This stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre is IMO famous for its traditional old-school Cantonese bakes - and there is about half a dozen different types offered here. Whilst I know of this stall to be famous for its "sakema" - an old Cantonese sweet bake - today I tried its "Sesame Egg Split"; not knowing what it was at all, but I was willing to try it. So, I bought a bag of five for $5 and tried them. To me, it is like a traditional bisquit that egg-rich with a coating of sesame seeds all over. Not bad, I thought - and it goes well with a cuppa coffee.
L Chan
5
A rare stall still making handmade sak kei ma (殺騎馬) & xiao kou zao (笑口棗) the traditional way. The sak kei ma is golden, lightly crisp, gently chewy & nicely bound with maltose — not too sweet, not too sticky, just right.
Their xiao kou zao is equally delightful — crunchy & lightly sweet with a fragrant hint of sesame.
June Tan
5
I've loved Pan Ji's sakima since I've known they existed. I used to frequent this stall when it was possible for me to come in the daytime. But whenever I can, I make the effort to go all the way there to the innards of Chinatown Food Market's green zone and hope that they are 1) open and 2) have availability. It's made fresh every day, isn't too sweet, and not so sticky that your teeth feel awful after. As the oil used is fresh, there isn't any rancid smell. The only thing to note is the self-control one has to apply to self so as not to buy as many as one can carry. This is so good, I could lose control and eat plenty.
Come try it but leave some behind for me!
(It's in a very busy food centre so fewer stars for atmosphere)
Florence Leow
5
Sak Kei Ma 殺騎馬 ( in Cantonese)
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🤎Sak-Kei-Ma is a traditional Chinese pastry made of fried dough crisps held together with maltose & sugar syrup. ✳️ My late mum used to feed us with this retro snack during tea time.
🟧 This shop is a popular one at Chinatown. ▪︎I've seen documentaries on this shop. It is alot of hard work and physical effort to make this heritage artisanal pastry.
🟨 At times, my husband would pass by Chinatown, and buy a packet or two of this crispy delicious vintage snack of yore. Recently, a friend of his gifted us with a packet of this Sak-kei-ma.
Elaina Poh
4
Some said the best, and some said otherwise. I would say above average for sure. Kinda pricy cos it took a lot of effort to make it. Hope you like it.
𝗦𝗮𝗸 𝗞𝗲𝗶 𝗠𝗮 (or “萨其马"), childhood sweet snack. chunky batter melded together with maltose syrup.
Uncle had more than 40 years of experience.
Can try if you are nearby.
Eileen Lee
1
Honey crackers is nice but pricey. 1 star ⭐️ for their rudeness and very arrogant attitude. They are only nice to their drinking kaki, regular and those 八婆 sitting next to the stall. The uncle owner has bad temper too. U can see from pic he will leave the fried crackers outside the stall on the empty dirty table feeding dust and flying insects. 😫😫
Sylvia Chua
5
Absolutely a Singapore heritage legend! All the snacks were handmade by the hawkers.
The honey crackers were very soft and delicious with the right amount of sweetness.
The sesame egg split is crunchy and it's flavours are enhanced by the white sesame seeds.
These traditional snacks complements very well with a tea or coffee (Teh or Kopi) from a near by stall or even by itself. It was an absolute delight.
The price is fully justified for the amount of expertise, effort, skills and time into perfecting these snacks that cannot be found elsewhere.
I hope they can continue to make a decent living through making these delicious snacks for years to come. They accept an array of digital payments i.e. PayNow so it was very easy to buy a few more bags from them. Thank you for the lovely snacks!
Alvin Ho
4
Green Zone
#02-78
Pan Ji Cooked Food
潘記剎騎馬
Over at the most obscure part of the Hawker Centre, Pan Ji Cooked Food makes traditional Chinese (race not country) snacks. With many places switching to the use of factory prepared snacks, Pan Ji still makes its snacks by hand and thus preserving the original flavours and taste.
About 6 months ago, this stall gained much recognition from a blog post and resulted in a sudden surge in business which quickly died down after the novelty had worn off. Such unsustained burst in business is actually not good for hawkers as many people these days get angry when having to wait and then the hawkers suffer from low online ratings from the rantings of the selfish few. Hence the surge brought by the blog post was quickly wiped out by the rants of the privileged few.
The Hawker making these traditional snacks has been doing it for decades and had considered retiring during the pandemic given the total disappearance of any firm of business. However, it is great to see him still hard at work these days, albeit at a slower pace as his hands do show the effects of the ravages of time.
General Verdict: Handmade Traditional Chinese Snacks preserving the original flavours and tastes at an affordable pricing
Queue Situation: Next to none
Price: SG$1.80-SG$6.50 (depending on selection)
Payment Mode: Cash, Local Internet Banking by QR code or AMEX (Singapore) Pay
Item Ordered:
1)
Item: 剎騎馬 (Sachima) - Big serving
- Fried batter snack held together by stiff sugar syrup
Description: Light and airy, it has a nice sweet crunch with every bite
Verdict: Good, Can Order
Price: SG$6.50
Serene Tan
4
Traditional kind of snack freshly made at the stall. Bought the small size $3 which is kinda expensive. Went there on Sunday around 2.30pm and there was no queue.
Simple
4
Artisanal Sha Ji Ma, made fresh on the spot. Can watch shi fu uncle busy making a new batch. A bag costs $6 which is pricy but I guess in Singapore this is the only place you can get them fresh and tasting how it should be. Sweet, malty, flaky crumbly crackers and non of those old oily smell.