Celebrate ‘Those Years’ at Chinatown Food Street with 50 Cents
29 to 30 July 2017
This July, Singapore Food Festival (SFF) returns to Chinatown Food Street (CFS) for the 4th consecutive year! Fast forward from last year’s SFF where CFS presented a 1950s-themed fiesta, this year, CFS brings back the second instalment of The 50 Cents Fest, taking visitors back to the golden era of 1980s Singapore.
This 2-day event held on 29 – 30 July 2017 will transport visitors to their happiest childhood moments and younger years through heritage recipes prepared by local hawkers, realistic 80s ambience, interactive 80s games, as well as memory jogging sights and sounds.
Food and Ambience
As the event transcends into a more advanced era, visitors can also expect a larger and more exciting celebration of Singapore’s culinary heritage at this year’s 50 Cents Fest. Foodies will be thrilled to find a wider selection of nostalgic eats as the entire CFS undergoes an 80s makeover and replays a snippet of Singapore’s 1980s street hawker and bazaar scene live!
Visitors will experience the carefree and simple 80s lifestyle as they explore the realistic retrospective mise en scène and indulge in sumptuous local fare comprising of more than 20 stalls and 10 old-school mobile hawkers. They will also get to savour authentic 80s flavours as local hawkers dish out heritage and long-lost dialect recipes such as the Hokkien Rickshaw Noodle, UFO (Fried Oyster Cake), Hakka Abacus Seed, Red Glutinous Wine Chicken, Teochew Ah Balling, Ice Ball and more!
Feast with 50 Cents!
Just like last year, visitors will be able to enjoy the wide variety of heritage food at as little as 50 cents! Staying true to the name of this event, whereby one can truly relive not just the 80s experience but also the affordable pricing of yesteryear. More than 40 dishes can be enjoyed at The 50 Cents Fest with more than 20 dishes priced at just 50 cents!
Street Fun
Not to be missed are also the interactive 80s classic games and pastimes lined along CFS as well as its alleyways. The 50 Cents Fest promises non-stop fun for the young and old as they duel with friends on a game of hopscotch in the side alley, make a mushy song dedication through an old radio station, go biscuit shopping with family at the mama shop and singalong to live Xin Yao
performances!
Don’t miss out on this one-time opportunity to experience 1980s
Singapore once again at The 50 Cents Fest, presented by
Chinatown Food Street!
Event Details at a Glance:
Event Venue: Chinatown Food Street, Smith Street, Chinatown, Singapore
29 July 2017, Saturday: 12pm – 11pm
30 July 2017, Sunday: 11am – 11pm
#The50CentsFest event page : https://bit.ly/2tPMINh (Event Page)
Chinatown Food Street’s Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/
The 50 Cents Fest – Featured Food Items:
Rickshaw Noodles:
Named after the rickshaw pullers who plied the streets of old Singapore, this humble creation is made of yellow Hokkien noodles stewed in a thick pork broth and topped with fried garlic and shallots – a dish the rickshaw pullers
relied on as a source of energy.
Hokkien $0.50
Dried Cuttlefish Peanut Congee:
In the olden days, this dish was found along the streets and makes for a filling breakfast. This porridge is traditionally cooked under the heat from charcoal and is more watery than other Cantonese porridge. For this dish, fragrant
peanuts and cuttlefish are added to enhance the flavour of the usually bland porridge.
Cantonese $0.50
UFO (Fried Oyster Cake):
First introduced to Singapore’s hawker scene by our forefathers who were China Fuzhou immigrants. This savoury snack is fried using a ladle, giving the dish its unique rounded base and charming name “UFO” for its resemblance to UFO spaceships.
Hokkien $0.50
Yam Paste (Orh Nee):
Early Teochew immigrants brought with them this hot dessert that has been well-loved by many locals. Traditional Yam Paste, otherwise known as Orh Nee, was topped with pumpkin, shallots and water chestnut syrup instead of
coconut milk and gingko nuts. Lard was added into yam paste for a silky texture and a touch of glisten.
Teochew $0.50
Paper Wrapped Chicken:
Invented and made famous by a chicken farm named Union Farm in Singapore in 1953 when a famous actor from Hong Kong suggested that the owner should create an iconic chicken dish. The technique of paper wrapping prevents the aroma and flavourful chicken essence from escaping.
