Soh Kee Cooked Food: $3.50 Michelin Bib chicken & fish porridge

I love a good bowl of porridge, but it isn’t what I usually go for. So when I found out about Soh Kee Cooked Food, the fact that it was a Michelin Bib Gourmand stall came as a surprise to me. Not that porridge isn’t delicious, but how does such a basic dish get so famous?

Just like that, I decided to drop by the 505 Jurong West Market and Food Centre stall. Boy, did I regret not arriving earlier.

The place was packed. Bustling chatter filled the scorching noon air, making the heat seem even more oppressive than it was. There was a small bazaar selling street food and Chinese New Year decorations nearby, adding to the chaos.

The smell of cooked food from the Food Centre roused a hunger that I wasn’t aware of before I arrived. 

Due to the crowd, it took ages for me to find a table, a clean one no less. I soon managed, but it was situated far away from my target stall, which was set in the middle of the block.

Approaching Soh Kee Cooked Food, I felt slightly intimidated by the queue that had already formed at the front. It must be a popular choice!

However, I soon realised that this was nothing to worry about, as their service was surprisingly very quick. Not a minute after I placed my order, I was alerted that my bowl had been served. 

It was set on the corner of the neighbouring table, where one of the stall aunties was busy chopping cucumbers. I would’ve snapped a photo, if there wasn’t still a line waiting behind me!

What I tried at Soh Kee Cooked Food

The Mixed Porridge (S$3.50) came garnished with a handful of shredded lettuce, a dash of pepper and a mound of ginger strips. From the vendor, I learned it contained chicken, cuttlefish, and fish.

For the low price, it was quite a good portion. And so, the box for affordability was ticked. 

Now, to test if it met the standards for quality.

I know of two types of congee. The first is the thick kind, with the rice boiled until you can’t tell they were separate grains in the first place. The second is soup-like; more water than rice, with the shape of the grains still somewhat distinguishable. This bowl was more like the first, albeit a little watery. 

Without mixing, I gave it a small taste. If I could describe it in one word, it would be “simple”.

The porridge had a very light taste but it wasn’t bland in the least. I couldn’t tell if they had used any soya sauce, but there was a slight hint of chicken and fish. 

Wondering if the copious amount of ginger and lettuce strips would make a difference, I mixed the garnishes into the porridge. The result was a hearty, gingery concoction that warmed me to the bone. 

While I dislike finding – and unsuspectingly chomping into – chunks of ginger in my food, the strips were perfectly alright. They were thin enough not to fire up my mouth with each bite and provided a wholesome spice to the dish. 

Imagine this dish on a chilly, rainy day. The definition of comfort!

Besides an additional pop of colour, the lettuce didn’t contribute much to the overall flavour. It did provide more texture to the mixture, though, making each spoonful feel like a bite, rather than just swallowing a mouthful of soup.

One ingredient that stood out to me when I first took the bowl – sliced cuttlefish. Visually, the brown pieces were a sharp contrast to the white porridge and though they were mixed in, I faced no trouble picking them out.

The cuttlefish tasted very fresh and not overly fishy. Its thickness was somewhat crunchy, but not rubbery, though sotong can sometimes be.

I took my time to savour the soft, tender chicken; there wasn’t much I found in the dish. Some pieces still had the skin attached, but they were smooth and silky without much fat. 

A small part of me regretted not purchasing an extra plate of chicken alongside my porridge, like the one offered in the other sets from Soh Kee Cooked Food. 

I thought they had forgotten to add in the fish until I discovered the pieces that blended in with the porridge. They looked exactly like clumps of rice! 

It was impossible to identify the species of fish they used, but it was white and very soft. I would describe the flesh as more delicate than meaty. I wouldn’t say it felt flaky either since it almost disintegrated whenever I tried to chew. 

There wasn’t much of a taste to the pieces either; most of the flavour came from the stronger cuttlefish. 

Final Thoughts

I’m more of an ingredients person, so I wish the Mixed Porridge came with more meat! The fish especially – I had to struggle to look for the scraps. 

Other than that, it was a hearty and comforting meal, even in the heat. While made with minimal seasonings, there was a subtle flavour that wasn’t too heavy on the palate. Very much like homemade porridge! Simple, yet satisfying, and didn’t burn a hole through my wallet!

Soh Kee Cooked Food was somewhat worth the experience, I think. It won’t become a usual of mine but I can acknowledge that it does live up to its reputation of providing decent quality but affordable dishes. 

Expected damage: S$3.50 per pax

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