At just 25 years old, Tan Xiang Long gave up his steady job at Jumbo Seafood as a second wok chef (one step below sous chef) to open a Hainanese curry rice stall at Golden Mile Food Centre called Dragon Curry.
His reasons are simple: to spend more time with his ageing parents, both 67, to better support them financially, and to become his own towkay rather than continue working for others.
Started out with a scholarship at Jumbo Seafood
Growing up in Chinatown, Xiang Long was always surrounded by food. His mum once ran a cai png stall for two years when he was in secondary school, and he’d help out occasionally. “I was always stuffing food into my face since kindergarten days,” he laughs.
His passion for cooking began in secondary school during Home Economics, where he’d top the class. Soon, he was hooked on MasterChef, plus cooking shows by Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay. “Watching these shows made me dream of one day becoming a great chef capable of cooking anything,” he recalls.
Had a Jumbo Seafood scholarship
After a short stint at a Let’s Eat! curry rice stall, he pursued a diploma in Baking and Culinary Science at Temasek Polytechnic, earning a Jumbo Seafood scholarship which covered two years of his diploma fees.
He joined Jumbo Seafood after NS as part of his two-year bond, starting out as a Management Associate — a fast-track programme that trains people for future management roles. After completing his bond and learning every station in the kitchen, he decided to stay on and became a second wok chef at their restaurant in Clarke Quay. Altogether, he spent three years with Jumbo.
Why he left Jumbo Seafood
Earning $2,999 a month, Xiang Long tells 8days.sg that he realised his salary wasn’t enough to meaningfully support his parents — his dad works as a janitor, while his mum juggles odd jobs.
“I felt that being a hawker had the potential [to earn more] and would give me the freedom to celebrate holidays with my parents,” he tells 8days.sg. “At Jumbo, I didn’t have [time off during the] holidays, especially Chinese New Year.”
He also struggled with communication at work. “Everything was in Chinese — the labels, SOPs, instructions. My Mandarin isn’t great, so it was hard to communicate [with my co-workers] beyond small talk.”
Though he was next in line for a sous chef promotion, which would have raised his pay to nearly $4K, Xiang Long couldn’t see himself thriving there.
“I wanted to create something of my own and learn how to run a business. I also wanted to escape working the entire month of Chinese New Year and spend it with my family instead,” he shares. “[At Jumbo], I felt like a robot, just carrying out whatever they wanted me to do. [I felt] quite dead inside lah.”
Building Dragon Curry
In March this year, Xiang Long took the leap, leaving Jumbo full-time to apply for NEA’s Hawker Stall Incubation Programme. It was a long 18 weeks of proposals, tastings, and interviews before he finally secured his stall.
While waiting, he was offered a part-time job lecturing in Baking and Culinary Technology at Temasek Polytechnic, and continued working part-time at Jumbo until October. Dragon Curry officially opened on 3 Nov.
Setting up his stall cost Xiang Long about $15K, all from his own savings. Is he worried about the pay cut? “Not really — frankly speaking, $2.9K wasn’t much,” he shares.
Does he think being a hawker can earn him more money? “Right now, I expect to be earning around the same, about $3K to $4K — but that’s only if I sell out every day. So far, I haven’t sold out every day, so it’s not a great outcome at the moment but all this takes time — I’m just starting out, so I can’t tell for sure right now.”
Photo: Tan Xiang Long
Parents initially hesitant about his move to hawker life
Xiang Long’s parents were initially hesitant about him becoming a hawker. “They only really supported me the day before I opened,” he says. “My mum was a hawker before, so she knows how tough it is. With my education, they thought I may be able to do something else, not just become a hawker.”
Does he think his diploma went to waste? “I’d say the diploma was essential because right now, cooking to me is thinking about the process, the science, and what causes what to happen. Everything becomes more logical in cooking because of my diploma course.”
Does it all on his own now
Xiang Long’s parents were also worried he’d be too tired since he now has to handle everything himself, from cooking to washing plates, unlike at the restaurant with a kitchen team. “I guess I’m kind of accepting it, just do it lor, no complaints. Not like there’s anyone here to save me,” he laughs.
Despite the grind, he has no regrets. “In the long run, I think I’ll feel more fulfilled as a hawker. It’s something I’m building myself,” he smiles.
Motivated by plans to take care of his parents
Xiang Long lives with his parents and older sister in a five-room HDB flat at Hong Lim Complex behind Chinatown Point, about a 15-minute bus ride from Golden Mile Food Centre. His older brother lives separately with his own family.
Do they help out at the stall? “My sister and father don’t, but my mum’s been asking if I need her help,” he says. “I try to refuse — I’d rather she rest at home.”
