潮州糜 (Teochew Muay) or Teochew Rice Gruel is rice porridge that is not entirely broken down like the creamy smooth rich tasting Cantonese congee (明火白粥) .
糜 (Muay – Teochew word) is very different from 粥 (Jook – Cantonese word for slow simmered rice porridge). Muay is basically whole rice grains fast boiled with lots of water (not stock) and we do not eat this with Youtiao (stir fried dough strips a.k.a. as You Char Kueh). The water and rice ratio can be anything starting from 3:1 adding more water along the cooking process if you wish but once the rice is split at both ends, the cooking stops. It is also not advisable to cover the pot while cooking as it renders the rice gruel starchy and mushy. Traditionally, grainy Teochew Muay is cooked in huge clay urns.
Local terms: Muay is the porridge itself and Teochew Muay means the meal.
It’s been a long time since I had Teochew style Muay and last Friday (Saturday morning actually), my macro kakis and I went for supper at this 10-year-old shop after a gruelling (no pun intended) session in a tunnel full of geckos!
There are as many as 30 plus dishes to choose from.
While waiting for our comfort food to arrive, we usually get the dipping sauces ready.
From top: Chilli and Garlic, Taucheo (fermented soya beans) and Sweet Sauce for the boiled squid.
An extra bowl of porridge is usually served and you can reject it.
This is because plain rice porridge is not as filling as rice and more often than not, we’ll ask for another round.
The extra bowl served upfront is to pacify the impatient hungry gourmand.
5-spice savoury “Lor” in the tray is brown gravy derived from braising pork and is offered gratis.
We’re super hungry after our macro night outing and Daniel can’t wait to eat!
Rice Gruel Porridge, not to be mistaken with congee.
Teochew Porridge has a wide variety of side dishes.
Raw Cockles with premium dark soy and cut chilli padi.
S$5
Boiled Squid – S$4.
This dish is usually eaten with a sweet honey coloured dipping sauce.
Braised Preserved Vegetables – S$2.
Bak Ngee – S$2 is Teochew steamed fish Cakes.
Braised Duck – S$9.
Braising meats with dark soy sauce is one of Teochew’s culinary specialty.
5 porridge and the dishes as shown S$34.30.
As Daniel remarked, “Very reasonable!”
Teochew Muay by itself is not delectable, unlike the Cantonese Congee which can have very interesting texture and taste on its own, but it is an easy to digest food when one is not feeling well. As for the healthy, it is the accompanying dishes that makes or breaks the whole meal experience. There’s plenty of side dishes on the menu (live viewing at the display counter) and one chooses them according to their fancy. However, the crucial point is do you like the chef’s cooking?
We do! We were happy with the food as well as the pricing.
I also like the fact that they kept the place clean and tidy as you can see the lady in the first picture mopping away instead of idling when the crowd thinned out.
I’m not really sure if this bill covered our drinks but all I know was we paid S$6 per person inclusive of drinks. Benson who had footed the bill, absorbed the remaining cost.
Thanks Benson!
We had a tasty supper
Joo Seng Teochew Porridge & Rice 裕成潮州糜饭店 since 2004.
Joo Seng Teochew Porridge & Rice 裕成潮州糜饭店
Address: 14 Cheong Chin Nam Road (Upper Bukit Timah).
Singapore 599738.
Tel: (+65) 6463 0768.
Opening hours: 10pm – 4am
Happy eating
P.S. Taiwan Porridge serves similar but not exactly the same dishes as Teochew Porridge. Taiwan Porridge usually has sweet potatoes in it.