How Singapore’s Old Chang Kee became Southeast Asia’s favourite fried curry puff – a tale of two owners
From a cheap street food snack sold to cinema-goers for just 35 Singapore cents, to a regional empire with outposts in Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia, Old Chang Kee is a Singapore story of success
The fried curry puff is not native to any particular Southeast Asian country. So how did Old Chang Kee manage to come into its own as the region’s best-known brand? The answer is the founder, who created the famous snack, and the second owner who believed in it.
From Malaysia to Brunei, Indonesia to Thailand, and Singapore to Myanmar, all these countries have their own versions of the curry puff. What’s not to like? Thick curry is mixed with chicken and potatoes then wrapped into pastry, similar to an empanada, and then either deep-fried or baked.
But what makes Singapore’s Old Chang Kee stand out from all the curry puffs in the Lion City, and then the region? First of all, it’s the taste.
The deep-fried pastry crust of Old Chang Kee’s puff is flaky and thin, giving way to a filling of chicken, curry and potatoes with a spicy but fragrant kick. The filling is saucy and there’s lots and lots of it, giving a flavour burst with every bite.
Another reason for this snack’s success, is location.
Old Chang Kee started in 1956 as a street stall run by an immigrant from Hainan, China, called Chang Chuan Boon. The stall selling golden fried curry puffs was positioned outside Koek Road, later shifting to Albert Street before it moved to its famous location opposite Rex Cinema in 1973.
Back then, cinemas held a session a day with over a hundred people in the audience, and hungry movie-goers would all pour out of the cinemas in the evening to the smell of delicious fried curry puffs. The snack became so strongly associated with people in the area that it became affectionately known as Rex curry puffs and sold for 35 Singapore cents.