Elderly hawker, 89, still tending to her 57-year-old Havelock Road kway chap stall

Kway chap from S$3.

Tanya Ong | March 30, 2021, 03:21 PM

Chua Meow Ching is 89 years old this year, but she can still be found busying herself at her Covent Garden kway chap stall at Havelock Road Food Centre.

Teresa Low via Can Eat! Hawker Food/FB

Covent Garden kway chap has been around for 57 years and serves a variety of braised pig innards, including pig stomach and intestines.

The minimum order starts from S$3.

The stall, which opens from 6am until they sell out at around lunchtime, is open from Tuesday to Saturday. They usually close at around 1pm after they are sold out.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMv4zX8nMaK/

Teresa Low via Can Eat! Hawker Food/FB

The kway chap is described to be "simple, no-frills and tasty", according to one Teresa Low on Facebook.

Low also added that Chua is "ever-friendly" and "well-loved" by her regular patrons.

Chua came to Singapore at 23

In a Straits Times interview last year, it was reported Chua came to Singapore from China at the age of 23.

With six children to bring up, she became a hawker to help supplement the family income and decided to sell kway chap as she loves the dish, ST reported.

Her late husband was a sailor and previously worked other odd jobs to make ends meet.

Still helps out at the stall

According to the interview in 2020, the stall is run by her two sons, who cook the food. She helps out at the stall by chopping up the food.

Chua previously told 8 Days in 2019 that she has not retired because she wants to help out at the stall to "lighten [her sons'] workload" while she still can work.

In the post by Low, she said that Chua was observed to be "sitting by the side", watching her son prepare the food.

Teresa Low via Can Eat! Hawker Food/FB

Top photo via Teresa Low/FB.