Experience Yishun’s secret halal and authentic Hakka-style yong tau foo

Despite halal-certified yong tau foo being widely available, I’ve never once thought of getting a bowl. I feel that there are better options such as mala. Also, the increasing popularity of Korean BBQ and hot pots have placed yong tau foo in an odd spot in my cuisine hierarchy. That was until I tried Dajie located at Yishun Street 72.

Getting to Dajie was as easy as tapping out of the Yishun MRT Station, as it was situated just across from it along the court. When I arrived, it was almost 4pm; there weren’t many customers yet but the peak dinner period was just around the corner. 

Dajie has 4 outlets including Clementi, Bukit Batok and Bedok with the latter outlet serving mookata till 2am. Recently, it was awarded the SG Food Masters award in 2021.

What I tried at Dajie 

What made me decide to try yong tau foo in the first place was how Dajie promised to offer authentic and halal Hakka-style yong tau foo, with sauces that I’ve never heard of such as Hakka and Ampang (which was what I had). Familiar bases such as Laksa and Tom Yum were also available. 

I found the selection of ingredients to be quite lacking as compared to your typical hawker mala or hot pot counterparts, but I made do. Like any other pick-your-ingredients eatery, some items are charged by weight whilst others by pieces so it’s best that you check with the friendly cashier.

Apart from yong tau foo, they also serve their equally famous Roasted/Steamed Chicken Rice (S$4.10) and Chicken Rice Set (S$5.20). There’s also Char Siew Chicken Rice (S$4.30), Kampung Fried Rice (S$5.40) and Chicken Bee Hoon Goreng (S$5.40). There’s even a Mala Hot Pot with a minimum order of 10 ingredients.

My first taste of yong tau foo after more than 15 years was Ampang-style. When it first came, I thought it looked a lot like mee rebus with its brown gravy and yellow noodles. I tried avoiding the more processed toppings such as the many different hotdogs and opted for slices of fish and chicken. I also had rolled tofu skins, tau poks and broccoli. 

In total, my order cost S$7.95.

The first mouthful, again, reminded me a lot of mee rebus. It had a sweet and savoury taste to it with just a smidgen of spice, nothing a toddler can’t handle I promise. Also, the fact that I had it with yellow noodles further drives home the similarities but I digress. Overall, I really enjoyed the familiar taste. 

My rolled tofu skins and tau poks were fried to a satisfying crisp. Along with the Ampang-style sauce, it made every crackle a delightful bliss. We really need to thank the Hakkas for making frying your yong tau foo ingredients a thing.

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It’s too bad then that the fish and chicken slices weren’t fried too, as it would have masked the overly fishy and chickeny taste that was present. I couldn’t even bring myself to finish those ingredients which were probably the most expensive items in the dish.

Next and much, much later I had my Hakka yong tau foo variant. This time, I went with fried wantons, fishballs, tofu, rolled tofu skin and broccolis. I opted for Kway Teow (S$0.90) and it came to S$6.50 including takeaway charges. 

This time, I didn’t have the experience to relate it to anything I ate before, at least visually.

Taste wise, its profile was really similar to the sauce that’s used in a dry variant of fish ball noodles without the heat, only much thicker. It also had bits of minced chicken which was surprisingly flavourful despite the size. 

Opting for kway teow was the right move as the sauce was already thick and rich by itself. The neutralness of the noodles did not disturb the flow of flavours. The more I had it, the more I felt how one-note the base was; if only it had some chilli paste to liven up the taste!

As I had ordered it to go, I wasn’t expecting any crispiness from the ingredients at all but frying it definitely helped with its texture, especially the fish balls as they still retained their chewiness with a satisfying new texture to its exterior. 

Final thoughts

Dajie provides a refreshing take on halal yong tau foo with its Hakka cooking style as well as the unique bases that amplify the flavour of the toppings. I’d say avoid the sliced meats and opt for toppings that you know will get crispy after frying, such as the rolled tofu skin and fried wanton.

If yong tau foo isn’t your thing, then you can always try their award-winning chicken rice. Overall, Dajie is a worthy reason to make a trip to Yishun.

Expected damage: S$6.50 – S$7.95 per pax

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