Food

Stinky Tofu Stall Opens in Hawker Centre & Some Stallholders Are Concerned About the Smell

2020-12-17 , 9:10 am

There is some food in the world that only garner two extreme reactions: people who like it and people who don’t.

Durians are one and another is stinky tofu, which is more commonly found in Taiwan.

Well, if you find yourself craving for that authentic Taiwanese experience even during the Covid-19 pandemic, I’ve got great news for you.

Stinky Tofu Stall Opens in Hawker Centre

A stinky tofu stall, Man Kou Xiang, has opened at Newton Food Centre and it comes with mala sauce.

On 12 Dec 2020, Facebook page The REAL SG Vegetarians uploaded a post onto the social media platform, announcing the opening of a stinky tofu stall at Newton Food Centre.

Image: Facebook (The REAL SG Vegetarians)

In the caption, it was mentioned that it’s actually mild for stinky tofu, and reminds people to ask for free alliums.

This sentiment was echoed by another Facebook user, Alywn April, who said it is less smelly than the stinky tofu she came across in Taiwan.

Here’s a close up of what the Fried Black Bean Stinky Tofu with Signature Mala Sauce (Dry) from the stall looks like:

Prices start at $5 for the small white stinky tofu and $6 for the black bean stinky tofu pictured above:

For the medium size, it costs $2 more (white, $7 / black bean, $8), and for the large option, it’s $9 for the white bean stinky tofu and $10 for the black bean ones.

You also have five different flavours to choose from:

Minced Garlic Chilli Soup Base
Mala Soup Base
Specialty Garlic Chilli Sauce (Dry)
Signature Mala Sauce (Dry)
Signature Five Spices Sauce Non-Spicy (Dry)

For more information, you can check out their Facebook page here.

Some Stallholders Are Concerned About the Smell

Stinky tofu, while somewhat popular with consumers, aren’t great friends with their neighbours.

A stinky tofu stall at the outdoor Chinese New Year bazaar outside AMK Hub had to close after tenants and shoppers complained about the smell earlier this year.

Coincidentally, it is the same stinky tofu stall that just opened up at Newton Food Centre.

According to an article by Shin Ming News Daily, some people were happy while others were not.

The stall, which opened on 11 Dec 2020, originally operates in temporary bazaars like night markets.

However, because there are no more pasar malams due to Covid-19, the owners worked hard and finally managed to secure a stall in a cooked food hawker centre to continue with their business.

A reporter from the newspaper remarked that while you can smell the pungent odour right at the front of the stall, you can barely notice it 5 metres away.

A nearby vendor also said that when the stall first opened, it wasn’t readily apparent at first; but in recent days, the pungent odour of stinky tofu started permeating the area.

Another stallholder, who can’t tolerate the smell, decides to be more tolerant as everyone is just here to make money.

It was revealed that the stall has actually installed a customised exhaust system that is more efficient at getting rid of the oil fumes to minimise the smell of their food.

Not everyone is unhappy, though, and a nearby drinks stall vendor said that the stall, which is a fresh concept, helped to bring more customers into the food centre, especially during the weekends.

In fact, his beverage sales have increased by 20 per cent.

Details:

For those who are interested in visiting this stinky tofu stall for yourself, here are the details.

Location: Newton Food Centre, 500 Clemenceau Ave North, #01-67, Singapore 229495
Opening hours: 12pm to 12am daily
Facebook page

Featured Image: Facebook (Alwyn April & The REAL SG Vegetarians)

Stinky Tofu Stall Opens in Hawker Centre & Some Stallholders Are Concerned About the Smell

Stinky Tofu Stall Opens in Hawker Centre

Some Stallholders Are Concerned About the Smell

Details:

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