Last August, China-born hawker Nana Wang, 44, opened goreng pisang stall Glory Fried Banana at Changi Village Hawker Centre. Nothing super out of the ordinary, you say.
Well, the Singaporean PR chose to open shop in a food centre where there are already four existing goreng pisang shops. And one of them happens to be the popular two decade-old Million Star Fried Banana, where Nana worked just before setting up her own biz.
The bubbly hawker, who is married to a Singaporean construction safety officer, hails from Qingdao Province and first came to Singapore in 2010. Nana shares: “[Before I sold goreng pisang] I worked at a bread factory in Bedok, and helped out at a zi char stall in a coffee shop. But I wanted to open my own stall one day.”
In case you were wondering, Nana is her real name and not a moniker she adopted from going bananas over her trade.
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“Not awkward” opening rival shop near former employer
We ask Nana if it was awkward opening a rival stall so close to her former boss at Million Star Fried Banana. “No lah, not awkward!” she insists. “We do our own business and have our own customers. Although we both share bananas from the same supplier. When we bump into each other at the hawker centre, we say hi. However, my customers told me that [the Million Star Fried Banana owner] sometimes comes over to my row to peek at my stall when I’m busy.”
Nana adds: “Many of my customers think I’m very bold to set up my shop in the midst of four other goreng pisang stalls in the same hawker centre. It’s true, especially since it’s entirely up to customers to see which stalls they prefer to patronise. Nevertheless, I’m quite confident and content [with how biz has been] so far. I have just about recouped the money I invested, which was under $10K.” She's a one-woman show at her stall and works gruelling hours - she opens shop at 5.30am daily and closes up only around 7pm.
Worked at three goreng pisang stalls over three years
Nana’s first taste of life as a goreng pisang hawker’s assistant came in 2020 where she applied through a newspaper advert to help out at Lee Kee Goreng Pisang stall in Bedok. “The pandemic affected my job security and there was a short period of time that I spent at home without much to do, but I still had to raise my kids,” explains the mother of two children, aged seven and 21. After her stint at Lee Kee, Nana worked at Xiu Xiu Fried Banana stall in Geylang Bahru for a short time.
Photo: Amy Sim/Facebook
Worked for only four months at popular Million Star Fried Banana
In March 2023, she moved on to work at Million Star Fried Banana, a renowned family-run business which has been serving goreng pisang for over two decades. At the time, Mr and Mrs Chan, the elderly couple who founded the biz, had taken over the stall once again after their son, the second-generation owner of the stall, passed away unexpectedly.
Nana tells 8days.sg that she was then given the chance to manage the stall for the couple who were getting on in years and wanted to take a step back from the business. However, just four months after Nana started work, the senior Mr Chan passed away as well. His 78-year-old widow Mrs Chan decided to return to helm the stall, so Nana left.
When a fellow hawker pal happened to introduce Nana to an available stall located at a corner unit in the same hawker centre, just two rows behind Million Star Fried Banana, Nana seized the opportunity to start her own goreng pisang business.
We asked Nana what inspired her to open her own goreng pisang shop. “What motivated me were the words of encouragement from one of my previous bosses at Lee Kee,” Nana replies. “She told me: ‘You can do it! Don’t be afraid [to open your own goreng pisang stall]! If you encounter any issues, you can always come to me for help’. I’m very grateful to her”.
Pisang raja, a sweet banana variety used for Glory’s goreng pisang
Recipes not a copy of Million Star’s or other ex-employers
So, are Nana’s recipes influenced by the previous goreng pisang stalls that she worked at?
According to Nana, the bosses of Million Star Fried Banana and Lee Kee prepare their batter before sending it out to their stalls - so their staff are not privy to the ingredients that go into the mix. “The secret to fabulous fritters lies in the batter! The folks in charge of those stalls are clever; everything is done before being sent to us [at the stall]!” says Nana.
Nevertheless, frying the bananas at those stalls has taught her how to suss out the right temperature of the oil and thickness of the batter.
Nana created her own recipe by studying YouTube videos. “Different videos recommend different types of flour for the batter. So I had to do lots of experimentation before settling on a taste and texture that both my customers and I like,” declares Nana. She reveals that the rice flour in her batter keeps it crispy.
Goreng Pisang, $1.30-$2 (depending on size)
Unsurprisingly, Nana’s goreng pisang, made with the flavourful pisang raja varietal, is her best-selling item. Our colleague who tried Nana’s banana declared it “sweet and soft on the inside, very crispy on the outside”.
3-in-1 Nian Gao Fritters, $1.80
Another signature item is the 3-in-1 nian gao fritter, which layers sweet potato, yam, and nian gao. The nian gao is homemade with gula melaka using Nana’s mother-in-law’s recipe. Our colleague likes that the nian gao is almost mochi-like and not too sweet.
Cempedak Fritters, $1.50
This features cempedak flesh wrapped around a seed which is pre-cooked before being fried again - so the whole thing can be eaten. Our colleague remarks that the seed remains a tad hard despite the pre-cooking.
Green Bean + Red Bean Fritters, $1.20
Nana also introduced a unique twist to the traditional green bean fritter, through the incorporation of Chinese food philosophy where balance is key. “Customers say that green beans are too 'cooling’ for the body, so I added red beans (which are ‘warming’ by nature) to my green bean fritters.” Note that green beans here refer to mung beans. Our colleague admits that she is unable to taste the red bean in this munchkin, though we do spot some red speckled amid the green in the filling (see below pic).
Glory Fried Banana is at #01-69 Changi Village Hawker Centre,2 Changi Village Rd, S500002. Open daily 5.30am to 7pm, or until sold out. Photos: 8 Days/TikTok
