Picture this: a tower of crispy, golden cubes of tofu or tahu doused in a thick, sticky sauce. Sweet, savoury, funky, smokey and tangy all at the same time. What actually goes into the sauce varies from chef to chef, but standard ingredients found in it include tamarind juice, shrimp paste, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and fresh chilis. The golden stack of fried tofu is then combined with beaten eggs, deep-fried to crisp perfection and garnished with julienned cucumbers, carrots and a generous sprinkle of crushed peanuts.
It's substantial enough to be a meal but we think that it's best shared among a group of friends or family because that leaves you room to try more dishes. And if you're looking for a plate of the fried and sticky-sweet goodness, look no further. Here's a list of our favourite spots for tahu telor.
It's substantial enough to be a meal but we think that it's best shared among a group of friends or family because that leaves you room to try more dishes. And if you're looking for a plate of the fried and sticky-sweet goodness, look no further. Here's a list of our favourite spots for tahu telor.
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Rumah Makan Minang
18 to 18A Kandahar St
Opening hours: 7am to 8pm, weekdays. 7am to 5pm, weekends.
Hailing from Jawa Timur, Indonesia, tahu telor is originally served flat, resembling a pancake. It has since evolved into the stacked version we know so well. Rumah Makan Minang's resembles a little mountain of fried deliciousness topped with fragrant crushed peanuts and spicy, tangy sauce.
Hjh Maimunah (Jalan Pisang)
11 Jalan Pisang
Opening hours: 7am to 8pm, Mon to Sat. Closed on Sundays.
Established in the early 90s’, Hjh Maimunah is a short 5-minute walk from the iconic Sultan Mosque set in Kampong Glam. They may be known for their exceptional nasi padang but their tahu telor is right on the money – tofu is crisp and the sauce, delightfully piquant.
18 to 18A Kandahar St
Opening hours: 7am to 8pm, weekdays. 7am to 5pm, weekends.
Hailing from Jawa Timur, Indonesia, tahu telor is originally served flat, resembling a pancake. It has since evolved into the stacked version we know so well. Rumah Makan Minang's resembles a little mountain of fried deliciousness topped with fragrant crushed peanuts and spicy, tangy sauce.
Hjh Maimunah (Jalan Pisang)
11 Jalan Pisang
Opening hours: 7am to 8pm, Mon to Sat. Closed on Sundays.
Established in the early 90s’, Hjh Maimunah is a short 5-minute walk from the iconic Sultan Mosque set in Kampong Glam. They may be known for their exceptional nasi padang but their tahu telor is right on the money – tofu is crisp and the sauce, delightfully piquant.
Tahu goreng, known as the poor man's tahu telor, comes without the cylindrical crispy egg net
Tambuah Mas
19 Tanglin Road, #04-10/13, Tanglin Shopping Centre
Opening hours: 11am to 10pm, daily.
Founded in 1981, Tambuah Mas specialises in Indonesian cuisine from Padang, Sulawesi, and Java. Tahu telor is one of their specialities for their puffy pieces of fried tofu is served with its sauce on the side so it doesn't compromise the crispiness of the star.
The Rice Table
360 Orchard Road, #02-09/10, International Building
12pm to 2.30pm for lunch, 6pm to 9.30pm for dinner service.
Encapsulating the concept of communal dining is The Rice Table that's housed in International Building on Orchard Road. The restaurant is so named for the style of dining it embodies; "rice table" is a direct translation from the Dutch word rijsttafel, which was coined to represent an elaborate Indonesian-Dutch meal whose roots trace to the Padang region of West Sumatra. Their variation of tahu telor – they call it tahu kuning – is every bit as delicious, with deep-fried medallions of egg tofu served with a fragrant tumeric sauce.
Gurame Indonesian Restaurant
11 Changi Coast Walk, National Service Resort & Country Club
Opening hours: 11am to 2pm, for lunch. 6pm to 9.30pm, for dinner.
For authentic Indonesian food with a view, it's worth paying Gurame Indonesian Restaurant a visit. The seafront restaurant dishes up excellent food like its namesake fried Gurame fish, which you can have as is (goreng), with a spicy homemade sauce (special saus) or with a herby, spicy-sweet dark sauce (bakar). But of course, what we're really after is its tahu telur, which finds a deep-fried beancurd skin wrapped around a mess of fluffy, golden tahu.
19 Tanglin Road, #04-10/13, Tanglin Shopping Centre
Opening hours: 11am to 10pm, daily.
Founded in 1981, Tambuah Mas specialises in Indonesian cuisine from Padang, Sulawesi, and Java. Tahu telor is one of their specialities for their puffy pieces of fried tofu is served with its sauce on the side so it doesn't compromise the crispiness of the star.
The Rice Table
360 Orchard Road, #02-09/10, International Building
12pm to 2.30pm for lunch, 6pm to 9.30pm for dinner service.
Encapsulating the concept of communal dining is The Rice Table that's housed in International Building on Orchard Road. The restaurant is so named for the style of dining it embodies; "rice table" is a direct translation from the Dutch word rijsttafel, which was coined to represent an elaborate Indonesian-Dutch meal whose roots trace to the Padang region of West Sumatra. Their variation of tahu telor – they call it tahu kuning – is every bit as delicious, with deep-fried medallions of egg tofu served with a fragrant tumeric sauce.
Gurame Indonesian Restaurant
11 Changi Coast Walk, National Service Resort & Country Club
Opening hours: 11am to 2pm, for lunch. 6pm to 9.30pm, for dinner.
For authentic Indonesian food with a view, it's worth paying Gurame Indonesian Restaurant a visit. The seafront restaurant dishes up excellent food like its namesake fried Gurame fish, which you can have as is (goreng), with a spicy homemade sauce (special saus) or with a herby, spicy-sweet dark sauce (bakar). But of course, what we're really after is its tahu telur, which finds a deep-fried beancurd skin wrapped around a mess of fluffy, golden tahu.
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