Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

The traditional no-frills Char Kuey Teow (also better known as simply Chau Fun in Ipoh) with loads of wriggly bean sprouts, gorgeously-golden eggs, and plump prawns seated atop.

So here’s a post that is exactly one year overdue. More than a year actually, for I read Jason‘s account of the same breakfast; which was posted in July of 2009! That was even before I got infected with this dotcom mania. Imagine the might of procrastination.

Anyway, Menglembu is one of the main township in Ipoh of Perak, that is also widely-acknowledged as the birthplace of crunchy, tasty groundnuts with shells intact, but yet with a roasted, smoky flavour. The term “Menglembu groundnuts” it seems, originated from the fact that a local resident named Mr Lee discovered this technique of processing the groundnuts way back in the 1940′s, and the name has been used since to describe this particular method of production; not necessarily indicating that Menglembu has a groundnut plantation or even houses the production companies. Here’s a brief history from PAGODA brand and the particularly interesting method of producing the tasty snacks.

Two most prominent brands of Menglembu groundnuts are Pagoda and Ngan Yin, also known as “Kacang Cap Tangan” with the signature thumb’s up logo.

Read on to find out more about our breakfast at the morning market, and the famous (for a variety of reasons) Wantan Mee at the “Wai Sek Kai” (Glutton Street) at night ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Yoon Kee @ Stall No 23 – This is also Ipoh’s most beloved superstar; Dato’ Michelle Yeoh’s favourite!

Perseverance pays off handsomely. That’s exactly what the elderly have always tried to instill in the raw, naive mind of a young one’s.

Medan Selera Stadium (a popular hawker food centre) in Ipoh is a stretch of food stalls that operate almost round the clock, numbering around 60 stalls if I’m not mistaken. But don’t get the wrong idea. The stalls open intermittently; some during daytime while the others open from evening until late night. Not sure if there is any stall that stays open until wee hours of the morning, but I don’t cast my doubt on this issue.

Come weekends, public holidays, or when there’s a football match at the stadium, you’ll bear witness to throngs of people swarming the stalls, hoping for some midnight snacks and a cup of “teh tarik”.

Yoon Kee’s Chicken Rice - Smooth, poached chicken (without the gory, bloody bits, thankfully!) with ‘oily’ rice and the compulsory pounded garlic/ginger with chili sauce.

Time and again, the purposed outings to Medan Selera Stadium Ipoh ended up in disappointment. Either the stalls were not opened on that particular day, or we ended up losing sight of what to eat and ended up somewhere else for dinner.

Things got a little easier during lunch hour, for we’re still fans of Sri Asoka Corner’s (Stall No 19) banana leaf curry rice (BLR), and Thillai Stall (Stall No 25) which is located a few cubicles away from Sri Asoka’s,  and also rather famous for their BLR. Plus, Thillai also serves deep-fried crispy bitter gourd !!!

So why was I so adamant on trying Yoon Kee’s Bean Sprouts Chicken, a 21 years old ‘lau zhi hau’ (old and trusted brand)? …… CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Since we are already on a roll here, almost consecutive posts on noodles (Beef Noodles, Siamese Laksa, Laksa Pak Ngah, Mee Hailam & Mee Goreng) throughout the month of June, let’s top them all off with a duel between two of the MOST prominent noodles stalls in all of Penang; situated within a stone’s throw from each other.

BANGKOK LANE MEE GORENG @ SENG LEE COFFEE SHOP

SIN HWA CHAR KOAY TEOW (CKT) – THE FAMOUS CKT OPPOSITE OF PULAU TIKUS POLICE STATION

Yup, both in Penang, and both on Jalan Burmah. Albeit the Bangkok Lane’s Mee Goreng is usually recognized as THE indomitable “Indian Mee Goreng of Bangkok Lane“, for the sole reason that the stall faces the lane (Lorong Bangkok) rather than the main road. And on the opposite side of the road we have Kedai Kopi Sin Hwa that houses a single stall selling Char Koay Teow for breakfast-lunch-tea break (?) and has been on the radar of “CKT-aficionados” who make their annual pilgrimages to Penang for their fix …… CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

It was ironic that I went to Penang twice last week, almost back to back. Within the span of a week, in fact. Whereas the short excursion to the mainland of Penang (Seberang Jaya/Butterworth, to be exact) saw us scavengers ravaging through the myriad of stalls selling delicious hawker food at the newly-discovered (at least to this most innocent-cum-naive Ipoh guy here) “Wai Sek Kai” of Chai Leng Park in Butterworth.

But as destiny would have things her way (overly-dramatic?), I was back to Penang a few days later for a short getaway. In case it’s your first time here, or amnesia struck again, I absolutely fell in love with Penang food, especially food from the streets. In fact, time and again I’ve stressed that I developed my inquisitive, epicurious and gastronomic taste bud NOT in Ipoh, but when I spent my 4 years in USM of Penang. Yeah ….. those dastardly-memorable years saw me ballooning from a frail weakling to a mass of gigantic blob, to an almost ogre-like creature now.

Regrets? Nah …. FAR from it.

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I did promise a post on Penang’s famous street foods, didn’t I? I tell you, nothing beats Penang when it comes to street fare. Not even my beloved hometown of Ipoh. Every corner, every junction, and almost on every single row of shoplots on the island, you’re bound to bump into a coffee shop, hawker centre, or at the very least, a make-shift hawker stall under some shady trees.

Kapitan’s Claypot Biryani Chicken (RM7/USD2) – Not exactly a POT, but a single serving of this can net you euphoria, nevertheless!

I do not know where or how to start off with, for the 2 days 1 night ‘Makan’ tour (read : gluttons at work) had us almost clutching our stomach and begging for some form of respite. Only to be duly served with more and more scrumptious food, completely devastating our plans for a much slimmer beginning to the new year.

You MUST try this lovely, warm concoction of ground almond with spices, nuts and fruits and fresh cow’s milk

I was back to Kapitan on Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street) for I just can’t forget the taste of the aromatic, creamy and smooth Badam Milk (or Almond Milk), boiled and served at a stall parked at the side of this Indian-Muslim restaurant. Yeah, a glass full of nourishing and no doubt, fattening (who cares?!) warm fresh milk with mild almond flavour, before our meal. Top that!

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Seng Loong = Jackie Chan ?!! You mean he’s doing Char Koay Teow business now? *_*

Ipoh is famous for its street food (or hawker food) more than the restaurants, cafes or bistros. Have your doubts? Stop casting them, and kindly allow me to bring you for a ride around town, for some of the most delicious and cheap street food in Ipoh.

A plate of the most smoky-flavoured, charred and delectably hazardous Char Koay Teow

For one to seek hidden gems in the nooks and corners of Ipoh may take perseverance, guidance, and of course, a belly that’s most vacuumed. Though most of the signature Ipoh delicacies are few and far apart, some even requiring one to travel from one end to another (but rest assured the experience is way, WAY less stressful than food-hunting amidst the traffic in Klang Valley!), there are a few places that serve an amazing array of hawker food, and some commendable ones to boot.

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