Best Of Singapore Hawkers & Casual Dining: Ah Balling Tang Yuan
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| Ah Balling Tang Yuan |
Nothing was sponsored, we visited as regular paying customers. Photos in this post were taken between 2000 and 2021 (across 21 years!), as such, the quality of photos varies drastically due to advances in camera technology. Mobile smartphones were in their infancy and had yet to become widespread.
Also Known As:
Ah Balling Tang Yuan, Ah Balling, Tang Yuan, Yuan Xiao
Average Price Per Serving:
SGD $3 - $8
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List in alphabetical order - click the links to jump to entry
- 1. 75 Ah Balling
- 2. 75 Peanuts Soup 57
- 3. Ah Chew Desserts
- 4. Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert
- 5. House Of Desserts
- 6. Ji De Chi
- 7. Le Le Zhan Desserts
- 8. Mei Heong Yuen Dessert
Dessert StoryHai Sing Ah-Balling
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Description:
The Ah Balling Tang Yuan is a Singaporean Chinese dessert that consists of boiled glutinous rice flour balls, usually filled with a sweet paste, and served in a hot syrup broth. Also known as Ah Balling, Tang Yuan, or Yuan Xiao, the Ah Balling Tang Yuan dish is usually priced around SGD $3 to $8 per serving. It's normally eaten for dessert.
The Ah Balling Tang Yuan is usually a Chinese Teochew version. A filling made from a single ingredient mashed or blended into a paste along with rock sugar, is wrapped into white glutinous rice flour dough, shaped into a ball, and boiled in hot water. This gives the Ah Balling Tang Yuan a chewy bouncy exterior skin, with the interior filling being sticky creamy in texture. It's then served in a hot syrup broth; either a chunky crushed peanut broth with nutty sweet flavour; a thin ginger and rock sugar broth with sweet spice flavour; a thin logan and red dates broth with fruity sweet earthy flavour; or a creamy almond milk broth with nutty milky sweet flavour.
The most common types of filling for Ah Balling Tang Yuan include; either a chunky peanut paste with bright nutty sweet flavour; a grainy black sesame seed paste with deep earthy nutty sweet flavour; a creamy mashed adzuki red bean paste with fragrant earthy sweet flavour; a creamy yam / taro paste with mild earthy sweet flavour; or a matcha green tea paste with robust floral earthy grassy sweet flavour. In Singapore, the Ah Balling Tang Yuan versions with savoury fillings are rarely available, but the multi-coloured plain Ah Balling Tang Yuan versions without any fillings are typically served for special occasions in restaurants.
Traditionally, Ah Balling Tang Yuan is consumed during Chinese cultural festivals or special occasions, such as Chinese New Year, or during a wedding. Thus, Ah Balling Tang Yuan holds a special cultural significance for the Chinese, symbolizing family togetherness and unity. Today, Ah Balling Tang Yuan can be eaten as a dessert on a daily basis.
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1. 75 Ah Balling
@ Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Road #01-75
Opening Hours: Mon - Fri 11am – 8:30pm, Sat - Sun 10am – 8:30pm
@ Chinatown Complex Food Centre, 335A Smith Street #02-04
Opening Hours: Daily 8am – 8pm
@ Fengshan Market & Food Centre, 85 Bedok North Street 4 #01-25
Opening Hours: Sun - Thu 11:30am – 10:30pm, Fri - Sat 11:30am – 11:30pm
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| Taken in 2006 |
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| Taken in 2006 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $2.20) @ 75 Ah Balling.
Probably the most well-known purveyor of this traditional dessert, serving for over 70 years. Now run by the 3rd-gen owners, with 3 outlets across Singapore.
Named for the year the stall opened (1975) in Golden Mile Food Centre, they're known for a wide range of glutinous rice ball flavours (5 flavours), and different types of soup base (4 varieties).
The soup bases are all handmade, served warm. I used to go for the signature peanut soup in the past, with its grainy peanut bits and nutty sweet flavour.
Lately, I prefer the herbal sweet spice notes of the ginger soup instead, soothing and subtle, warming the soul.
Their glutinous rice balls have a consistent soft sticky chew with a medium thickness.
The black sesame paste is like gritty lava, smooth with earthy nutty sweet flavour, a personal favourite. The peanut paste is grainy chunky with nutty sweet notes, coming in close.
The yam / taro paste is creamy thick in texture, with mild earthy sweet flavour that might be too light. The red bean paste has a thick sticky texture with earthy sweet notes, nice.
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2. 75 Peanuts Soup 57 / 75 China Street Peanuts Soup
@ Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street #01-57
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat 7:30am – 2pm, Closed Sun
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $2) @ 75 Peanuts Soup 57 / 75 China Street Peanuts Soup.
Not to be confused with the other '75' brand, this stall derived its name from its original and subsequent stall numbers - '75' pre-renovation, and '57' after relocating post-renovation.
For over 30 years, their Chinese Hokkien style peanut soup is prepared by hand daily, boiled for up to 4 hours.
This results in a warm milky white soup, with the peanuts being grainy soft, falling apart in the mouth with addictive nutty sweet flavour.
