This 23-year-old curry puff hawker is juggling university and his food stall

While Gen Z hawkers are not rare, few can claim to juggle running a food business with university assignments. Meet 23-year-old Lim Yuan Ming (right in main pic), a first-year finance student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, who co-owns What The Puff!.

Opened in December at Changi Village Hawker Centre, the stall serves handmade puffs in traditional flavours like curry chicken and sardine, as well as creative options like black pepper chicken and hae bee hiam chicken.

POWER PUFF BOYS

What The Puff! also includes his brother Brandon Lim, 29, (middle) and friend Oh Chin Jie, 30 (right). The idea to sell curry puffs came from the siblings’ hawker parents, who have been running Lao Er, a Teochew porridge stall in Bedok, for over a decade. After years of helping out, the brothers wanted to carve out their own path.

Taking over or expanding the family business was never on the cards. “Teochew porridge is very difficult. You have to wake up super early and prepare over 20 dishes – it’s a tough job,” explained Lim Yuan Ming, the spokesperson of the trio (his partners are media shy).

In fact, it was their parents who suggested they try selling curry puffs instead. “They felt that it’s the easiest [venture] to get into, and it’s also easier to scale,” he added. The brothers then roped in Brandon Lim’s National Service buddy, Oh, who had culinary experience at salad bar chain The Daily Cut and now-shuttered pizzeria Lucali BYGB.

Together, they pooled S$10,000 (US$7,400) to launch their stall.

ON JUGGLING HIS STUDIES AND A HAWKER STALL 

Starting What The Puff! was Lim’s way of taking a risk before the pressures of post-graduation life set in. “During these four years, I want to try and start something because after graduation, the pressure to play it safe will be greater,” he explained.

When the stall opened in December, Lim was on a break, allowing him to work there daily. Now that school has resumed, he has scheduled his classes from Monday to Wednesday, leaving the rest of the week free for the stall – whether it’s manning it in person, crunching numbers for the accounts, or handling other backend operations.

Despite the hustle, Lim insists he’s managing the workload just fine. Years of helping out at his parents’ stall have made these tasks second nature to him. “I’ve been doing similar things for them, so it feels manageable,” he said.

His partners understand his academic commitments. Brandon Lim splits his time between their parents’ Teochew porridge stall and What The Puff!, handling procurement and liaising with suppliers, while Oh and an assistant take the lead on daily operations at the curry puff stall.

We asked Lim if his parents prefer him to concentrate on his studies. “They have a very open mindset. My dad asked if I really wanted to go to university – he encouraged me to just do F&B. He believes that as long as your food is good, you can make it,” Lim shared with a laugh.

PERFECTING THE PUFFS A FAMILY AFFAIR 

Their recipes are created by Oh, and with additional input from the brothers’ hawker parents, the trio fine-tuned the fillings and perfected the technique together.

All three partners are hands-on when it comes to making the puffs and their fillings, though they all agree on one thing: Oh’s puffs are undeniably the prettiest. The dough is prepared fresh daily, and each puff is formed by hand before being fried in small batches to keep them crisp.

Though the joint has only been open for two months, Lim says business has been “better than expected”. The stall sells around 300 puffs daily, with the bestsellers being traditional flavours like curry chicken and sardine.

SECOND OUTLET LAUNCHING IN FEBRUARY 

The trio is gearing up to open a second outlet next month at Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre – the same hawker centre where Lim’s parents run their Teochew porridge stall. 

While Lim admits the expansion is happening “earlier than expected”, the chance to secure a unit at the bustling food centre was too good to pass up. “Changi Village is very far for a lot of people. The response we’ve gotten so far is pretty good, so we decided to go ahead with the second outlet,” he shared. They invested another S$10,000 from their savings to launch the second location.

“It’s also more convenient for Brandon to run the second stall while helping our parents at the same food centre,” he said, adding that Oh will continue to helm the original outlet at Changi Village.

ORIGINAL CURRY PUFF, S$2 EACH

Shaped into a bulbous crescent with a delicate pleated edge, the classic curry puff boasts a thin, crisp pastry that holds up well to its hearty filling. Inside, you'll find a satisfying mix of moderately spicy curried chicken, potato, and a wedge of hard-boiled egg. Wonderfully aromatic.

CNY SPECIAL: HAE BEE HIAM CHICKEN PUFF, S$2.50 EACH

Easily the meatiest option – the shredded chicken is moist and tender, providing a perfect base for the piquant, spicy kick of hae bee hiam. This limited-edition flavour is definitely worth trying, especially for those who enjoy a punchy, protein-packed puff sans potato. Only available till Feb 11.

BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN PUFF, S$2.50 EACH

Succulent chicken and a strong pepper kick create a comforting, homely flavour that reminds us of a hearty chicken pot pie. With its velvety texture and familiar taste, this one’s our favourite of the lot.

CHEEEESY CURRY PUFF, S$2.50 EACH

The ‘cheesy’ version offers the same filling as the classic curry puff, but with mozzarella. However, the cheese doesn’t stand out as much as we’d hoped.

SARDINE PUFF, S$2 EACH

Cooked in a rich, tangy tomato sauce, the sardine filling is complemented by sauteed onions, which retain a slight crunch, adding texture to each bite.

CHAR SIEW CHICKEN PUFF, S$2.50 EACH

The char siew chicken is a bit too sweet for our liking. We think it would benefit from a bit more frying and a slightly charred edge to elevate the taste.

What The Puff! Delivers generously stuffed puffs with crisp, well-formed pastry. Our top pick is the comforting Black Pepper Chicken Puff, followed by the classic Curry Puff. While the Changi Village location is a bit out of the way, it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area – or you can look forward to the upcoming Bedok outlet for easier access.

What The Puff! is at #01-52 Changi Village Hawker Centre, 2 Changi Village Rd, Singapore 500002. Open daily except Wed, 7.30am – 3.30pm. CNY hours: Open 28 Jan 7.30am – 12pm. Closed on Jan 29 & 30. 

What The Puff!’s Bedok outlet is scheduled to open early February. #01-27 Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre, 216 Bedok North St 1, Singapore 460216. More info via Instagram.

This story was originally published in 8Days.