Soup Kambing Haji M. Abdul Rajak, Upper Boon Keng Rd: Possibly the best Sup Kambing in Singapore
I’ll try my best to keep this piece short because Upper Boon Keng Road holds a special place in my heart… and I could go on forever about the precious eateries you can find there. Before I was an Eastie, believe it or not, I was a notorious Central kid. Since the move, every trip back to Upper Boon Keng Market & Food Centre with my family has been a trip down memory lane, ending with a feast inclusive of the popular sup kambing from Haji M. Abdul Rajak.
As soon as I alighted from my cab, I got hit by a wave of nostalgia. Heaps of memories came flooding back; I had to snap out of it. Haji M. Abdul Rajak is no ordinary stall; they serve the best bowl of sup kambing you can find in Singapore.
A little bit of history for the uninitiated: their namesake was the man who brought this soup to Singapore from India, selling mutton soup from a pushcart in 1955 to their present location. They’ve been at the same location since 1975— how cool is that!
What I tried
Here at Haji M. Abdul Rajak, they make sure the animal doesn’t go to waste. Expect to find the greenish-yellowish soup with tender chunks of the meat, ribs, organs, and even brain.
To start off, I ordered the Sup Campur (S$11 for small, S$14 for medium, S$16 for large). Each order also comes with a generous portion of fluffy white bread to soak up all that goodness. The bowl comes with every cut of mutton, from ribs to tendon to tongue to various innards.
The soup was rich and hearty with an intense mutton flavour sans the gaminess; just as I remembered it to be all those years ago. It comes topped with fresh coriander, and the warm and spicy notes from the cumin is the first thing you’ll taste upon taking your first slurp. Also, the consistency of the soup is more like that of a stew, and it also doesn’t have a thick layer of oil on its surface.
The best part of having sup kambing has to be dipping the bread into the flavoursome broth. There’s no better feeling than sinking your teeth into the moist piece of soup-soaked bread.
Most people I know tend to stray away from mutton due to its bad rep of having a strong smell, but here the meat was soft, and fell apart easily. If it’s going to be your first time tasting sup kambing, this is the perfect bowl to start you off.
I’ve played it safe all these years and only indulged in a bowl of Sup Isi (S$8.50 for small). I’m not good with innards or organs, so this was going to be a real trip; I prepped myself to have a piece of the tongue.
After an eternity of wincing and whining, I eventually popped a (small) piece in my mouth, and surprisingly enjoyed it. It was chewy and had a bouncy texture to it.
Next up was Sup Otak (S$8.50 for small, S$16 for medium, S$24 for large). I’ve never had the brains of any animal before, but I am a firm believer of trying anything and everything at least once before forming an opinion of it.
I consider myself quite an adventurous eater, so I was terrified yet excited to try something new. Quite the conundrum I was faced with if you ask me. I popped a small piece into my mouth and immediately felt the sliminess of the brain that took a while to fully disintegrate on my tongue.
It didn’t have much flavour to it and I still don’t understand why people like it. It was like having semi-firm tofu. Alas, it’s not something I’d want to have again, and I’d very much rather stick to my bowl of isi-filled soup; thank you very much.
Final thoughts
Considering how I’ve been patronising this stall since I was a kid, I was rather impressed with how Haji M. Abdul Rajak has retained its flavour after all these years. Every part of the kambing was cleaned and prepared with finesse. As much as I rave about it, sup kambing definitely isn’t for everyone. And if you’re feeling adventurous, get yourself a bowl of brains to try!
Expected damage: S$8.50 to S$24
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