Cantonese $0.50
Ah Balling:
Ah Balling is a Teochew dessert that is popular in Singapore and is also widely known as Tang yuan. Its name is a homophone in the Teochew dialect describing how a mother duck bobs up and down the water, just like the cooked glutinous rice ball that floats to the water surface. Traditionally, the tang yuan is served in sweet peanut soup.
Teochew $0.50
Tutu Kueh:
In the past, Tutu Kueh was larger and did not contain any fillings and over the years, grated coconut and peanut fillings were introduced. In the 80s a man named Tay Low Long singlehandedly popularised Tutu Kueh with the
inventions of steam carts and stainless steel moulds, bringing back this nostalgic snack to the locals.
Hokkien $0.50 x 2
(2 pieces)
Abacus Seed:
Historically, Hakkas grew yam and sweet potato in the mountains, hence the bulk of their diet came from these crops. Abacus Seed consists of round pieces of yam balls that are dimpled in the centre. Hakkas were believed to be
good with money, so they made the yam balls in such a way that they look like abacus, a tool used to calculate money.
Hakka $0.50 x 2
Red Glutinous Wine Chicken:
Red Vinasse, made from fermented glutinous rice, is a classic ingredient of the Hakka cuisine. It is used in a dish specially cooked for women under confinement to nourish and promote blood flow. In the past, mothers prepare this dish for their daughters who had just given birth. Hence, this
dish is also commonly known as “Mother’s Wine”.
Hakka $0.50 x 2
Kong Bak Pau:
A dish originating from the Fuijian province that favours food cooked slowly, fried with lard, or seasoned more liberally than in neighbouring provinces. The Kong Bak Pau is a glistening dish of dark-sauced slices of pork belly that is
eaten with fluffy ‘Man Tou’ bun.
Hokkien $0.50 x 2
Satay Bee Hoon:
Inspired by Satay, Satay Bee Hoon was invented by Teochew immigrants in Singapore, whereby bee hoon is tossed together with other ingredients such as tau pok, beansprout and cuttlefish and topped with a generous amount of chilli-based peanut gravy. Due to the tedious preparation required, there are not many stalls selling Satay Bee Hoon in Singapore today.
Teochew $0.50 x 2
Pork Leg Bee Hoon:
Pork Leg Bee Hoon is part of the local food fare and wellknown as an economical but satisfying dish. In the Chinese tradition, pork trotters are often prepared during auspicious occasions. It is therefore unsurprising that this dish is often homecooked using only a can of pork trotter and vermicelli.
Hokkien $0.50 x 2
Fried Wanton Cantonese $0.50 (3 pieces)
Mini Wa Ko Kueh Teochew $0.50 (2 pieces)
Michael Jackson (Soya Bean Drink with Grass Jelly) Heritage $0.50 (2 cups)
Pineapple Drink Heritage $0.50 (2 cups)
Milo Heritage $0.50
Bird’s Nest Drink Heritage $0.50
Ice Ball Heritage $0.50
Sng Bao (Red Bean / Corn) Heritage $0.50
Traditional Rainbow Bread with Ice Cream Heritage $0.50
Muah Chee Heritage $0.50
Steamed Peanuts Heritage $0.50
Tea Leaf Eggs Heritage $0.50
BBQ Chicken Wings Heritage $0.50
Chee Cheong Fun Cantonese $0.50
Char Siew Rice Cantonese $0.50
Laksa Heritage $0.50
Otah Heritage $0.50 x 2 (3 pieces)
Mee Goreng Heritage $0.50 x 2
Sambal La La Heritage $0.50 x 2
Oyster Omelette Teochew $0.50 x 2
Soya Sauce Chicken Rice Cantonese $0.50 x 2
Fried Kway Teow with Egg Teochew $0.50 x 2
Putu Mayam Heritage $0.50 x 2
Chicken Briyani Heritage $0.50 x 2
Hokkien Mee Hokkien $0.50 x 3
Satay Heritage $0.50 per stick
Cereal Prawn Heritage $0.50 x 4
Ma La Baby Lobster Cantonese $0.50 x 4
Salted Egg Yolk Crab Heritage $0.50 x 4