Covid-19 stay-home guide: Zichar dishes that travel well

My favourite zichar eatery is Kok Sen in Keong Saik Road. But I hardly dine there because it is so popular that chances are I wouldn’t be able to get a table at dinnertime.

That is no longer a consideration because the food now comes to your doorstep. And ordering is a snap through WhatsApp.

The reply comes quickly with photos of the menu and, after totalling up my order, instructions on payment through PayNow.

The eatery’s entire repertoire is available for delivery. But, judging from the four signature dishes I pick, the longer time needed to go from wok to table may take a toll on the food.

Bittergourd Pork Ribs With Black Bean Sauce (from $17.25) survives the journey with the least damage. It is every bit as good as dine-in.

Most eateries cook the ribs too soft or too tough. Kok Sen does it perfectly, leaving the meat with just the right amount of chew.

But most impressive is how the black bean sauce has fused into the meat and the bittergourd – something that even many top restaurants here cannot achieve.

Claypot Yong Tau Foo (from $17.25) also does well. The plump fish paste filling has fallen out of some pieces of beancurd, eggplant, capsicum and red chillies, but that doesn’t matter. The brown gravy is yummy and not too salty.

Big Prawns Hor Fun (from $20.70) suffers a little because the chye sim vegetable in the gravy is overcooked and soft. The prawns could be a little less done too, but their quality is not too compromised. Otherwise, the dish is great. The fried hor fun, packed in a separate plastic bag, retains its wok hei. And the still-hot gravy, with hints of chilli and dried shrimp, is delicious enough to drink.

What fares worst is the Prawn Paste Chicken (from $14.95), a favourite dish of mine from the eatery.

Dining there, the crispiness of the deep-fried chicken is a big appeal. But despite the hole cut into the lid of the plastic container to let the steam out, only the smaller pieces are crisp on arrival. The rest are dry.

KOK SEN

HOW TO ORDER

WhatsApp 9698-4119 for islandwide delivery. Minimum order of $50. Payment is through PayNow or PayLah.

DELIVERY CHARGE 

$8. Free for orders above $100.

RATING

4/5

I think the chicken would turn out better with less frying time. Since it wouldn’t be crisp anyway, better to focus on getting it moist instead.

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