Teochew Handmade Pau, Singapore

I'm always on a look out for Teochew food! I love learning about my roots and I'm certainly proud of my heritage. So, when I found out that there was a humble shop in Toa Payoh selling mini Teochew handmade baos, I knew that I had to get my hands on some before I headed home to Malaysia!

There's always a constant stream of people waiting for the little steamed buns!

It wouldn't surprise me if they sold hundreds of paus a day! And you'll know that they're freshly made each day when you see an uncle kneading the dough behind the counter!

Clockwise starting from the biggest bun: Big Chicken bao, Lotus Paste bao, Char Siew bao, Siew Mai & Kong Bak bao

One bite from the Siew Mai and I knew that I was off to a good start! Instead of the normal minced pork filling, it had fish paste and shrimp (if I'm not mistaken!). The skin was thin and the whole thing was incredibly chewy- almost like a really dense fish paste ball. Even if you're here for the buns, do order this!

Next, I moved on to the lotus paste bao. The skin was so smooth, soft and thin. And because it's thin, the tiny buns were generously packed with the sweet lotus filling.

After that sweet treat, I went with something more savoury, the char siew bao. Again, the skin was remarkably soft and thin and the fillings were bountiful. However, the char siew filling was slightly dry and didn't have that 'char siew-ness' that I was looking for.

Despite being named Tai (big) Bao, it's the size of a normal bao. All the buns are so mini that this normal-sized one is their large! I wished that I could stop repeating myself but the bao skin blew me away with each buns I tried. The filling was tender, well-seasoned and moist- one of the best I've had.

Kong Bak Bao

(Braised Pork Buns)

Because this was their specialty, I kept it for last! Usually, pork belly is braised and used as the fillings in Kong Bak Baos but this was an exception. The meat was lean and shredded but I certainly had no complains! The meat was beautifully braised and packed with flavour. You could easily finish one in a bite or two so, I'd advice you to get more than one of these!

It's a pity that I discovered this on my last day in Singapore! The mini ones are perfect as snacks or when you're feeling a little peckish and for a substantial meal, just order a whole bunch of them!

Blk 127, Lorong 1

Toa Payoh

Singapore

http://www.teochewhandmadepau.com.sg/