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Sweet Braised Duck
Kuang was five years old when he first arrived in Singapore from Shantou, China. Reunited with his abusive good-for-nothing grandfather and a new step-grandmother, Kuang and his parents struggled to live with dignity while battling poverty. When he became the eldest brother to seven siblings, greater responsibilities weighed on his shoulders. He gave up his education and worked as a fish porridge hawker assistant to help the family make ends meet. Twists and turns in his life eventually brought him back to his hometown cuisine. How did he derive a unique recipe of his own? How did he realise his dream of becoming a successful Teochew braised duck rice seller?
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2023
1 person is currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
ChewNgee Tan
1 bookChew Ngee Tan is the author of Sweet Braised Duck, a fiction inspired by her father's experiences living in early Singapore and selling Teochew braised duck rice. She graduated from the National University of Singapore, majoring in Sociology and completed a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies at Rice University, after working as an educator in Singapore for a few years. Creating fiction allows her to explore life from different perspectives and experience life's harsh currents as an observer and learner. She loves writing.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 7, 2023
Personal rate: 3.75 stars
If you're someone who love grappling coming of age story that has complex issue, then this might be for you.
Reading Kuang's journey since five years of age with four different parts that come with Courage, Growth, Love, and Hope. Jumping into each of the parts with the portrayal of his growth when he first came to Singapore from Shantou, China with his family.
In the beginning, we go through a snippet of Kuang’s younger days in a foreign country alongside the central of life in the street hawker business. The narrative was well-written. I love a book that has a buildup coming of age. That story simply can shape someone like Kuang. I can see his growing was so devastated. Being the eldest of seven siblings, occurrences knocked on the door and made him need to quit school. Along with a family business that needed to be shut down, Kuang's father decided to stop selling their traditional Teochew braised duck rice due to certain reasons. Although the business can't be sustained, the family bonding still tightens between them.
The reference to street hawkers made me imagine the hawker business in Malaysia although it was set in Singapore. Food connects people. Never I try braised duck before but I can visualize the loud crowd sitting at the table waiting for the hawker to prepare and serve their specially formulated food. Seeing the interaction Kuang had with the people he knew in the hawker biz shows how the connection is vital for engaging to get support.
I love the vivid description the author addressed about the immigration issue for Kuang's family, poverty, vicious relationship with his grandfather, marriage, and parenting that capture the essence of growing and breaking the ‘oldish’ cycle. I bet to some people this book would be a little underwhelming as it slowly built up the character development however it was sort of natural. You will find it fascinating and fully engrossed with Teochew culture. It was such a breeze to read and through Kuang's lens, I can see he was grappling, at the same time, going in advance and never looking back.
Humbly thanks to Times Read and Miss Putri for gifting me this copy.
If you're someone who love grappling coming of age story that has complex issue, then this might be for you.
Reading Kuang's journey since five years of age with four different parts that come with Courage, Growth, Love, and Hope. Jumping into each of the parts with the portrayal of his growth when he first came to Singapore from Shantou, China with his family.
In the beginning, we go through a snippet of Kuang’s younger days in a foreign country alongside the central of life in the street hawker business. The narrative was well-written. I love a book that has a buildup coming of age. That story simply can shape someone like Kuang. I can see his growing was so devastated. Being the eldest of seven siblings, occurrences knocked on the door and made him need to quit school. Along with a family business that needed to be shut down, Kuang's father decided to stop selling their traditional Teochew braised duck rice due to certain reasons. Although the business can't be sustained, the family bonding still tightens between them.
The reference to street hawkers made me imagine the hawker business in Malaysia although it was set in Singapore. Food connects people. Never I try braised duck before but I can visualize the loud crowd sitting at the table waiting for the hawker to prepare and serve their specially formulated food. Seeing the interaction Kuang had with the people he knew in the hawker biz shows how the connection is vital for engaging to get support.
I love the vivid description the author addressed about the immigration issue for Kuang's family, poverty, vicious relationship with his grandfather, marriage, and parenting that capture the essence of growing and breaking the ‘oldish’ cycle. I bet to some people this book would be a little underwhelming as it slowly built up the character development however it was sort of natural. You will find it fascinating and fully engrossed with Teochew culture. It was such a breeze to read and through Kuang's lens, I can see he was grappling, at the same time, going in advance and never looking back.
