I had to take a queue number to get my hands on some fried dough fritters at Kovan Hawker Centre last Sunday.

The batch of youtiao that had come out of the huge wok of boiling oil sold out so fast I had to wait for the next lot.

And it was not just the youtiao (80 cents for one or $2 for three) that was popular.

The plain salted buns (ham chim peng) and red bean buns were equally in demand. These also cost 80 cents each or you can mix and match them with youtiao and butterfly buns at $2 for three.

And it is easy to see why they sell like hot cakes.

The dough, with its crispy skin, was so light and fluffy, it was a delight to sink my teeth into it.

My favourite was the plain salted bun with its slight hint of savouriness and just enough five-spice powder to give it a fragrant boost.

The sweet and crisp butterfly fritter was also delightful.

The constant demand for the four types of fried fritters means a high turnover and the fried stuff does not get a chance to cool down and get chewy.

The hardworking man behind the three-year-old corner stall is Mr John Ho Kwok Peng, 31.

He started helping at his brother-in-law's fritter stall in Parkway Parade when he was 15 and does not take short cuts in making his wares.

For instance, he does not use instant yeast. Instead, he makes his own yeast starter, taking at least 10 hours each time to do so.

He says in halting English that his customers' satisfaction always comes first.

His two helpers are always so pleasant, it is a pleasure to buy from them.

The fritters go well with a good cup of coffee and I enjoyed them with strong and not-too-sweet kopi-C ($1) from Yuan Ji Coffee Stall at 01-21, a few stalls from Kim Soon.