Food Picks: Bedok stall offers rojak, steamed muachee and handmade popiah
(Clockwise from left) Fruit Rojak with cuttlefish and century egg , popiah filling with plenty of vegetable and Muah Chee at Jessica Rojak in New Upper Changi Road.
SINGAPORE – Rojak is the signature dish at Jessica Rojak, but stall owner Jessica Huynh, 36, also dishes out a variety of local snacks with a fresh, vegetable-forward touch.
Opened in early 2020, the coffee-shop stall offers a fruit rojak, as well as black and white versions, which use shrimp paste and plum sauce respectively.
The fruit rojak ($6, $7 or $8) is a crunchy riot of pineapple, bangkwang, green apple and cucumber, lifted with accents of lime and torch ginger flower.
For a savoury depth, Ms Huynh uses a rojak sauce made with premium prawn paste and incorporates two types of chillies: a sambal chilli that is savoury and a fiery chilli padi paste made with potent Vietnamese chillies and garlic.
Century egg ($1.50) and cuttlefish ($3 for one piece) are optional add-ons. Instead of assam water, which she says can make the mix watery, she uses plum sauce as the base for a stickier, more robust coating.
My only gripe is that the fruit rojak would be more special with the addition of jambu (Java apple).
White Rojak made with plum sauce at Jessica Rojak in New Upper Changi Road.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
That plum sauce shines in her White Rojak ($5, $6, $7 or $8), tossed with bangkwang, cucumber and tau pok. It is tangy with a gentle sweetness. Customers can request a vegetarian version, which omits sambal belacan. The pricing for Black Rojak is the same as that for White Rojak.
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The popiah is the real star at the stall. Unlike those that use factory-made f illing, Ms Huynh prepares hers from scratch, grating bangkwang by hand with an old-school wooden grater. She fries it with shallots for depth, seasoning simply with salt and sugar, and skipping the oyster sauce.
The Popiah ($2.50 each) is fat and packed with lettuce, bangkwang stir-fried with carrot and a generous layer of chopped hard-boiled egg for fragrance. The flavour is light and fresh, with plenty of crunch, and is vegetarian-friendly with no dried prawn.
Popiah and Kueh Pie Ti at Jessica Rojak in New Upper Changi Road.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
The same filling goes into Kueh Pie Ti ($4 for five), topped with cucumber strips and seasoned with salt, chilli padi and garlic. I would prefer a bolder flavour here.
For something sweet, the Muah Chee ($3, $4, $5) is made fresh every morning from glutinous rice flour that is steamed rather than fried. Shallot oil is the secret to its tastiness. The snack stays soft and chewy for hours without hardening as it cools, making it suitable for takeaway orders.
Muah Chee at Jessica Rojak in New Upper Changi Road.
ST PHOTO: HEDY KHOO
Where: 01-763, 211 Kopi, Block 211 New Upper Changi Road
MRT: Bedok
Open: 9.30am to 8pm daily
Tel: 9698-2526
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