His parents’ health is one of his biggest worries. “The way my father works worries me — he’s already had both his knees operated on in the past two or three years. He just looks like he’s going to trip and fall at any time,” he says softly. “My mum’s slightly better, but her knees have the same issues, though she hasn’t had surgery yet.”
Will become poly lecturer if hawker biz fails
Looking ahead, Xiang Long hopes to eventually expand to two or three outlets, “just enough so the quality doesn’t drop”. “Ultimately, I want to make this work and hopefully free up some time so I can take care of my parents in the future,” he shares.
And if the hawker life doesn’t work out? He’s got a backup plan. “I’ve approached other lecturers at Temasek Polytechnic and they’ve said they would definitely want me back. But for now, I’m not too sure — I’ll ask again if I have to.”
Would he earn more as a full-time lecturer? “At the moment, yes. I’ve asked before and if I stay on at Temasek Poly, I might draw close to $4K, though that’s just a rough estimate.”
Why sell curry rice?
“Curry rice has been my favourite dish since kindergarten,” Xiang Long shares. “There used to be a stall beside my kindergarten at Maxwell Food Centre that I loved, but it closed down.”
He also used to cook curry dishes for staff meals at Jumbo, where he slowly refined the recipe he’s using today.
Fun fact, the stall almost had a different name. “I wanted to call it Ah Long Curry Rice after my kitchen nickname, but my friends pointed out the unfortunate loanshark association,” he laughs. “So I went with Dragon Curry instead.”
Hainanese curry rice, but with a few chef-like tweaks
Each plate of Xiang Long’s curry rice comes with rice, braised cabbage, curry, braised sauce, and a lava egg instead of the usual fried egg.
His curry is inspired by Hainanese-style curry but tweaked to his liking. “It’s mostly trial and error — I use a mix of Baba’s chilli powder, fish curry powder, and meat curry powder, with ginger, garlic, and onions as the base,” Xiang Long explains. “I also throw in lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves to make it more aromatic.”
The curry is rich thanks to a blend of evaporated milk, coconut milk, and potato starch. “I want [the curry] to be thick and substantial,” he says.
Why opt for a lava egg? “I find the [usual] fried egg very oily and always overcooked — [the lava egg] took a few tries to perfect and I wasted about two trays of eggs,” he admits with a chuckle.
“I understand why people don’t want to do this anymore”
On his first day, Xiang Long worked from 4am till 10pm, running the stall alone. “I understand why people don’t want to do this (become a hawker) anymore,” he admits.
“I came to the stall early that day because I was afraid things wouldn’t go well. But going forward, I’ll try to streamline everything and do things in a more efficient manner,” he says.
Still, his efforts paid off and he sold out by 6pm that day, an hour before closing.
One more semester of lecturing
Xiang Long plans to return to Temasek Polytechnic next April to teach part-time again for one more semester, two days a week. “I’m still figuring out how to manage the stall during those days — maybe I’ll open four days a week instead,” he says.
For now, Xiang Long is running the stall solo, while occasionally filming videos for the stall’s TikTok account. “So far, TikTok has only brought in about 5% of my customers — mostly from the office crowd,” he shares. He’s published three videos to date.
“Learning content creation was also part of the reason I wanted to start a hawker stall. At Jumbo, there was little to no time for it, and posting anything from the kitchen was strictly off-limits,” he tells 8days.sg.
Here are some of the dishes we tried at Dragon Curry:
Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice, $5 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Xiang Long’s signature dish stars a juicy chicken thigh cutlet that’s well-seasoned, coated in a mix of regular and tapioca flour, then double-fried and finished only upon order. “I want it hot and crispy when served,” he insists.
Red Beancurd Pork Belly Cutlet Curry Rice, $5.90
If you prefer pork, this is just as satisfying. The pork belly cutlet is thinner than the chicken version, giving it a crackly crunch when you bite in. It’s well-marinated in red fermented beancurd, lending it a subtle savouriness that pairs well with the curry.
Sambal Fish Curry Rice, $6.90
The Sambal Fish Curry Rice features a soft fillet of dory that’s first poached, then lathered with Xiang Long’s fragrant housemade sambal — a blend of onions, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chillies, dried chillies and kaffir lime leaves. The result is a mildly spicy, well-balanced sambal that complements rather than overpowers the curry. Good for those who don’t want deep-fried food.
The braised cabbage that comes with each set is tender and well-cooked, though it could’ve been seasoned a little more boldly. Still, the aromatic curry ties everything together deliciously, generously ladled over the plate so that every component is well-coated.
Dragon Curry is located at #B1-01 Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Rd, S199583. Open daily 11am-7pm, or till sold out. Closed Thur. More info via Instagram.
Photos: Dillon Tan
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