Seah Soon Teck Teochew Porridge – Homemade Pork Trotter Jelly

When I was young, I never know how to appreciate Teochew Porridge. I see them as bland and too healthy for me. However, I started to appreciate this traditional cuisine when I was having it for lunch with my Grandpa one day. We aren’t Teochew, but we enjoyed pairing a hot bowl of porridge with some dishes especially on a rainy day.

Sadly, traditional Teochew food is quickly disappearing from our hawker food scene. Many have passed to the younger generation with deteriorating standards of food, and some have closed down.

Thankfully, I’ve discovered a great Taiwanese porridge joint at Changi Road that we can now go for lunch, dinner and supper. Seah Soon Teck Teochew Porridge is not a stranger to many teochew porridge fans. They used to be located in Joo Chiat, Marine Parade, Toh Guan etc. But because of rental issues, they are forced to relocate.

The enjoyment of Teochew porridge comes from gulping down the hot porridge after you have taken a mouthful of the often salty dishes. In keeping with the Teochew style of cooking, the ingredients used were fresh, lightly seasoned but tasty enough.

We seldom see stalls selling traditional Teochew Pig Trotter Jelly ($5 and above), because it requires long time and hard work. The trotter must first be marinated, stewed and left in the fridge to cool, hence requiring long hours. However, when the pork trotter is done correctly, it will be meltingly delicious.

Seah Soon Teck serves excellent pork trotter jelly. The texture is excellent and the jelly is so clear you can see through it easily. Dip it into their own sour and spicy sauce and you tastebud will definitely be tingled by this dish.

The stall also serves Shark Jelly ($5 and above) which is specially prepared to get rid of the fishy smell. This dish is served chilled with their home recipe of sesame and peanut sauce.

Braised Duck ($3 and above) is neatly sliced, well braised with a nice bite favoured by traditionalists. The sauce has a strong spice flavour and the meat is not too dry.

Handmade meatball ($1 each) is a must have for Teochew porridge. The meatballs here are made fresh daily with ingredients such as pork, prawn, fish. A bit unusual because I was expecting pork ball or fish ball and not a combination. But the meatball was crunchy and I love the texture!

The thing about Teochew food is the simplicity of the dishes which places the emphasis on the freshness of the ingredients. The Sotong ($3 to $5 each) here is very fresh. There is no need for any accompaniment. It is a star itself.

Not forgetting the Steamed Pomfret, it tasted decent. I would prefer the tangy plum flavour to be sharper. You can also request for your fish to be steamed on the spot upon ordering with an additional $3.

The wonderful thing about Teochew Porridge is the fact that the porridge is just plain, hot, watery and all rice grains are whole.

Most of the dishes are quite good so you will be able to quell that craving for Teochew Muay. Each general meat is $2 and above, while each general vegetable is $1 and above. Seah Soon Teck Teochew Porridge is having an opening promotion. For purchase of $20 & above, you will receive 1 stamp Collect 3 stamps and you will receive $5 cash on e spot.