I’m doing a month-long series on my Singapore trip back in September. It’s my 3rd time in the Lion City (I won’t get tired visiting it!) and I’ve been coming back for both personal development (gotta invest on myself!) and vacation (gotta get some break!). Hope you’ll enjoy this series!

On my first trip to Singapore back in 2017, I partly stayed in Little India and planned to explore Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, the hawker center that my travel buddy and I wished to visit, which is in Tekka Centre, was under renovation. So we went to Banana Leaf Apolo, a restaurant famous for Fish Head Curry (which I will feature in the next entry). But their signature dish was expensive so we didn’t order it. Thinking about it now makes me regret that decision!

Even though Tekka was already open last year, I didn’t get to visit it. Again, another regret! So in my recent visit, I made sure that it’s at the top of my agenda.

Tekka Centre is a building complex that houses a wet-and-dry market and a hawker center. This institution was built back in 1915 and has relocated from its original location to its current one. It has also been renamed a few times. Its first name is Kandang Kerbau Market because of the buffalo trade in the area (the name is literally “buffalo cage” in Malay).

Then it was renamed to Buffalo Road Market and Cook Food Centre. But as a part of a Speak Mandarin Campaign back in 1981, it was again changed to Zhujiao Centre. But the name was hard to pronounce, especially to non-Chinese, and the residents couldn’t identify the hanyu pinyin name with the heritage of the district. So it was finally renamed to Tekka Centre in 2000.

There are 284 stalls in the wet-and-dry market, making it the biggest in all of Singapore. After doing some grocery, visitors can have a snack or an entire meal in the hawker center. While most of the hawkers offer Indian food, there’s a handful that offer Chinese, Thai, and Western cuisines.

A fruit stall at the market section of Tekka Centre

If you want to try Indian food in Singapore on a budget, then head over Tekka Centre. Enjoy delicious biryani rice, chicken tandoori, and naan at affordable prices. Here are the food I tried and recommend (in alphabetical order):

Biryani Rice at Allauddin’s Briyani

Biryani (also spelled briyani) is a dish made of fragrant rice and usually served with a protein, typically chicken and mutton. It originated from the Indian subcontinent and is a common dish among Muslim Indians. It made it’s way to the Malay Peninsula, where it is locally called Nasi Biryani. As you would expect of any Indian food, it’s flavored with many spices, making it one of my favorite Indian dishes!

There are 2 stalls in Tekka that is popular for biryani rice: Allaudin’s Briyani and Yakader Muslim Food. I chose the former because it was awarded a Michelin Plate status and recommended by Mark Wiens.

I got Allaudin’s mutton biryani because they’re known to make good ones. Its rice is fluffy and flavorful, with an added crunch from cashews. It comes with a generous serving of mutton, which is slide-off-the-bone tender. Its also accompanied with papadums (a crispy cracker) and zucchini which add a nice crunch to the dish, and a boiled egg which add creaminess.

Mutton Biryani at Allaudin’s Briyani (SGD6)

A bowl of curry is served on the side, which I don’t know what it’s for. The dish is already flavorful; I guess it’s to add another layer of flavor. There’s also a kick of spice coming somewhere. Overall, Allaudin’s biryani is, as I love to say, a world of flavors and textures!

Stall No: 01-229 | Operating Hours: Daily, 9AM-8PM

Note: There’s another biryani place that I visited in Little India. It has a Michelin Bib Gourmand status. To find out about it, check my article next Monday.

Chicken Tandoori and Cheese Naan at Shan-e-Punjab Nav Tandoor

Along with biryani rice, chicken tandoori and naan are also among my favorite Indian food. For the uninitiated, chicken tandoori is a dish where the chicken is marinated in yoghurt and spices then cooked in a tandoor, a clay oven shaped like a cylinder. It’s perfectly partnered with naan, which is flatbread also cooked in a tandoor.

I had my chicken tandoori and naan fix at Shan-E-Punjab. The chicken was sitting at the counter and it was microwaved upon my order. “Will it still be good?” I thought.

Shan-E-Punjab Nav Tandoor (Chicken Tandoori and Cheese Naan: SGD4 + SGD2, respectively)

To my surprise, the chicken was tender and juicy. It’s also flavorful and nicely stay-in-the-mouth. It’s nicely complimented by the chopped cabbage and red onions. The naan wasn’t the best version I had. I found it chewy but I still managed to finish it without me noticing.

Stall No.: 01-271 | Operating Hours: Daily, 7AM-11PM | Facebook: Shan-E-Punjab

Note: One of the best versions of chicken tandoori and naan that I have ever tried is found in Malacca. Check out my Malacca food trip here.

Duck Rice at Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice

Braised duck rice is a dish of Teochew (a Chinese ethnicity) origin. The duck is braised in soy sauce and placed on a bed of rice made wet with the braising sauce. It is said that an authentic Teochew duck rice has a watery sauce. Such is the case of Heng Gi’s version.

The duck meat is tender. Its flavor is in between, if I may use a comparison from Filipino cuisine, adobo and humba, so it’s salty and sour with a bit of sweetness. The cucumber gives a nice crunch and the dip is nicely sour and spicy.

Duck Rice at Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice (SGD3.50)

Stall No.: 01-335 | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 8AM-3PM

Masala Dosai at Sri Triffan Stall

Masala Dosai (or Thosai) is a South Indian pancake (more like crepe) filled with curried potatoes and onions. It’s a carb overload!

Sri Triffan Stall (Masala Dosai: SGD1.50)

Stall No.: 01- 224| Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-11PM

Onion Fritters at Sky Lab Cooked Food

Do you love onion rings and Indian flavors? Then this Onion Fritters is a match made in heaven.

Sky Lab Cooked Food (Onion Fritters: SGD0.60/pc.)

My piece wasn’t fresh so it lacks the crisp. But I can just imagine if it’s fresh from the fryer.

Stall No.: 01-228 | Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-8PM

Chendol and Teh Tarik at Ar-Rahman Cafe

What no better way to end a big meal than having an ice cold Chendol?! Chendol is a shaved ice dessert topped with pandan-flavored, worm-shaped noodles/jellies and sweet red beans. Then santan (coconut milk) and gula melaka (palm sugar) syrup is poured into it. Some variants even include a durian.

But in Ar-Rahman Cafe, they also serve chendol as a drink. It’s santan is creamy, the palm sugar is nicely sweet (although bordering to oversweet), and the jellies give a nice mouthfeel.

If you’re not in the mood for a chendol, then get their teh tarik (pulled milk tea) for a nice after meal drink.

Stall No.: 01-247 | Operating Hours: Daily, 7AM-12AM

What hawker stalls have you tried in Tekka Centre? What should I try next? Comment them below!

Other entries in the SG Trip ‘19 series: Bedazzled by Jewel Changi Airport | Eating at Jewel Changi Airport

SG Trip '19: Little India Food Crawl Part 1 (Hawker Food at Tekka Centre)