MADAM Chia Hong Peng has been selling laksa since the 1970s. In 1978, a family friend gave her a tip about the dish, after which sales of her laksa ($2, $3) really took off.

The elderly Hainanese man, who had come to Singapore from China and was a friend of her father, had been an itinerant laksa hawker here for many years. He said her laksa lacked one vital ingredient. What that is, Madam Chia would not say. She would only divulge that she uses haebi (dried shrimp) fried with a little oil.

Whatever it is, her laksa gravy is light and not oily, with just enough coconut milk to make it fragrant and tasty. You can wolf down a large bowl and not feel bloated.

Madam Chia, 66, used to operate in the Bugis area. In 1985, she moved to Jurong West.

She runs the stall – known as Chao Zhou because her late husband was a Teochew selling Teochew fishballs – with her daughter.

While her laksa has many fans, I actually prefer her satay beehoon ($2, $3) because of its richer, thicker gravy. Sinful, but oh-so-good.

The water used in scalding the beehoon is thoroughly drained so the gravy is not diluted.

I love the whole process of mixing the nutty gravy with the beehoon until every strand and all the accompanying ingredients – slivers of sotong, fresh cockles and taupok (fried beancurd) – are coated with it.

No coconut milk is used. Instead, shredded coconut which has been fried till fragrant is added. The toasted peanuts are also finely ground, resulting in a gravy that is fairly smooth but still has some bite.
 
Chao Zhou
Block 505 Jurong West Street 52, 01-48
Open: 5am to 1.30pm, closed ad-hoc.
Rating: ***

This article was first published in The Straits Times, February 3, 2008.