The glutinous rice balls are soft and sticky with a medium thickness, yielding with a light chew, pairing well with the warm soup.
The black sesame paste is rich and gritty thick, with bold earthy nutty sweet flavour. The peanut paste is rich and grainy chunky, with robust nutty sweet flavour.
Hawker-Owner Peh Cheng Giap, or Ah Nam, also specialises in 2 other traditional old-school desserts (tau suan and red bean soup), and typically begins preparing the desserts at 3am every day.
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3. Ah Chew Desserts
@ 1 Liang Seah Street #01-10
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu 12:30pm – 12am, Fri 12:30pm – 1am, Sat 1:30pm – 1am, Sun 1:30pm – 12am, Closed Tue
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $3.20) @ Ah Chew Desserts.
Renowned for their wide range of traditional desserts, this stall has been delighting customers for nearly 2 decades.
Perpetually packed with a younger crowd and families (rare to see any elderly), they serve a reliable and consistent rendition of ah balling.
The glutinous rice balls are soft, sticky, and chewy, in pink or white hues to indicate the type of filling within.
The black sesame paste has a bold earthy sweet nutty taste with a gritty thick feel, while the peanut paste has a nutty sweet flavour with grainy chunky texture.
Especially love the warm ginger soup on cold rainy days, so shiok.
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4. Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert
@ Lot One Shoppers' Mall, 21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 #B1-K10
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 9pm
@ Tiong Bahru Plaza, 298 Tiong Bahru Road #02-137
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 9pm
Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $3.50) @ Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert.
This franchise has several outlets across Singapore, including several in the North, such as Choa Chu Kang.
Their version of this dessert is unique, served in a warm osmanthus flower infused soup, having a lovely floral herbal sweet flavour.
The glutinous rice ball is a little smaller than usual, but the skin has a soft chewy medium thickness, yielding easily to reveal the rich gritty creamy black sesame paste within, with its earthy sweet nutty flavour.
They only seem to have 1 choice for the filling though. But I like it for the delicious soup.
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5. House Of Desserts
@ Alexandra Village Food Centre, 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-49
Opening Hours: Daily 9am – 8:30pm
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $3) @ House Of Desserts.
This traditional dessert stall in the Alexandra area shares its name with several others around Singapore.
The glutinous rice balls here are slightly larger than usual, bigger than the spoon, as it peers over the edge. Has a soft sticky chew, light and without a springy bounce.
The filling of black sesame paste is gritty thick with bold earthy nutty sweet flavour, hot and soulful.
The peanut paste filling is grainy chunky with lovely nutty sweet flavour, mellow and comforting.
Love the sweet spice notes of the warm ginger soup too, great on cold days.
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6. Ji De Chi
@ Century Square, 2 Tampines Central 5 #B1-03
Opening Hours: Daily 10:30am – 10pm
@ Hillion Mall, 17 Petir Road #01-23
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 10pm
Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $3.20) @ Ji De Chi.
This franchise is better known for their towering snow ice desserts, but they also serve traditional desserts.
They have the largest glutinous rice balls I've seen, either that or it's an optical illusion brought about from the small bowl. With a soft chewy sticky texture, and pink or white hues to indicate the type of filling within.
The black sesame paste has an earthy sweet nutty taste with a coarse creamy texture, while the peanut paste has a nutty sweet flavour with a fine chunky texture.
Love the warm ginger soup with its herbal sweet spice flavour, so comforting. Heed their reminder to eat desserts!
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7. Le Le Zhan Desserts
@ Katong Shopping Centre, 865 Mountbatten Road #01-10
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 12pm – 7:30pm, Closed Mon
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $2.80) @ Le Le Zhan Desserts.
This family-run hidden find in Katong offers a decent range of tasty homemade traditional desserts.
Their ginger soup is homely and comforting, having a lovely sweet spice flavour.
The glutinous rice ball is a little smaller than usual, but is handmade with a soft chewy medium thickness.
Seems they alternate flavours daily, this time only the peanut paste was available. It's sweet nutty in flavour, with a grainy chunky texture. Nice!
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8. Mei Heong Yuen Dessert
@ 63 Temple Street
Opening Hours: Tue - Sun 12pm – 9:30pm, Closed Mon
@ SingPost Centre, 10 Eunos Road 8 #B1-162
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 9:30pm
Multiple Other Branches Across Singapore
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
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| Taken in 2021 |
Ah Balling Tang Yuan (SGD $3.20) @ Mei Heong Yuen Dessert.
With a 50-year history behind them, this chain serves reliably decent traditional desserts.
The large glutinous rice balls have pink or white hues to indicate the type of filling within. It's soft and chewy and sticky, and the filling is generous.
The black sesame paste has a coarse creamy texture with an earthy sweet nutty taste, while the peanut paste has a fine chunky texture with a nutty sweet flavour.
The ginger soup tends to the sweet side, with the warming spice notes to complement.
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@ Hougang Mall, 90 Hougang Avenue 10 #02-18
All Other Branches Closed
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| Taken in 2011 |
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| Taken in 2011 |
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| Taken in 2011 |
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| Taken in 2010 |
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CONVERSATION