Singapore Hawkers’ Awards: 9 hawker gems to check out for heritage and innovation

Just last week, nine hawkers received deserved plaudits at the Singapore Hawkers’ Awards, organised by The Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore (FMAS) and supported by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Running a hawker stall is a demanding and, oftentimes, thankless job — toiling away in hot and cramped spaces, devoting long hours of the day just to feed us our favourite foods.

Naturally, it’s always heartwarming to see their efforts and dedication recognised.

First introduced in 2021, the Singapore Hawkers’ Awards is relatively new compared to the likes of the Michelin Bib Gourmand, but it also shines a light on the more under-the-radar hawkers and not just the most popular names.

The award acknowledges these hawkers’ contribution to the local hawker scene in three aspects: Heritage, enterprise and mentorship —  a new category introduced this year.

Hawker Heritage Award

This year’s Singapore Hawkers’ Awards celebrates three storied brands found in different regions of Singapore, acknowledging the importance of heritage hawker establishments as a country with a UNESCO-recognised hawker culture.

D’Authentic Nasi Lemak, a brand known for its lemak rice and highly customisable nasi lemak, is the youngest of the three, having been around for 27 years. In contrast, Tian Nan Xing Minced Pork Noodle is a fourth-generation run pioneer that has been around for an impressive 100 years and known for its soupy bak chor mee.

Similarly, Michelin-approved Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling is recognised for its 40 years in the business at Amoy Street Food Centre, dating back to the 1980s. However, its heritage can be traced back even further — back to its roots as a street stall in 1948, also operating at Amoy Street.

Enterprising Hawker Award

Besides heritage, the Singapore Hawker’s Awards also highlights innovations in a fast-paced industry, choosing to spotlight three businesses that have embraced technology to improve the quality of life for both themselves and customers.

Both Butternut and New World Congee have leveraged on efficient equipment to streamline operations, such as specialised congee cookers and dough-rolling machines. Butternut even uses a high-speed oven to speed up the cooking process for its signature super-thin pizzas to a stunning 1 minute and 20 seconds.

On the other hand, Grandma Ban Mian chose to tap digitalisation to grow and diversify its business by venturing into the e-commerce space. Besides serving its hearty ban mian at its Amoy Street Food Centre stall, its signature chilli and ban mian instant packets can also be found online and conveniently prepared at home!

Outstanding Hawker Mentor Award

Debuting in this year’s Singapore Hawkers’ Awards, this new category acknowledges the contributions of mentors, who have dedicated their time to support and guide aspiring hawkers through programmes such as NEA’s Hawkers Development Programme.

The recipients include Tham For Moy, owner of popular Bedok nasi lemak stall Hon Ni Kitchen. As one of the first participants to join NEA’s programme in July 2022, she has imparted more than two decades of experience to many aspiring hawkers, with as many as seven eventually striking out on their own.

Other recipients included two similarly experienced hawker owners, including Kang Kaiming from the underrated Geylang gem Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle, a stall which has been in operation for over 40 years. 

The other was Sze Si Wei, who heads Snow Mount at Clementi 448 Food Centre, one of the most popular char kway teow found in the west of Singapore — best known for its cockles-filled rendition.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on where to find authentic and hearty Vietnamese delicacies in Singapore and Haidilao’s tantalising new free-flow promo!

Hoo Kee Rice Dumpling and Butternut are on the GrabFood delivery service and offer free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited. 

They can also be found on GrabFood Dine-in.

You can also book a ride to the winners of the Singapore’s Hawker Awards.