Redhill Pork Porridge: $4 pork porridge loaded with fresh ingredients, opens at 6am
Porridge is nowadays neglected, thanks to the number of other flavourful options like char kway teow and yakiniku. However, many still go back to the nourishing foods we all know and love. The perfect example is the beloved pork porridge that Redhill Pork Porridge provides in Redhill Food Centre.
This stall in Redhill does have quite the reputation, considering the current owner is the famous food blogger MissTamChiak herself. The previous owner retired and MissTamChiak has taken over the stall with 2 popular chefs, Chef Cao and Chef Kenny. The groundwork of the porridge’s recipe remains the same, preserving the authenticity from the former owner but the dish is elevated through the use of better ingredients.
Recently, MissTamChiak had given the reins to a good friend to manage the stall in her stead. Don’t fret, as the quality is said to be the same.
Having caught wind that this stall sells out at incredible speed, I had arrived at the crack of dawn to not be disappointed. Surprisingly, the queue wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. With only a few people in line, the wait was not too bad either, with Auntie handling orders quickly.
Personally, I adored how airy Redhill Market was. The open space and non-constricted design really made for a comfortable breakfast while I was admiring the bustle of people. Definitely a great way to slowly get into the mood for the day.
Most of the crowd was elderly folk who had come for a light breakfast. With many stalls closed, I can see why the crowd was not too diverse; that changes as office hours approach.
What I tried at Redhill Pork Porridge
With only 1 item on the menu, there is little to decide. From my observation, the popular choice was the Large Pork Porridge (S$5) with the addition of an Egg (S$0.50). If you prefer more ingredients, that can be arranged as well. I was slightly sad that you tiao was not given as a default, since that had been how it was like in the past.
My first impressions were not too rained on, though, as the portion of the Small Pork Porridge with Egg (S$4.50) was not too shabby. In fact, I was still contemplating if I could finish my bowl, which was filled almost to the brim.
My groggy eyes widened at the first spoonful of porridge, taken off guard by the taste. It was lightly flavoured with pork broth and not at all bland. I loved how the grains of porridge were not mushy and held their form as I chewed.
For those worried about the jelak-ness, I was, too, until I noticed some slivers of ginger inside the bowl. With that, the porridge had a refreshing kick of ginger with each bite. Despite my usual displeasure at finding herbs and spices with my food, I enjoyed the inclusion of ginger this time round.
A word of advice would be to order the egg no matter what! Thanks to it, the porridge was thickened and had an umami that was difficult to refuse. Whatever sceptical thoughts I had were wiped from my mind as I continued gobbling up each spoonful of that liquid gold.
Liver fans will be pleased to know that there was no lack of it here. My bowl itself contained 4 triangular pieces. Unfortunately for me, my body completely rejects liver as I find the gamey flavour too strong. Alas, one must try everything at least once.
It’s succulent and tender, and the iron taste isn’t strong enough to activate the gag reflex too quickly. Texture-wise, the liver was chewy rather than the firmer ones I’m used to, a testament to its freshness here at Redhill Pork Porridge.
On the other hand, there were too few pork balls — only 2 little pieces in my bowl. I thoroughly enjoyed their intense flavour compared to the other ingredients. Having dried mushrooms within, the pork balls had an impactful flavour that reminded me of another local dish, minced pork noodles.
What I loved most had to be the pork slices. The texture was not tough but tender and springy. I almost mistook it for chicken because of that. Personally, the fact that I could sense the distribution of fat and lean meat made this ingredient a winner in my books.
Final thoughts
This porridge is what I imagined Goldilocks’ porridge would taste like, so good that it convinced her to stay. Looks like the prestige of Redhill Pork Porridge isn’t just a gimmick, and the porridge does indeed live up to high standards.
Although it is a distance from my home and the stall has peculiar opening hours, I will be sure to return for another bowl of goodness.
Expected damage: S$4 – S$5.50 per pax
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