Humbly thanks to Times Read and Miss Putri for gifting me this copy.
July 15, 2023
“Even in failures, there can be victories within us.”
This book was a journey in every sense - from the story to the various kinds of delicious food described throughout it. It follows the journey of our author’s father, right from his childhood to how he decided to open his open hawker stall in Singapore.
I was so attracted to this book for multiple reasons: I lived in Singapore for a bit and frequented the hawker centres so many times that I can still vividly recall moments from then. Plus, the title of the book and the author’s story attracted me so much that I was desperate to know the origins.
Sweet Braised Duck is divided into four parts as we accompany Kuang from his hometown to conflicted Singapore and follow him as he goes to school, works part-time, attempts to be the best elder brother that is out there, assists in fighting the opium addiction in the country, falls in love, watches people he loves die and despite this, achieves his dreams.
So many parts of the book made me very soft because literally nothing is happier than watching people grow into their dreams. The book is written with so much detailing that you it’s easy to picture everything. The book made me madly nostalgic for Singapore and it’s food and ultimately, the title of the book ends up playing such an important role that you want to high-five the author for such brilliance!
ALSO, a massive thank you to @penguinbookssea for sending me an e-review copy of this book 🥰 I was well read and well fed while reading this.
This book was a journey in every sense - from the story to the various kinds of delicious food described throughout it. It follows the journey of our author’s father, right from his childhood to how he decided to open his open hawker stall in Singapore.
I was so attracted to this book for multiple reasons: I lived in Singapore for a bit and frequented the hawker centres so many times that I can still vividly recall moments from then. Plus, the title of the book and the author’s story attracted me so much that I was desperate to know the origins.
Sweet Braised Duck is divided into four parts as we accompany Kuang from his hometown to conflicted Singapore and follow him as he goes to school, works part-time, attempts to be the best elder brother that is out there, assists in fighting the opium addiction in the country, falls in love, watches people he loves die and despite this, achieves his dreams.
So many parts of the book made me very soft because literally nothing is happier than watching people grow into their dreams. The book is written with so much detailing that you it’s easy to picture everything. The book made me madly nostalgic for Singapore and it’s food and ultimately, the title of the book ends up playing such an important role that you want to high-five the author for such brilliance!
ALSO, a massive thank you to @penguinbookssea for sending me an e-review copy of this book 🥰 I was well read and well fed while reading this.
August 20, 2023
Kuang was five years old when arrived in Singapore from Shantou, China with his parents, to live with his tyrranical grandfather and step-grandmother. We experience his life of gritty poverty as he gave up education to become a wage earner to supplement his parents and numerous siblings, greater responsibilities weighed on his shoulders. We watched his struggles at school with friends with whom was later reunited with when he worked as a street hawker's assistant making fish porridge. We are also a witness to Kuang finding his connection in love and back to Teochew as a braised duck rice hawker.
Sweet Braised Duck is a sad and hopeful story. The details are in the senses: you feel, smell, hear, imagine and taste the streets of Singapore, at a time when the country and city were claiming independence and so was Kuang. This book was also so thematically diverse addressing abuse, cultural differences, the inpact of politics, and the experience of moving from one country to another. The descriptions are everything in this book, and it made me recall my own trip to Singapore, eating at Lau Pa Sat and walking through Bugis Street.
Thank you to @penguinbookssea for sending me a gifted copy.
Sweet Braised Duck is a sad and hopeful story. The details are in the senses: you feel, smell, hear, imagine and taste the streets of Singapore, at a time when the country and city were claiming independence and so was Kuang. This book was also so thematically diverse addressing abuse, cultural differences, the inpact of politics, and the experience of moving from one country to another. The descriptions are everything in this book, and it made me recall my own trip to Singapore, eating at Lau Pa Sat and walking through Bugis Street.
Thank you to @penguinbookssea for sending me a gifted copy.
July 24, 2023
I just love the neat cover which feels minimalist authentic that it prompted me to grab the book :-) Thanks to Penguin Random House SEA for this book in return for my honest review.
