Mr.Chiam Pisang Goreng & Fritters @ Restoran Yit Sieang, Brickfields

Next time, if you around KL Sentral and feeling hungry, why not hop over to Mr.Chiam’s Fritters stall and help yourself with some delicious pisang goreng, curry puff, kuih bakul and sesame balls. They are all made fresh and most importantly cheap and affordable, something that’s fast becoming rare in KL nowadays.
When I first heard of it I didn’t think of it as a big deal because I thought “how tasty can a simple fried banana be?” Wow, how wrong could I be.

Mr.Chiam’s fritters stall is located in front of Restoran Yit Sieang, which is also directly opposite YMCA at Brickfields. It would be hard to miss this stall, as there is always a bee-line of customers.

The stall is always manned by two people – Mr.Chiam himself and his son. His son has a funny way of calling his father ‘lou sai’ or ‘si tau’ in Cantonese, which means boss. Fair enough considering they’re in a business lol. Anyway, this young chap is very friendly and is always spotted with a smile on his face. The tasty and cheap fritters aside, that’s another reason I like to patronize them.

Most, if not all of their raw fritters are prepared in a unit at the building behind them. The way the raw fritters are delivered is both unique and efficient too. They communicate with the people inside the unit using an intercom, usually when a particular fritter is out. Upon order the raw fritters would be prepped and delivered in a basket that hangs over the unit’s window.

Different fritters have different methods of frying. The kuih bakul arrives in the form of sandwich (‘nian gao’ between sweet potato or yam slices) and has to be dipped into the batter and fried individually.

Banana fritters and sesame balls (crushed peanuts filling) are to be dropped into the wok as quickly as possible and stirred evenly, while curry puffs are lined up in circles on a rack then submerged into the hot oil to keep them in shape as well as not to break the crispy puffs.

The batter debris formed from all the deep frying needs to sieved periodically to ensure the cleanliness of the oil. Oh, if you’re wondering, they use Buruh brand frying oil. And no, they don’t refill the oil by dipping plastic bags of cooking oil directly into the wok. So no need to be worry about the plastic factor in your out-of-the-world-crispy pisang goreng.

Raja Pisang sourced from plantations in Pahang is used for the banana fritters. I guess the size and the natural sweetness of Raja Pisang are the main reasons they are selected.

All the fritters are always set aside to drain the excess oil and rest before being handed to customers. That, coupled with the use of fresh, high heat oil ensure the fritters are always crispy and still enjoyable after hours.

For only 80 cents a piece, they are perfect for a quick afternoon snack. I especially love the kuih bakul for the sweet and gooey glutinous rice cake in the center. Although a very common snack that can be even prepared at home, it takes skills and the right batter recipe for a crispy outer layer.

Business hours, prices and their contact number are clearly displayed at the stall. For those who are still unaware of this pisang goreng/fried fritters stall, do give it a try. For a fritter stall that is supposingly famous for their banana fritters, it’s kinda ironic that I am not showing any of it lol.
Well that’s because I only managed to catch them preparing kuih bakul and sesame balls before it started to rain. I did try their awesome banana fritters before and got hooked to them instantly. And I am pretty much sure you will too. Special thanks to my dear SL for letting me know about this stall.

Leave a comment: