Over a hundred and ten hawker centres exist in Singapore and there are definitely quite a number i have yet to visit; however, it might catch many by surprise that the famous Haig Road hawker centre was one of them!
My excuse was that there are way too many good food in that area; from Arnold's Chicken at City Plaza to the stinky tofu at Mini Star and then the soursop juice (old Airport Road) and many many more! How resist all those temptations?!
But it was a different scenario on that day; i didn't drive and was meeting up with a friend working at Paya Lebar. His work finished at 9pm and i was there at 7.00pm; with another ninety minutes to go, i ventured towards Haig Road with one purpose. Hint - it has something to do with the above picture.
After hearing so much about this from the Lau sisters, it's high time i should pay the above stall a visit to save myself from continual embarrassment for not knowing how delicious the putu pirings were claimed to be!
Setup was simple with just four basic ingredients - ground rice floor, much sought after gula melaka, grated coconut and lastly, the banana leaves which honestly can be eliminated in my opinion.
I was fortunate; no queue and i managed to ask for permission to take photos. Pity lighting conditions were unfavourable and the ladies in white on duty were too fast for my camera's shutter!
The pieces of putu piring were steamed to readiness in no time and i kid you not, i was almost ready to snatch them fresh from the metal mounds and eat them scalding hot! Composed i remain as i ordered more than sufficient; a total of six packets!
Resistance was futile - i rapidly found an empty table within the food centre and took out a packet. My fingers were fidgeting as i had to slowly unwrap the package so that everything inside stayed intact.
With gula melaka oozing from the kueh, it's a sign to eat it up as soon as possible before the delicious sauce hardened any further!
It was still hot to the tongue but so worth the pain, especially when the gula melaka trickled down my throat. To make it easier for you to eat, take a pinch of the grated coconut. The only problem i faced (an issue i could overlook) was that the putu piring broke apart quite easily.
Nevertheless, it was a joy to finally try the most illustrious food stall at Haig Road and they sure didn't disappoint. At only S$2 for a pack of five pieces of putu piring, it was well worth the sugar high.
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Location
Block 14, Haig Road, #01-07,
Haig Road Market & Food Centre
Map
As above.
Pricing
S$2 for a 5-piece pack