Say Seng Famous Tau Kwa Pau/Braised Duck Rice: This Hawker Stall in Dunman Food Centre (Singapore) Specializes on A Vanishing Singaporean Dish—Tau Kwa Pau
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This article is part of the Singapore Food Trip 2026 series. Check out the installments in this series: Dunman Food Centre (Hawker Center) | Ming Garden Delicacies (Zi Char Hawker Stall) | Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau/Braised Duck Rice
Tau Kwa Pau is a fried beancurd stuffed with chopped braised egg, cucumbers, fish cakes, and fried yam. It was invented by Khoo Buck Teck of Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau/Braised Duck Rice.
Founded in 1959, Say Seng is a hawker stall used to be located in Katong area and is now in Dunman Food Centre (read my hawker guide here).
Dunman Food Centre
Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau/Braised Duck Rice
Back then, Khoo Buck Teck only sold Braised Duck Rice, which is still offered in his stall until today. He created the tau kwa pau to resemble golden purses, meant to attract the Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) gamblers. His bet, so to speak, paid off!
Tau Kwa Pau on Display
When I was researching, no other stalls appear to be selling this dish. Say Seng may probably be the last one selling this dish.
The Uncle Preparing Food
Their tau kwa pau has a golden brown fried tau kwa (beancurd or tofu), which is still soft inside.
Tau Kwa Pau (SGD2/pc.)
It’s overloaded with ground meat, pork fat, and crumbled boiled egg, covered with a brown sweet sauce. The coriander on top adds a refreshing taste.
Say Seng still sells Braised Duck Rice. The duck is lean, tender, covered in brown, soy sauce-based sauce with Chinese five spice. I asked mine to have Pork Belly, which is fatty and melt-in-the-mouth.
Braised Duck Rice with Pork Belly (SGD8)
But what elevates the duck rice is the chili sauce, which is sweet, spicy, and limey. It’s also perfect for the tau kwa pau.
Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau/Braised Duck Rice makes good versions of its namesake dishes. Eating there is like eating a piece of Singapore’s culinary history. I highly recommend it to you!
Say Seng Tau Kwa Pau/Braised Duck Rice
Address: #02-18 Dunman Food Centre, 271 Onan Rd., Singapore | Operating Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 7AM-3:30PM