Once I have started reading it, I have to slowly devour the story, line by line, word by word and I just couldn't speed read or skip a few pages. It somehow engaged me to just read it as it is, and I thoroughly enjoyed Kuang's journey from a young boy arriving in Singapore to when he became a well-known braised duck seller. The author's simple, straightforward prose was good enough and didn't require the flowery style to keep me reading.
Kuang migrated to Singapore with his mom when he was 5 to be with his father who's already there working. This novel tells the story of Kuang, his hardship growing up in a new land, being the eldest in the family of 7 eventually and the responsibility he carries every day. When he finally found a best friend in school, something bad happened and their friendship became sour, but he still carries the guilt into adulthood. He grew up being a filial son and grandson, even though his grandfather loathes him. Lots of unprecedented drama with his growing up which is relatable even in current times.
"The map of wrinkles on Uncle Tham's face told of is incredible journey of selling curry puffs. From a peddling street hawker who had to constantly avoid inspectors to a boss who could guide the next generation in setting up businesses with his experience."
When he finally reached for his dream to be a braised duck seller, mind you it didn't dwell down to how he perfected his recipe but more of his road to his success. However, he did share on how to keep the chopping board clean LOL! It truly was an awesome journey, challenging yet with lots of hard work. He thought through and through before diving into a job prospect, which built his good character through the experience he had.
"I sprinkled some coarse salt on top of the board, rolled up my sleeves, and scoured it with half a lemon. The sour salty paste sat on the board."
A simple yet fictionalized biography that is a breeze to read through. I didn't expect much of it since this is the author's first novel and it turned out to be a good one for me. I liked that the story is about Kuang and without the flowery prose to make it standout. Kuang is already outstanding himself and the ending was just what I have expected, nothing less.
Once I have started reading it, I have to slowly devour the story, line by line, word by word and I just couldn't speed read or skip a few pages. It somehow engaged me to just read it as it is, and I thoroughly enjoyed Kuang's journey from a young boy arriving in Singapore to when he became a well-known braised duck seller. The author's simple, straightforward prose was good enough and didn't require the flowery style to keep me reading.
Kuang migrated to Singapore with his mom when he was 5 to be with his father who's already there working. This novel tells the story of Kuang, his hardship growing up in a new land, being the eldest in the family of 7 eventually and the responsibility he carries every day. When he finally found a best friend in school, something bad happened and their friendship became sour, but he still carries the guilt into adulthood. He grew up being a filial son and grandson, even though his grandfather loathes him. Lots of unprecedented drama with his growing up which is relatable even in current times.
"The map of wrinkles on Uncle Tham's face told of is incredible journey of selling curry puffs. From a peddling street hawker who had to constantly avoid inspectors to a boss who could guide the next generation in setting up businesses with his experience."
When he finally reached for his dream to be a braised duck seller, mind you it didn't dwell down to how he perfected his recipe but more of his road to his success. However, he did share on how to keep the chopping board clean LOL! It truly was an awesome journey, challenging yet with lots of hard work. He thought through and through before diving into a job prospect, which built his good character through the experience he had.
"I sprinkled some coarse salt on top of the board, rolled up my sleeves, and scoured it with half a lemon. The sour salty paste sat on the board."
A simple yet fictionalized biography that is a breeze to read through. I didn't expect much of it since this is the author's first novel and it turned out to be a good one for me. I liked that the story is about Kuang and without the flowery prose to make it standout. Kuang is already outstanding himself and the ending was just what I have expected, nothing less.
July 2, 2023
📖
Kuang arrives in Singapore as a child and lives with his large family consisting of his parents, grandparents, and seven younger siblings in adverse conditions of poverty and deprivation. As he grows up, the worsening state of his family leads him to sacrifice his education and start working as a hawker to help his family make ends meet. With many more rather unfavorable events taking place, he eventually turns towards a recipe from his native place and strives to establish himself as a successful Braised Duck Rice seller.
