Char Kuey Teow (Stir fried
flat rice noodles)
Be prepared for long queues and even self-service if you visit the best
char kuey teow stalls in Penang! But the wait and fuss will be well
worth it. This simple dish of flat rice noodles stir-fried with prawns,
cockles, egg and bean sprouts may not be gourmet food but its taste
is no less exquisite. Before it even reaches the mouth, the aroma is
already making diners drool! A good plate of char kuey teow is dependent
on heat, speed and timing. So the preparation is a real treat to watch.
The hawker deftly tosses in one ingredient after another with the skilful
flick of his fryer while expertly monitoring the raging fire underneath
the wok. In a few quick strokes, his masterpiece is completed and served
piping hot to eagerly waiting patrons.
Sar Hor Fun (Flat rice
noodles in soup)
Perak is famous for making the best sar hor fun or kuey teow (rice noodle).
It is believed that the fresh spring waters from the limestone mountains
give the rice noodles a smoother texture. So good that it slides effortlessly
down your throat. Here sar hor fun is served in a clear chicken stock
soup with chicken shreds, prawns, spring onions, fried shallots and
bean sprouts. Prawn shells are fried in oil and the special concoction
is drizzled into the dish to give a slight orange tint and a unique
taste.
Seremban Siew Pau
Siew pau was not a new invention when Mrs. Teh started selling them
in the 1980s. But her special recipe struck a chord with Malaysian taste
buds. Word spread quickly about this oven-baked bun with a golden brown
crispy, flaky pastry and tasty savoury meat filing, and visitors and
foodies poured into town. Eventually, the only way to keep up with the
demand was to franchise. The meat filling is usually made from pork
but to cater to Muslim taste buds, it now comes in chicken as well.
Hainan Chicken Rice
Found in just about every Chinese café, it is an all time favourite
dish here. Fragrant rice cooked in chicken stock and ginger is served
alongside slices of roasted or steamed chicken. The tender, tasty meat
comes coated in a dash of soy sauce, slices of cucumber and a piquant
garlic and chilli paste on the side. A light chicken soup with the occasional
groundnut also comes with the dish. It is so popular that franchise
stores can be found specialising in the varieties of Chicken Rice recipes.
Ipoh and Penang are two places where you can get mouth- watering Chicken
Rice in just about every second shop.
Claypot Chicken Rice
This aromatic rice dish is served sizzling in a brown clay pot with
a handle. The rice grains are cooked in this pot with soy sauce, ginger,
spring onions and bits of tender chicken meat and sometimes even salted
fish to give it a little kick. The clay pot traps the taste of the meat
while adding its own distinctive clay pot aroma and flavours the rice
to make it a wholesome meal. Look out for stalls with an array of handled
clay pots and you know you’re at the right place for a clay pot meal.
Wantan Mee
Another Chinese noodle dish, this time served in a light soy sauce with
bright green vegetables and slices of chicken or pork meat. A small
bowl of soup, often with prawn or pork dumplings accompanies this dish.
A second version of this dish has the noodles served in a hot, light
soup. Considered a light meal, you can see people ordering this dish
around the clock.
Beef Noodles
Slightly spicy, flat or long yellow noodles are served in a bowl of
piping hot beef soup. The soup is made tastier by the chunks of meat
and vegetables in it. Some stalls replace the meat in the soup with
internal organ delicacies- trying this does ask for a required taste
though.
Dim Sum
Dim Sum is a social custom from ancient China that has now become a
favourite Malaysian weekend breakfast or brunch activity with family
and friends. The staggering variety of Dim Sum dishes ranges to the
hundreds! Each dish is prepared differently but the common favourites
are usually steamed in bamboo baskets or deep-fried. There is literally
something for everybody from steamed prawn dumplings to fried sesame
balls, porridge to Chinese pancakes. So the best way to have Dim Sum
is to order a little of everything!
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