Yong Tau Foo - A Soup Story

This soup changed my life - it's that good. I am not sure everyone would agree with me but for those who do love this soup can certainly attest to its ability to not only tantalize your tastebuds, but to somehow always leave you wanting more. I can still remember the first time I tried that steaming bowl of Yong Tau Foo. I was working at a bank in Singapore and I had decided to join one of my colleagues for lunch at a food stall in our office tower. I had passed these small stalls many times before, yet I had never been inclined to stop and try the soup - until now. So, I followed her lead and I took my large plastic bowl, my wide plastic spoon and my chopsticks and I began making my selections. I went heavy on the vegetables - grilled eggplant, tomatoes, Chinese greens and topped it off with a few pieces of tofu stuffed with cheese. Once I reached the counter, I added glass noodles and selected the soup option.  At the risk of sounding cliche, it was love at first bite. The broth was subtlety sweet and slightly salty...probably best described as umami. 

Yong Tau Foo is a Hakka Chinese cuisine traditionally made using tofu stuffed with fish paste or ground meat (source: Wikipedia). The dish has evolved over the years and there are now many different variations (tofu, fish paste, fishballs, soup, noodles, gravy, sauce, vegetables, meats, etc.); however, to keep things simple, most people either order Yong Tau Foo with soup, or they have it 'dry' (with sauce / gravy on top). I have since tried many different soup stalls and several different variations of the soup and I have finally settled on a favorite, which is listed below. If sitting outside in the Singapore heat and humidity eating a hot bowl of extraordinarily delicious soup sounds like your thing, then Yong Tau Foo just might be for you (although luckily they do have air conditioning in the upstairs seating area during lunch time). 

My favorite place to eat Yong Tau Foo in Singapore: 109 Teochew Yong Tau Foo, 90 Circular Road (Boat Quay) Tel: +65 6299 1643