📝
The book had a very slow buildup and even though it started converging towards the main storyline in the second half, it still couldn't maintain the direction for much longer. The story revolved more around Kuang's family and their struggles through poverty than his journey towards setting up the Braised Duck Rice business. Said that, Teochew culture was beautifully described throughout the book and the socio-economic state of Singapore during the time of its Independence was well captured.
It took sometime for me to get used to the language due to use of lots of Teochew words. Even though glossary was provided for the translation, referring to it repeatedly would disrupt the flow of reading. Otherwise, the narration through the eyes of Kuang as a child as well as an adult was really good.
Overall, the book had a very promising premise for a motivational story (based on true events) but even with all the buildup, it couldn't capitalise well.
Kuang arrives in Singapore as a child and lives with his large family consisting of his parents, grandparents, and seven younger siblings in adverse conditions of poverty and deprivation. As he grows up, the worsening state of his family leads him to sacrifice his education and start working as a hawker to help his family make ends meet. With many more rather unfavorable events taking place, he eventually turns towards a recipe from his native place and strives to establish himself as a successful Braised Duck Rice seller.
📝
The book had a very slow buildup and even though it started converging towards the main storyline in the second half, it still couldn't maintain the direction for much longer. The story revolved more around Kuang's family and their struggles through poverty than his journey towards setting up the Braised Duck Rice business. Said that, Teochew culture was beautifully described throughout the book and the socio-economic state of Singapore during the time of its Independence was well captured.
It took sometime for me to get used to the language due to use of lots of Teochew words. Even though glossary was provided for the translation, referring to it repeatedly would disrupt the flow of reading. Otherwise, the narration through the eyes of Kuang as a child as well as an adult was really good.
Overall, the book had a very promising premise for a motivational story (based on true events) but even with all the buildup, it couldn't capitalise well.
June 19, 2023
Sweet Braised Duck was everything I expected it to be and more. It skillfully addressed complex issues such as immigration, poverty, abuse, and politics, while also capturing the cultural beauty of a family transitioning from one country to another.
I found it truly fascinating to observe the cultural and linguistic similarities between South India (Tamil Nadu) and Singapore within the pages of this book. Seeing a reflection of myself in a foreign setting, with references to Murukku and a street hawker complimenting the protagonist Kuang (Style-o style), brought about a heartwarming sense of connection.
Chew Ngee Tan's writing transported me to Singapore, allowing me to vividly visualize every detail. The author's ability to evoke emotions, enabling me to feel the characters' emotional journeys, witness the scenes they encountered, and even experience the enticing aromas described, made it impossible not to become fully engrossed in this beautifully written book.
I have a deep appreciation for books that evoke strong emotions, and Sweet Braised Duck accomplished exactly that for me.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Penguin SEA for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next book you send me!
I found it truly fascinating to observe the cultural and linguistic similarities between South India (Tamil Nadu) and Singapore within the pages of this book. Seeing a reflection of myself in a foreign setting, with references to Murukku and a street hawker complimenting the protagonist Kuang (Style-o style), brought about a heartwarming sense of connection.
Chew Ngee Tan's writing transported me to Singapore, allowing me to vividly visualize every detail. The author's ability to evoke emotions, enabling me to feel the characters' emotional journeys, witness the scenes they encountered, and even experience the enticing aromas described, made it impossible not to become fully engrossed in this beautifully written book.
I have a deep appreciation for books that evoke strong emotions, and Sweet Braised Duck accomplished exactly that for me.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Penguin SEA for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next book you send me!
September 12, 2025
I’ve been this book for some time and when I saw a copy available at the library, I immediately borrowed it, and glad I did!
Moving from Shantou China to Singapore, five-year-old Kuang gets to be reunited with his father. But living with his abusive grandfather and new step grandmother is not what he expects his life to be in Singapore. Kuang and his parents live in poverty, as an eldest he was charge of taking care of his siblings, he drops out of school and works as hawker assistant an early age. After all that happened to him, he is able to return to his hometown cuisine and make a living out of it.
Though fiction, the story seems like a memoir as it is based on the author’s family story. Kuang’s life story is full of hardships, challenges, living through poverty, with so many life lessons and experiences - his issues on his family, the poverty, the abusive relationship with his grandfather, closeness to his mother and the aloofness of his father - all of these he brought with him growing up until adulthood. It is a sad story but one full of love and hope.
