Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck - Michelin Duck Rice in Ghim Moh

At Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre, one queue tends to outlast the rest of the hawker centre’s daily rhythm, often stretching well into the evening when surrounding stalls have already shuttered. It belongs to Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck, a Teochew-style stall that has specialised in a single preparation for more than a decade: duck braised whole, deboned, and served over rice cooked in the same dark sauce. The stall holds the Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction, a recognition it has retained almost continuously since 2018. What follows is a closer look at the duck itself, and the details that surround it.

Chuan Kee has operated at Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre for more than a decade, and the stall’s reputation has grown largely through word of mouth rather than active promotion. It has held the Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction almost every year since 2018, a recognition reserved for establishments offering good quality cooking at modest prices. A second outlet operates at Chong Pang Market and Food Centre, extending the stall’s reach to diners in the northern part of Singapore.

Chuan Kee’s signature dish is its boneless braised duck, prepared using a Teochew method that relies on a long simmer in a dark, slightly starchy sauce built around soy and aromatics, including a discernible note of dang gui. The duck is deboned after braising, a step that allows the meat to be served quickly and eaten without the need to navigate bones, while preserving a thin layer of fat beneath the skin that carries much of the dish’s flavour.

The meat is tender rather than dry, and the braising liquid, often described as the most important part of the plate, is ladled generously over whichever carbohydrate base is chosen. Diners who prefer bone-in duck may request it at the stall, though the boneless preparation remains the default and the basis of the stall’s name.

Rather than committing to a single format, Chuan Kee builds its menu around how the duck and its sauce are served. The standard Set comes with brown, sauce-soaked rice, a serving of duck, stewed peanuts, tau kwa, and half a braised egg, finished with a ladle of the thick braising liquid. Diners who prefer noodles can opt for Duck Noodles or Duck Kway Teow instead of rice, served with the same unctuous gravy.

A third option, Duck Porridge, offers a softer, more delicate base for the sauce and meat, with a texture that sits between thick and thin. Each format draws on the same duck and sauce, allowing the dish to suit different preferences without altering its core preparation.

Each set is accompanied by a small bowl of soup with a mild herbal character, distinct from the heavier, peppery profile found in some other braised meat dishes. The soup is generally described as light rather than overpowering, making it a fitting accompaniment to the richness of the braised duck and sauce, particularly during cooler or rainy weather. It is served as a standard inclusion rather than an add-on, rounding out the set without competing with the main dish for attention.

Beyond the standard set, the stall offers several add-ons prepared in the same braising liquid as the duck, including additional tau kwa, tau pok, and braised egg, along with options such as duck gizzard, duck liver, and duck drumstick for diners who want to expand their plate. Extra duck meat can also be added to any set for those who find the standard portion insufficient. This degree of customisation allows regulars to build a plate suited to their appetite while keeping the core preparation, the braised duck and its sauce, unchanged.

For diners seeking a straightforward, well-executed plate of Teochew braised duck, Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck remains a reliable destination within Ghim Moh’s hawker scene. Its narrow focus on a single preparation, refined over years of repetition, continues to draw steady queues from those in search of a comforting, no-frills meal.

Address: 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-04, Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre, Singapore 270020
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed–Sat: 9:30am – 7pm; Closed Tuesdays and Sundays

Second outlet: 105 Yishun Ring Road, #01-161, Chong Pang Food Centre, Singapore 760105
Opening Hours: Mon–Fri, Sun: 9:30am – 8pm; Closed Saturdays