Ch'ar kuay tiau
.
THE FIRST
THING outstation people think of when they come
to Penang is ch'ar kuay tiau.
The traditional i.e. genuine stuff is to be
found at Lau Hio Hnui
(Kampong Sireh, Lengkok Burma) where the stall is
located among others catering for office
workers. The kuay tiau is fried slowly over
a charcoal fire fanned by the man's wife. The oil used is first
class and not too much diluted by vegetable oil. One thing
that I did not like was the Cantonese intrusion, little pieces
of lap ch'eong. But the absence of burnt specks
of kuay tiau was a delight. Duck eggs, a traditional
must, are available, though supplies from Thailand are uncertain
owing to a suspicion of bird flu. Demerit points: absence
of pork crackers.
There
is another favourite stall of mine at Carnarvon Street:
"Lau Hor Ch'ar Koay Tiau." It was started by
grandfather Lau Hor (Tiger) and is the best of the
"blow torch" fire breed. The fierce fire is kept strictly
under control and the cook (grandson fries whenever the son
is away) is not compelled to use frequent doses of water to
prevent a disaster. Here the vegetable oil does not dominate
and the taste is, therefore, not ruined. Duck eggs are available.
Demerits: absence of koo ch'ai and pork crackers.
lor bar
Next to Lau Hor is a lor bar stall
which is reasonably good. It is the only hawker of its
kind to offer the traditional preserved ch'ai
t'au (lopak).
ch n'air hoo
And vegetarians will be pleased
to know that Dato Kramat football field is the place
where you get the best chn'air
hoo, the Penang version of Mama passambul. It
was a joy just to watch the man at work. The speed of his cutting
and chopping was breathtaking. He's not there any more but
his successors have maintained quality. But notice the vegetable
part is much reduced. This is probably because of the increase in
the price of cucumbers and other veges that makes up the
dish. But that is no reason for upsetting the balance in the mix.
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While
still at Dato Keramat try the yong tau foo. It's still good.
Wandering about in Pulau Tikus is a stall on wheels which
serves Mama passambul with almost the original
taste.
curry mee.
Two stalls sell curry mee at the night
stalls at the Pulau Tikus market. They
are not too bad, being not too lemak for my taste. I am not too fond of
the lemak
type which came into fashion after
the 50's owing to the Thai influence
and the demands of Singapore tourists.
Both stalls serve
the required tau pok and blood. This dish
is also to be found at the Public Cafe along North Beach,
lunch time. The cook produces a mixture
with an Ipoh flavour, which is very welcome to those who
want a change. An added attraction here is that
lor bar and rojak are available
for those with larger appetites. If you try the dish elsewhere, make
sure that it does not have a powdery taste, - the tell tale sign
that curry powder is used. And make sure you get the right
mee, the soft Hokkien mee and not the
hard Cantonese variety. Those from KL, who are prone to distorting
Penangese and call this dish curry laksa,
please remember to ask for "curry mee" to save
embarrassment.
If
you are in Kuching,
Sarawak, you must not miss their curry mee which they call
curry laksa. It has a character all its own and is superb.
goo bar kuay tiau
Those
who love beef soup and despaired at the disappearance
of favourites at the Victoria Street bus stop and
at Acheen Street need worry no more. They will find that
the stall opposite the Bomba at Beach Street provides
excellent goo bar kuay tiau; in fact, the
meat is better cooked. The coffee shop which houses this stall
is unique because those who run it are English educated, a very
rare phenomenon.
There is a stall at Perak Road which also cooks well, near the
Francis Light School
Hokkien mee
When Penangites
say Hokkien Mee
they mean Hair
Mee (prawn mee). Elsewhere Hokkein Mee identifies the
fried variety , which is perversely called here, Hokkien Ch'ar. Hokkien Mee
could either mean prawn mee or bar koot mee. We have never
been good at
hair mee but our
bar
koot mee is excellent . Try the stall at
Hong Kong Street.
lark sar
.
And
if you are crazy about lark sar (laksa)
you will find an excellent version next to a ch'ar koay tiau stall along Burmah
Rod, opposite Bangkok Lane. After your first
bowl, try the lemak version and, for a third
cup, have the two versions mixed. You will love it.
bair t'ay
sor
The Penang-made biscuits deserve their popularity
because they are excellent but if you pass through Ipoh try the
Gunong Rapat variety and tell me what you think.
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see
kak pniar
Those who are nostalgic
about this type of biscuit should go to SImpang Ampat
where they make very crunchy "simply melts in your mouth"
biscuits.
tau
foo far
There are two stalls which
use black sugar. One is along North Beach
after 4 p.m. and the other is itinerant and to be
found at odd hours along Pulau Tikus, near the Malayan
Banking office.
iu char koay
Excellent iu char
koay will be found near the Pulau Tikus market
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those who wake up late
will get the same at most afternoons at the Batu Lanchang
market, and
at Leandros Lane.
Restaurants
and coffee shops
Thai
"Prontip" along Peel Avenue offers genuine Thai
cooking at reasonable prices. Its kensom
will blow your head off.
Mama rice
Nowadays impertinently called by the KL imported name
of nasi kandar. My view is that Mama ("Uncle") is a respectful
and historical form of address used by the Baba and should
continue to be used.
It
is difficult to find the genuine stuff because of
the Mama habit of going back to India without teaching
anybody their cooking secrets. But there is a place at
Kong Bee Lee Coffee Shop opposite Bangkok Lane with flavours
nearest to the original. The present owner inherited the
business from his father and continues the tradition. The stall at
Batu Lanchang market also serves food which has the flavour and taste
of the original.
It is no
use looking for mama fried mee or mee rebus.
The secrets have not been passed on and those visiting
nowadays will have to be disappointed. The nearest to
the original flavours is the stall at Armenian Street which has
a hint of past glories but the high price of sotong restrains
the essential flavours. But the man knows how to fry his mee, not
too dry and burnt.
Afternoons
Batu Lanchang makan place, next to the market,
a market that operates in the afternoons, is an excellent place
to visit if you sleep late. The iu char kuay, ch'ar
kaoy tiau (RM2.20 plain, 2.70 with egg and 3.00
with duck egg - how prices have doubled the last ten years!). chn'air
hoo (Chinese passambul) and po pnia should
please you. But be warned. Typically this place has no public facilities.
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You will have to go to the back
of market next door which is awash with water and stinks.
You will also catch one or two sarong clad serfs of the money pinching
stall holder washing his slaughtered chicken in the wash basin -
the water is free, you see.
Along Jalan Bawasa, in the afternoon, excellent po pnia chnee
is to be had with the right chilly sauce. And the nyonya cakes are
a delight.
Night time
New Lane
is about the best place at night for hawkers' food.
The variety is very wide. It is here that you will
find heng jin tair done the Hokkien way without
the flavour that the Cantonese like. If you are a vegetarian
your needs will be met by 6 or even 8 different dishes
At North
Beach the Song River Cafe has very
good jiu hoo eng ch'ai and chicken wings. And
if you can wait long enough the grilled prawns that
come about 10 pm are a delight.
The night
stalls at the Pulau Tikus market are second to
those at New Lane and also have a variety to offer.
Their present site is a disgrace. #
Chief cook Ah Boon Ko
North Beach - now called Gurney Drive
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