I love the references to street hawkers, it makes me think I’m in the moment and savouring all the food and immersing myself in Teochew culture. It makes me reminisce Singapore food scene, where you can actually see, feel smell and hear the food and streets of Singapore. It’s interesting to also see how the author was able to depict life in the olden days in Singapore as compared to the Singapore we know now. You can also see the importance of the culture of hawker centers in the daily lives of Singaporeans.
Next time I find myself in Singapore I will be on a lookout for sweet braised duck!
Moving from Shantou China to Singapore, five-year-old Kuang gets to be reunited with his father. But living with his abusive grandfather and new step grandmother is not what he expects his life to be in Singapore. Kuang and his parents live in poverty, as an eldest he was charge of taking care of his siblings, he drops out of school and works as hawker assistant an early age. After all that happened to him, he is able to return to his hometown cuisine and make a living out of it.
Though fiction, the story seems like a memoir as it is based on the author’s family story. Kuang’s life story is full of hardships, challenges, living through poverty, with so many life lessons and experiences - his issues on his family, the poverty, the abusive relationship with his grandfather, closeness to his mother and the aloofness of his father - all of these he brought with him growing up until adulthood. It is a sad story but one full of love and hope.
I love the references to street hawkers, it makes me think I’m in the moment and savouring all the food and immersing myself in Teochew culture. It makes me reminisce Singapore food scene, where you can actually see, feel smell and hear the food and streets of Singapore. It’s interesting to also see how the author was able to depict life in the olden days in Singapore as compared to the Singapore we know now. You can also see the importance of the culture of hawker centers in the daily lives of Singaporeans.
Next time I find myself in Singapore I will be on a lookout for sweet braised duck!
May 30, 2024
Super good read! Highly recommend for young Teochews :")
Enjoyed the short chapters & illustrations as "spoilers" of the chapter.
Being a Teochew, it was fun to read simple phrases interpersed within the writing. It reminded me of how my grandparents would speak to each other in Teochew!
I know that my grandpa's father migrated from his Shantou village to the busy port city of Singapore, in hopes of a better life.
Kuang's story is a insight into how it was like, dealing with physical & emotional difficulties in such a time of great change.
Interesting to learn of how life used to be like in olden day Singapore.
I only ever grew up with hawker centres as the norm, so it was fun to read of streetside hawkers as its origins.
Enjoyed the short chapters & illustrations as "spoilers" of the chapter.
Being a Teochew, it was fun to read simple phrases interpersed within the writing. It reminded me of how my grandparents would speak to each other in Teochew!
I know that my grandpa's father migrated from his Shantou village to the busy port city of Singapore, in hopes of a better life.
Kuang's story is a insight into how it was like, dealing with physical & emotional difficulties in such a time of great change.
Interesting to learn of how life used to be like in olden day Singapore.
I only ever grew up with hawker centres as the norm, so it was fun to read of streetside hawkers as its origins.
August 23, 2025
3.7 ⭐️ this was a simple and comforting read!! i like that it was a bildungsroman too. it felt wonderful to watch the main character, kuang, grow up just as singapore also went through historical and physical changes. i appreciate getting a glimpse into teochew culture which i knew little to nothing about before reading this!! however some of the chapters seem to skip through his life moments quite quickly, and i wish there were more chapters or writing dedicated to his braised duck stall. it was heartwarming how hope carried kuang and the other characters through everything
June 12, 2023
Interesting read but was expecting the story to revolve around duck braising and how it impacted the author's or her parents' lives. Will be better if the book could infused the story with more Teochew culture.
May 14, 2025
NGL this made me crave braised duck.
December 30, 2023
An entirely readable and enjoyable book! This book transported me to the olden day Singapore and painted a vivid picture of how Singapore came to be, and the stories of our older generation growing together with Singapore. Good character development, really enjoyed it!
July 19, 2024
I find it so delightful to be able to understand every single reference to my society, our short but wonderful histories, the food! reminds me so much of my childhood! Happy and glad to see a story featuring a fellow Teochew.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews