Hae there! If you’re a seafood connoisseur yourself, you might’ve caught wind of one of the latest food trends, the Prawn Claypot. Thanks to the stir caused by lala claypot, it brought to life a new prawn claypot craze. So if you’re eager to join in the trend, you’ll be delighted to know that a newcomer has stepped onto the scene, and it’s none other than Chu Niang!
With the OG Woodlands Claypot Prawn and other new but equally strong prawn purveyors like Hae! Prawn Claypot already making their marks, the competition in the prawn claypot department is tough. If Chu Niang wants to rise above the tide and earn its place amongst its beloved peers, it’ll need to impress with every bite so that it doesn’t just join the fray but make waves!
This was the first time I ever tried this new delicacy, but I do know a thing or two about what makes a good prawn, so come along with me as I dish out the details on whether Chu Niang will successfully hook me onto their rendition of the prawn claypot!
Getting to Chu Niang
To navigate to Chu Niang, you must cast your gaze on the Tai Seng neighbourhood, where the prawn claypot stall has anchored itself at the Tai Seng Exchange Food Court. The bonus is that for those heading there via car, you’ve made your trip there even more convenient as ample parking space is available right outside the food court.
On the day of our visit, a storm had been brewing, so you can imagine my relief when we discovered that the food court was an indoor, air-conditioned space. Chu Niang sits at the centre of the neat row of eateries, and as soon as I glanced at the signboard and the owners, it immediately clicked as to why the prawn claypot joint gave itself the name “Chu Niang”.
In Chinese, the term “Chu Niang” refers to a female cook and lo and behold, the captain steering Chu Niang’s ship is none other than a lady boss leading a mostly female crew. Looking at Chu Niang’s offerings, aside from their star item — the prawn claypot — they also shell out other tasty-looking meals like Black Pepper Roasted Chicken and their signature Curry Prawn.
But those dishes are not what we’re here for! The one item I’ve zeroed in on is the prawn claypot and prawn claypot is what you’re getting here! However, before we get into the food review, we were shown the ropes by the boss herself on how their prawn claypots are made.
How Chu Niang Prepares Their Prawn Claypot
Ushered into Chu Niang’s kitchen, we were treated to quite the fire show where the boss demonstrated how their prawn claypot is prepared. In Chu Niang’s case, they’ve stuck to a more traditional method, charcoal but with a modern touch.
Next to one of the kitchen countertops stood what looked like a standing electric mixer, but is actually what starts the charcoal. Using a pair of tongs, the boss picked up large chunks of smokeless charcoal from Japan to place them into the machine, and if you blink, you might miss how quickly the charcoals ignite!
As I heard the thundering roar of the charcoal heating, watched the charcoal glow like molten lava, and was practically suffocating in a fiery embrace, I couldn’t help but ask the boss if she was afraid of getting burnt. She then told us that she had studied how to use the technology for a month, much to our surprise and at the joking remark of my colleague of how “She’s already a professional what!” that the boss agreed to, I was reassured that I was in safe hands.
One nifty safety measure about the piece of technology she pointed out is that to prevent any potential dangers, if you lift the cover that protects the charcoal burning inside, it’ll immediately turn itself off! So I guess there’s no reason to fear the starters either!
Then, we were shown by another chef how he cooks the prawns. Chu Niang uses tiger prawns for their prawn claypot, and you’ll learn why they do so once you see the size of those things! Tiger prawns are generally larger than other prawn types, and with how it practically covered most of his palm’s surface, my mouth could only water at just how much juicy meat awaited us!
Once the prawns have been cooked expertly in the wok, turning a bright orangey-red, they are immediately transferred into the claypots that the boss had already placed over a grill of charcoals ready to go!
Finally, the preparation process was complete, and we could get out of the kitchen which was practically a sauna on steroids. If you’re rubbing your hands in anticipation, you’re not alone! On to the review!
Prawn Claypot and Other Dishes
At long last, we’ve made it to what you’ve been waiting for — the review. While of course, the focus will be on the prawn claypot itself, I do have to mention that you turn the prawn claypot into a hotpot!
That’s right, we were given a list of ingredients we could add to the pot, and honestly, I don’t know how my parents do it whenever we go out for hotpot or steamboat dinners. The list felt like an endless scroll, so I had a hard time deciding what to get! In the end, we settled for a variety of ingredients like vegetables, some beef, crab, enoki mushrooms, and more.
Diving into the prawn claypot itself, you’ll have to deshell the prawns itself before you can dig in. It may be a bit of a bummer for those who prefer their prawns deshelled upon serving, but for us, we didn’t mind.
On that note, don’t be silly like us and deshell them with your bare hands. Chu Niang offers plastic gloves you can use to keep your hands clean! Regardless, as they say, no pain no gain, so manual shell removal it was!
Usually, prawns are a short but sweet affair, but with how big they were, that meant more meat to savour! I can’t lie when I say this had to be one of the juiciest and most tender prawns I’ve had in a while. Additionally, using charcoal helps to achieve even cooking so you’re guaranteed tender goodness in every bite. Even my colleague, who eats prawns once in a blue moon, cleaned her share of the tower of prawns we were given.
Next, we have to talk about the important pairing of the prawns — the soup. With the prawns cooking in the soup, they release their sweetness into the soup and made it absolutely delicious to slurp on! The hot soup, with its rich depth of flavour and umami, was the perfect, heartwarming comfort for the rainy weather and the air-conditioned space we were in.
Don’t worry about running out of soup; you can go ham on it with unlimited refills!
As for the other ingredients we had mixed into the soup, most of the ingredients were pretty standard. From the enoki mushrooms to the beef and more, every ingredient did its job, but don’t forget to have them with the soup, as they truly elevate everything with their richness and flavourfulness.
Also, if you need any sauces to go with your food, don’t forget to visit the sauce station! Reminiscent of sauce stations in your classic Hai Di Lao restaurants, Chu Niang has one of its own to customise your sauces and garnishings to your heart’s content.
Chu Niang Details
After giving Chu Niang a try, I can confidently say that this won’t be the end of my journey of discovering prawn claypot in Singapore! Chu Niang has raised my expectations and standards, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget this experience.
While the competition may be tough and opinions are subjective, Chu Niang is a great starting point for trying prawn claypot. With its air-conditioned, indoor setting, nothing beats being comfortable whilst having a steaming bowl of prawns.
📍Location: 1 Tai Seng Ave, #01-26 Tai Seng Exchange Food Court, Block F, 536464
⏰Opening Hours:
- Monday to Friday, 5pm to 10pm
- Saturday to Sunday, 12pm to 10pm
For more information on Chu Niang, do head over to their Facebook Page!
Photos by Pauline Caoile of the DANAMIC Team.
