This Is Singapore’s First DIY Congee Spot—Here’s What We Thought

Peng Jia Zhou has DIY congee in Bedok

The DIY trend has taken over every dish imaginable—from Twyst’s DIY pasta to Kebab Konafa’s DIY kunafa dessert. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is Peng Jia Zhou, a new stall serving up Singapore’s very first DIY congee! It’s located at ESR BizPark Chai Chee, which is a 15-minute walk away from Bedok MRT Station.

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Much like mala hotpot, you get to grab the ingredients of your choice from the display and have the staff whip it up for you. They only charge you for the ingredients you select, so the porridge itself is pretty much free of charge. FYI, the smallest portion you can get is 100g worth of ingredients, costing $5.50.

Food at Peng Jia Zhou

There are a total of 16 ingredients to dress your congee with, including pork liver, beef, chicken, prawns, dory fish, oysters, and mushrooms. We did not want to overload one single bowl, so my colleague and I filled two bowls with different ingredients that we thought would work well together.

We also added Youtiao ($0.80), a must have on the side when you eating porridge, as well as  Hakka Style Fried Pork ($5.90), Fried Intestine ($6.90), and Fried Large Intestine ($6.90).

As soon as everything was on our table, we dug into our steaming bowls of porridge first. 

Porridge is not something I typically go for unless I am feeling under the weather, but this bowl might’ve changed my mind.  The porridge was so simple yet somehow abundantly savoury and flavourful. Texture-wise, it was thick and viscous, a major plus point because no one likes it overly liquidy. 

Featuring in the bowl were ingredients such as minced pork, pork slices, prawn, and mushrooms, all of which worked in tandem to give the porridge its amazing rich flavour. 

I also topped up an additional $0.50 for a Century Egg, which added extra umami to the porridge. This was incorporated into the congee during cooking instead of simply being placed on the top—a minor detail that made a big difference to the dish. 

Note that you can also get an entire plate of this for $5.90 if you wish. 

For a change in textures, we moved on to their youtiao, which are painstakingly made by hand.

These were simply addictive, with a thin and crispy exterior and a nice airiness within. When dipped into the congee, it became the perfect vehicle for soaking up the flavours.

Onto the fried intestine and fried large intestine. We found that the intestines had a delightful flavour without being too gamey, an indication that they were cleaned well before frying. 

Each piece also had a nice chew to them while maintaining a decent tenderness. We enjoyed adding this to our porridge to give it an extra level of oomph. 

We finished off our meal with the Hakka-style pork: juicy, crispy, and sinful. 

Though there was nothing particularly noteworthy about this side dish, we had no complaints about it either,  and polished it off with ease. 

Ambience at Peng Jia Zhou

The stall is a bit hard to find since it is located in an industrial area and is quite the walk from the nearest MRT station. Location aside, the food court it inhabits is clean, spacious, and air-conditioned. 

Though they have just started operations, Peng Jia Zhou has already become a popular lunch spot among the nearby office crowd. I also see them becoming especially busy in the upcoming weeks due to the chilly monsoon season, so head down early to avoid waiting! 

Peng Jia Zhou – Eatbook review

Even if you are not big on porridge, the offerings at Peng Jia Zhou might change your mind. You can tell that they spent a good amount of time cooking their porridge to get it to the right consistency and flavour profile—though porridge may seem like a simple dish, meeting this criteria is sometimes hard to achieve. 

They also made excellent use of the DIY concept, allowing you to grab whatever ingredients you want from their extensive selection, a great choice for picky eaters. Though the location is a bit out of the way, I would say that Peng Jia Zhou is worth the trip when you are in the mood for congee! 

In other news, check out Jiah Xiang Dim Sum, a popular dim sum eatery in JB that is open 24 hours daily! Else, for other good and hearty hawker eats, check out our guide on where to get the best fish soup in Singapore.

Address: 750 Chai Chee Road, #01-25, Singapore 469000
Opening hours: Daily 7am to 9pm
Tel: 9627 0063
Peng Jia Zhou is not a halal-certified eatery.

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Photos taken by Tao Zhi Tan.
This was a media tasting at Peng Jia Zhou.