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Keng Eng Kee Seafood’s moonlight hor fun is a fan favourite for many, but there are other delicious versions chefs enjoy when they're craving this local dish
Hor fun is a simple dish comprising thick noodles wok-fried with seafood or beef slices, and glossed by silky brown sauce, yet it is one of the most comforting eats on the island. While this dish can be found in most hawker and zi char stalls everywhere, some stalls attract more crowds with their delicious versions—one of which is Keng Eng Kee Seafood or Kek for short.
Nestled within Bukit Merah, this Chinese eatery offers a wide variety of zi char dishes—its popular moonlight hor fun, included.
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Cloudstreet pastry chef Maira Yeo considers Kek’s moonlight hor fun as “one of my favourites since it’s more savoury than sweet”. Chef Wayne Liew ensures the balance of flavours by cooking the hor fun with the right amount of soya sauce and generously tossing it with Chinese sausage, squid and lard.
Another one of its many fans is The Spot executive chef Lee Boon Seng, who enjoys tucking into the drier version crowned with raw egg yolk. He shares: “When the golden egg yolk is stirred into the silky hor fun, it creates a smooth and velvety sauce that coats the tongue.”
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KEK serves its moonlight hor fun with a delectably smoky flavour—or wok hei—which not all zi char stalls can achieve. Here, the noodles are full of wok hei after being cooked in wok over high heat. But, as Thirty Six Brewlab & Smokehouse executive chef Kwek Xiu Rong clarifies, the smoky finish “isn’t overpowering and it’s just enough to balance out the silky gravy”.
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Of course, with a diverse F&B scene like Singapore, hor fun comes in many delicious versions. And, Grissini executive chef Kenny Huang, shares that his favourite spot for gravy-soaked hor fun is Lao You Ji Fishhead Steamboat Seafood Restaurant. “When thinking of this hor fun, the first thing that comes to mind is the wok hei,” he declares. The kway teow they use is doused in a flavour-packed hor fun sauce made with aromatic fish stock for a savoury finish. Of course, it is cooked in a wok to infuse the noodles with wok hei. If you are going to try it, Huang advises “adding chilli to give it an extra fiery kick”.
Another stalwart hor fun stall on the island, which 28 Wilkie chef de cuisine Seth Lai patronises, is Geylang Lorong 9 Beef Kway Teow. “At this stall, the kway teow noodles are infused with wok hei—nicely charred and silky smooth. It’s glazed with a thick sauce made with hints of bean paste and black pepper that’s not too overpowering. Its beef slices are also tender enough to melt in your mouth.”
Amanda Goh was the former senior writer for Tatler Singapore.
