Moroccan Chef Brings Mediterranean Flavors to Singapore’s Hawker Scene

One of the popular Indian and Muslim stalls in the Ayer Rajah hawker center is run by Hassan Bengen, a 57-year-old Moroccan. He offers Western and Mediterranean dishes that are not seen every day, and which also attract attention because of the size of the portions, reports Setlui.com, whose reporter was able to taste some delicious dishes, including the kebab. The Moroccan expatriate is known to have accomplished many culinary feats in Morocco. In Singapore, he opened a kebab stand in Ang Mo Kio, a huge branch in an NTU canteen and a restaurant in Morocco, after being at the head of El Hassan for 15 years. But his Singaporean businesses, with the exception of El Hassan, have closed due to rising rents and the closure period.

At the Ayer Rajah hawker center, he offers the usual chicken kebab (S$5) with a cheese sauce (S$0.50), which he defines as shawarma/kebab. He also offers a chicken panini (S$5), with cheese (S$0.50). The site’s reporter enjoyed the Mee Mushroom Creamy (S$5). "There were no pasta, but egg noodles! (Garnished with a pile of shallots, it was a fairly large bowl for the price. The weight of the chicken, bordering on the colossal for a drumstick. We almost missed its golden skin if the shallots hadn’t kept its surface dry," he recounts.

His only regret is not having tasted the Indian and Mediterranean dishes like kofta and mandi rice during his visit. Hassan explained to him that he had temporarily restricted the menu because his sick wife was not well enough to help him run the stall.