The Dead Cockroach: Li Ji Cooked Food - Old School Cantonese Economical Rice @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

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While lunching at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre a couple of months back, a particular stall named Li Ji Cooked Food caught my attention.

Although it has yet to open for the day, a queue have already formed in front of the stall. Interestingly, the people in the line are mostly the retirees.

With the unwavering support of so many elderlies, there must be something worth checking out here.

So, here I am, in the queue today, to find out what these people are standing in line for. I learned from the auntie behind me that it is a economical rice (chap chye png) stall serving Cantonese-style dishes.

Although stalls offering Teochew muey are a dime a dozen, it did not occur to me till now that there are actually dialect-specified economical rice stalls around (in this case, a Cantonese one).

The queue stretched all the way to Chang Ji Gourmet on the opposite side. Despite the long line, it cleared fast due to the efficiency of the staff.

I counted at least twenty dishes behind the glass panel which is petty impressive to me, considering the size of the stall.

I picked the dishes which visually appealed to me the most - braised mushrooms, steamed egg custard and pork with salted fish for $3.50. But wait, there is even complimentary soup of the day - snow fungus soup!

Inside the bowl are bits of snow fungus, carrots and longans.

The Cantonese loved their soups and what better way to capture their hearts with one?

I find the umami flavor of Chinese mushrooms irresistible.

Although the ones here are on the smaller side, they are like a breath of fresh air, compared to Mum's version that come with dried oysters, fatt choy and red dates.

I believe the mushrooms here are simply braised in oyster sauce without any other ingredients vying for attention. As such, the natural flavor of the mushroom was able to shine through and take centre stage here.

This is the steamed egg custard that involves the use of three different types of eggs: chicken egg, salted duck egg and century egg.

A common way to prepare this triple-egg dish is by steaming chicken eggs with cooked salted duck egg and century egg.

However, I believe they do it differently here which is by beating raw salted duck egg together with the chicken egg then steaming them with the century egg.

I guess that explains why I did not see any salted egg but tasted it.

I like how the chicken egg is subtly infused with the brininess of the salted duck egg while the century egg provided some texture.

The egg custard is so light and cottony soft, it glides down my throat effortlessly.

I strongly recommend getting this if it is available.

Lastly, we have the pork with salted fish.

The pork is tender and nicely seasoned with the flavors of the salted fish. The saltiness is well balanced without being too salty.

I could not tell which cut of pork is being used here as they are in rather small pieces and therefore, unrecognisable.

This dish is so delectable I wished I have more rice to eat with.

Despite the salted egg and salted fish in my meal, I do not feel overwhelmed by the salt level at all.

In fact, I find that the stall uses the salt quite sparingly in their dishes (at least the ones I ordered) while at the same time, cleverly making use of the ingredients' own flavor to season their dishes.

Although light on the palate, it does not make their dishes any less scrumptious. The daily queue at Li Ji is the best testament as to how popular their offerings are.