vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Posts tagged Hawker Food
Chinese Pancake (Apom Pisang & Raisins) @ Sim Kim San Coffee Shop, Rangoon Road
May 25th
Chinese Pancake is not a commonly available hawker food in Penang so you really got to know exactly where to find it. A popular stall, which is my mom’s favorite used to operate along Beach Street. It was so good she would travel all the way to Penang from Sungai Petani just to savour it. Recently she went back to look for it but the stall had mysteriously disappeared. To fulfill her cravings as well as my own curiosity, I did some research and found that the stall has moved to Church Street.
But what do you know? The unexpected happened again. When I went to the coffee shop at Church Street to look for the Chinese Pancake, I was told that the stall had shifted again. This time to Sin Kim San at Rangoon Road.
Luckily my perseverance paid off and I finally found the stall, currently operated by Madam Yeoh who took over from her aunt’s stall at Beach Street (during my mom’s time) years ago. When asked why she shifted to Sin Kim San, her reason was simple: at Sim Kin San she could sell everyday, while the coffee shop at Church Street closes on weekends because they only cater to the banking staff and customers.
If you didn’t know, this unique pancake is actually a Nyonya styled food. The pancake batter consisting of flour, sugar and alkaline water (air abu) is mixed and stirred on the spot for every fresh batch of pancake ordered.
Hello Kitty Leng Chee Kang @ Wai Sek Kai, Chai Leng Park
May 23rd
The Wai Sek Kai (food street) at Chai Leng Park should not be a stranger to the people residing on Seberang Perai area. No doubt you can find many different foods here when the place comes alive starting from 6pm onwards. But to most of the visitors it doesn’t matter what they eat, a bowl of refreshingly cool Leng Chee Kang 清补凉 is usually a must for dessert.
Among the many stalls, Hello Kitty Leng Chee Kang that has been around for 10 years should be the most popular one. A small bowl costs RM2.50 while RM4 for the big one and they all contain 12 toppings (from top to bottom, left to right) of sea coconut, ginkgo seed, longan, lychee, rambutan, red bean, agar agar (jelly), sago pearls, white fungus, sweet potato cubes, sliced dried persimmons and dried longans. The massive selection of toppings alone should be enough bring a smile to any dessert lover lol.
Crispy Fried Oyster (Oh Chien) @ Lam Ah Coffee Shop, Lebuh Chulia
May 17th
I know that the Fried Oyster (Oh Chien) at the old New World Park coffee shop has always been great. But when I went back recently to savor it the taste was somehow different and not as good as I remembered.
After visiting Lam Ah Coffee Shop today to try a recommended Fried Oyster only I knew the reason for the deteriorated taste: the original Fried Oyster cook at New World Park, Mr. Gan has relocated to Lam Ah 2 years go after the opening of New World Park food court due to increased rent and diminishing customers.
He revealed that his Fried Oyster is done according to Thai style – dry and crispy by default. If you like the local style more, which is more moist and starchy, he also prepares it. Just let him know when you are ordering. The smallest portion starts at RM5 then followed by RM8 and RM10.
Only local oysters are used for his fried oysters, they are smaller in size but certainly big on taste. The oysters, ordered from a supplier to ensure daily availability is retrieved every morning to ensure the freshness. Because they are so fresh, they can be even eaten raw!
55 Years Old Chee Cheong Fun @ Seow Fong Lye Cafe, Macalister Lane
May 11th
Besides the peanut butter Chee Cheong Fun at Island Glades, another one not only famous in Penang and throughout Malaysia but even in the overseas is the pushcart Chee Cheong Fun stall outside Seow Fong Lye Cafe at Macalister Lane.
Started since 1955, it has a history of more than half a century with customers coming to take away from as far as Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Like many other successful business owners, the husband and wife team of this Chee Cheong Fun stall had a humble beginning. Their recipe of success is continuous improvisation of their rice rolls and prawn paste through customer feedbacks.
Contrary to popular beliefs that their silky rice rolls (‘fun’) are self-made, they are in fact produced by a small factory which also caters to the Chee Cheong Fun sellers island-wide. In order to ensure their rice rolls are able to stand out among the rest, their ingredients are bought and mixed by themselves before being fed into the machine. Because of this, their rice rolls had to be specially produced last. Their unique recipe is also pivotal to the rice rolls’ silky smooth texture, a more translucent appearance and can stay fresh without being refrigerated for up to 24 hours!
A small portion of Chee Cheong Fun (2 rolls) cost RM1.70 while 3 rolls cost RM2.50 and they can be ordered in either ‘opened’ or ‘closed’ form. ‘Closed’ means the rice rolls will be served in its original form – rolled up, firm and intact.
If ordered ‘opened’ the rice rolls would have its ‘opening’ peeled off by hand then loosened into a koay teow like shape, making them easier to coat with the prawn paste. Usually, a mixture of ‘opened’ and ‘closed’ rice rolls would be given. Shown here is the wife, Madam Lim Mei Fong gently opening the rice rolls.
