID-19.
Fast forward to Dec 2022 and Xiao Xuan and her mom opened their first Liu Kou Shui stall at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, which my colleague Aaron had previously visited. Their second store is located at Sengkang Grand Mall. I’m starting to see a trend for the love of the north.
Together with the newly opened Woodleigh Village Hawker, Liu Kou Shui opened its third outlet at the same time as Liu Da Xia, taking up 2 of the 39 stalls. Situated right next to each other, you might see double as Xiao Xuan says she floats between the 2 stalls depending on the crowd.
What I tried at Liu Da Xia
At any Liu Da Xia stall, you will see their easy-to-follow, highly customisable menu. Choose between 7 different noodle dishes with 4 different noodle types. They also have 7 different add-ons to flair up your dish, ranging from Abalone (S$4.50 for 2 pcs), Pork Rib (S$3 for 2 pcs) and Scallops (S$4 for 1 pc).
Those with a big appetite, like myself, can add extra noodles for an additional dollar.
The first of the 2 dishes I tasted was the Dry Prawn and Pork Ribs Noodle (S$5.50) with their homemade sambal. This was served with a bowl of their homemade prawn soup. Xiao Xuan recommended I pour a few spoonfuls into the concoction of ingredients.
Those don’t peel their own prawns will be relieved. The dish contains 2 pieces of pre-peeled prawns, slices of fish cake, pork ribs, a small serving of kang kong and toppings of pork lard and crispy onions sprinkled on top.
As I started mixing all the ingredients together, they turned a dark, golden brown colour. I noticed that my dish contained yellow noodles and bee hoon, adding to its texture. I first gave the soup a sip – it had a very deep flavour, with an intense burst of umami from the prawns.
The pork ribs were tender, and I was informed they were cooked with the prawn soup. The bite from the prawns gave the dish a sweet note, and the kang kong added a nice crunchy texture. The few crispy onions and pork lard bites flavoured the dish even further.
As one would expect from any prawn noodle dish, I was waiting for the tomato note to hit my palette. However, I was not greeted by one and instead got a delicious sweet note from the sauce. When I asked Xiao Xuan about this, she said that it’s their homemade black sauce, which is a soy sauce base, standard across their noodle dishes.
Liu Da Xia is implementing this to differentiate itself from traditional prawn noodles, which serve tomato-based sauces. Those who are a bit apprehensive about embracing Liu Da Xia’s modern approach can still savour the traditional prawn noodle taste as they have their own tomato sauce available.
I was fortunate to be able to watch Xiao Xuan construct both my dishes. Whilst doing so, she explained that the prawn soup base is cooked the day before with pork and chicken bones as well as spices.
She then arrives early to cook off the prawn heads, which are blended and poured into the cooked soup base. The pot is left to simmer for a few hours before being strained and seasoned.
For my final dish, I got a sneak preview of their new release, the Signature Prawn Noodle (S$4), with the addition of the Special White Curry Soup for S$0.50. The one element that caught my attention was the serving spoon containing a black mixture. Xiao Xuan explained that it was their homemade curry paste containing lemongrass, belachan, ginger, garlic and shallots; like the prawn soup base, it is made the day before.
As with the first dish, there were 2 peeled prawns, kang kong, slices of fish cake and pork. Xiao Xuan recommended mixing the paste into the soup, which turned the soup dark yellow. I took a sip of the broth, and it was light, creamy and slightly spicy. It also had a note of coconut that ended the symphony of flavours.
For the white curry broth, they use the same soup base to prepare the prawn soup. Instead of adding coconut milk, they use evaporated cream and infuse curry leaves and lemongrass. The yellow noodles and ingredients soaked up the addictive broth and I could not stop slurping it up.
Final thoughts
What I admire about Xiao Xuan is that she has extensive knowledge of food at a young age and is not afraid to bend the traditional rules of what encapsulates prawn noodles. She has transformed Liu Da Xia and put careful thought into every dish, crafting authentic flavours while putting her own twist into it.
I have yet to try the Liu Koh Shui parent stall, but when I do make a return to Woodleigh Hawker Village, I will.
Expected damage: S$5 – S$15 per pax
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