Motormouth From Ipoh – Asian Food & Travel Blog

Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice @ Yat Yeh Hing Restaurant – Corn fed chickens from Bentong, Pahang, crispy roasted chicken fresh from the oil bath, the crunchy bean sprouts sourced from IPOH (!), and fragrant oiled rice perfumed with the aroma of ginger, garlic and shallot. Oh, and that plate of chili sauce + grated ginger was magnificent.

Barely a few weeks after the last post on chicken rice from Loke Yun Ampang, here’s another onslaught on all senses. And regardless of whether you’re a fan of chicken rice or not, the omnipresence of this quintessentially Hainanese creation cannot be denied.

Let’s not argue over the origin of Hainanese chicken rice. Bear in mind that this combination is based loosely on the famous Wenchang chicken dish from Hainan, China. The Chinese uses free-range chickens fed with coconut and peanut bran; resulting in a slightly more prominent yellow hues on the skin.

Wenchang chicken is usually served without the oiled rice, and with a condiment of chopped ginger and salt. Unlike the Hainanese chicken rice commonly served in Malaysia and Singapore; whereby we prefer chili sauce with a piquant touch from the mashed/grated ginger.

Fat, yellow-skin chicks hanging from the hooks. You can roughly guess which version of their chickens is the more popular choice.

If you’re in PJ, and don’t fancy going to Ampang, or even Solaris Dutamas for Loke Yun’s famous chicken rice, try Kee Kee Bentong Chicken Rice at Yat Yeh Hing Restaurant in SS4; immediately before the Kelana Jaya exit on LDP. Read the rest of this entry »

A classic plate of Penang style Char Kuey Teow; with prawns, cockles, bean sprouts and ku chai (Chinese chives). But bear in mind that this is a ‘halal’ (more to pork-free, but this stall’s parked in a HALAL premise), hence no lard, no waxed sausages (lap cheong).

And if you can recall this recent post on Robert’s Char Kuey Teow in Section 17, you would have known that I can be really, really determined when I am on the prowl for good street food. Blame it on the Ipoh genes or the strong attachment to quality hawker fares from Ipoh/Penang maybe?

Especially when expectations are met with disappointment, over-rated eateries taking precedence due to the overwhelming crowd, stories inflated by media coverage, and people jumping on the bandwagon.

Well, not ALL of Ipoh’s hawker food are of exceptional quality, mind you. But owing to more than two decades of life spent in the tranquil town (some say sleepy, but I beg to differ ….), I just knew where to seek for the above average ones.

Unlike current times; when I’m just like a lost sheep in this juggernaut of a metropolitan; sporting eateries of unfamiliar genres and origins. Let’s cut to the chase; and see how Aunty Gemuk’s (literally translated to Fat Aunt, but that’s not too courteous now, are we?) Char Kuey Teow fares against the likes of Robert’s etc …. Read the rest of this entry »