Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Other than the BIG TWO (Lou Wong & Onn Kee), there are still many places in Ipoh for “Nga Choy Kai” (Bean Sprouts Chicken). One example being Leong Kee on Jalan Pasir Puteh.

The resurgence of interest in old timers (the previous post on Yee Jie confirmed this) around Ipoh got us back to our ‘roots’. Typical hawker fares that you would not never thought you’d be seeing the reviews on the Net, but yet ….. possess such a tight grip on your heart.

Places like Leong Kee, a shabby coffee shop on Jalan Pasir Puteh that has been around for decades; probably older than most of the Gen-Y reading this post.

Leong Kee is famous for their porridge; especially the mixed pig’s offal porridge (Chu Chap Zhuk) and curry mee.

My most immediate reaction when discussing about Leong Kee was the introduction to Sotong Kangkung; a rarely found cuttlefish salad combining blanched water convolvulus (kangkung) and cuttlefish drenched in a nutty, peanut gravy. A close cousin to the other famous Malaysian salad; Rojak, no less.

But lo and behold, the stall selling the salad is not around anymore, but you can still sample Leong Kee’s famous pork porridge boiled over charcoal fire, rich curry mee with tampered spiciness, and their supposedly popular Ais Kacang ……

Sar Hor Fun (Ipoh’s incomparable smooth rice noodles in a broth laden with pepper and chicken stock), the porridge with ample quantity of pig’s innards and the combination of poached chicken and crunchy bean sprouts completed the experience.

Leong Kee is only opened for dinner, until supper hours. They close on Wednesdays. There are only two stalls operating in the cramped shop; one being the porridge/bean sprouts chicken/curry mee stall, and the other being the slightly overshadowed Chee Cheong Fun (steamed rice noodles with various condiments) stall handled by a lady.

Crunchy deep fried small intestines, liver, big intestines and even pieces of coagulated pig’s blood (not in this shot) were some of the “Fear Factor” worthy ingredients dunked into the gruel.

Though the famed ‘Chu Chap Zhuk‘ did not live up to its hype (according to Dad, at least), the other items were more or less satisfactory; bringing back the same old tastes from yesteryear’s. The curry mee looked fiery in its prominently reddish appearance, but one sip of the soup revealed a relatively mild pungency and decadence, lacking in oomph as compared to some of Ipoh’s better versions. (I am a die hard fan of curry mee, hence the separate category dedicated to ‘Curry Noodles’ on the list HERE)

A deceptively fiery Curry Mee loaded with cockles and bits of Char Siew (barbecued pork)

The bowl of Sar Hor Fun (Kuey Teow Soup) was more than enough for one, as halfway through the meal, the bowl of piping hot flat rice noodles in a chicken-based soup was already soggy and I did not manage to slurp up everything from the bowl. But the plate of crunchy bean sprouts was tastefully done. Blanched to the right degree, so that the sprouts retained their natural crunchiness and juices, I was munching on these all the way. Clever approach of them to lightly season the sprouts with minimal pepper, and in a sauce that was neither too salty nor oily. Some ‘Nga Choy Kai’ outlets prefer to perk up your tastebud with added red chillies, and a few more dashes of pepper. It all boils down to your personal preference, really.

If you’re not a fan of the usual soggy, wrinkly and limp ‘taugeh’ from the other places, try Ipoh’s magnificent version.

The ‘Pak Cham Gai’ or poached chicken served in a mix of soy sauce and oil was meatier and possessing a bite unlike the more common smooth but barely cooked version in the prominently more famous outlets. Very traditional, yet not a poached chicken that I would regard highly of. But definitely better than the average, and I know some people swear by this type of poached chicken rather than the bloodied, raw varieties.

For a shop that prides on their Ais Kacang (it’s there, on their signboard), Leong Kee certainly messed things up with this watery concoction that cost RM2.40/USD0.80 per bowl; slightly pricier than the average ABC (ais batu campur, another name for the shaved ice dessert)

The dinner was good. More to the reliving of past memories part for us; being born and raised in Pasir Puteh myself. The porridge sure has its legion of ardent fans, judging from the snaking queues as soon as the stall started operations that evening. Most people tend to ‘tapau’ (taking away) their packs of porridge to be eaten in the comfort of home, rather than being seated on the sidewalks and inside the unbelievably rundown condition of the premise.

Zoom past, blink and you’ll miss this. Kedai Makanan Dan Ais Kacang Leong Kee, a short distance away from Chang Jiang; the hawker centre famous for the white coffee.

KEDAI MAKANAN DAN AIS KACANG LEONG KEE
(Pig’s Offal Porridge, Bean Sprout Chicken, Curry Mee, Ais Kacang)
153, Jalan Pasir Puteh,
31650 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Business hours : 6pm – 12am. Closed on Wednesdays.
GPS Coordinates : E101 4′ 54.7″ N4 35′ 4.6″
Google Map to Leong Kee

*Consider the pig’s offal porridge at Wing Hoong Lapan Nasi Bubur on Yang Kalsom Road, about 5 minutes of drive away. Or Wong Fee Kee’s lunch only pork porridge with optional sides of fabulous Char Siew or/and Siew Yoke in Bercham.