I have been watching videos about China street food on YouTube for quite a while now and my latest obsession is with the jian bing guo zi.
Imagine a Chinese crêpe of sorts, wrapped with crispy crackers and youtiao and eaten mostly for breakfast. It is always made fresh upon order, on a griddle by the street vendors.
It was by sheer chance that I happened to walk past this China supermarket at The Clementi Mall called Kun Hai Shop while on my way to Qin Ji Rougamo next door.
Out of curiosity, I entered the shop to check out the products they carry and to my surprise, I discovered a jian bing guo zi station inside!
You place your order over the counter with their cashier and make payment first, before instructions is passed over to a dedicated PRC lady to start preparing your jian bing.
From spreading the batter on the griddle to folding in the ingredients to resemble a pillow, the entire process takes just about 3 minutes.
You can watch the video I took of the making at the bottom of this post.
I happily carry my purchase to the HDB estate across the road from the mall, found a stone table with a scenic view and settled down to savor my very first jian bing.
The crêpe is losing its temperature fast, but still warm to the touch and felt quite hefty in my hands.
In case you are wondering, jian bing refers to the crêpe while guo zi refers to the youtiao.
So, how does it fare?
Foremost, the only flavor in this jian bing guo zi comes from the red sauce that was spread on the crêpe.
When I took the first bite, my nose was assaulted with the smell of... body odor.
Whaaat?
Well, it has to be the mysterious sauce, right? The crispy cracker, youtiao, and lettuce basically does not have much flavor on their own.
But do not let that scare you. All you need is some getting used to which you will be after a few mouthfuls.
Next, the crispy crackers are not as crispy as I thought. The ones in the YouTube videos I watched gave loud resounding cracks when snapped. The one wrapped within my jian bing is soft. In fact, even the youtiao is limpy.
I am beginning to question the authenticity of the jian bing guo zi here. I wonder how this compare to the ones in China?
On the bright side, this jian bing guo zi is very filling. I had to pack the remainders for later as I cannot finish it at all.
Do take note that even though the supermarket opens at 9am, jian bing guo zi is only available from 11am onwards.
I chose a can of lychee soda from the chilled section.
It tasted like real lychee with carbonated water without that artificial taste.
Rather refreshing.
Seriously can consider buying this in bulk for Chinese New Year.
KUN HAI SHOP 坤海国货超市
The Clementi Mall
3155 Commonwealth Ave West
#04-31/32
Singapore 129588
Business Hours
Mon - Sun: 9am - 11pm
Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/bzRfVNhDJXTB2EbJ6
