KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — We all know about oh chien or oyster omelette, but ever heard of the lala and prawn variety? One stall in Selayang has been frying up their signature omelette with the shucked molluscs and shelled small prawns for about 20 years now.

Located within the Medan Selera at Taman Selayang Jaya, it’s hard to spot the nondescript stall with a blue wooden plank covering half of its entrance. If you read Chinese, there’s a simple poster on the plank which serves as the menu; a choice of fried rice or the freshly fried omelette. What you can hear though is the continuous clanging of the metal spatula against the wok. That’s because behind that wooden exterior, you will find the couple, Yow Cheong Hong, 50, and Lee Teck Sin, 47, busy frying up the food.

Lee Teck Sin fries up an egg for the fried rice.

Formerly a chef at a seafood restaurant in Kuala Lumpur for 30 years, Yow is a whiz at the wok. Assisting him in the incredibly tedious and hot work is Lee who picked up her wok skills from her husband.

Originally the stall sold Teochew-style fish porridge where cooked rice is mixed with a broth made from pork and fish bones and topped with fresh fish slices. That kind of Teochew comfort food is a popular choice for the Teochew residents who live around the Selayang area. However they switched to selling fried rice, as it gained favour with the residents who would often order it.

The lala chien uses beaten egg and potato starch.

Deciding that it was best to stick to what’s popular, they ditched the porridge and just concentrated on fried rice. The lala and prawn chien is a staple since the old days. Rather than just serve oysters as it is commonly available and nothing special, Lee decided to go for an unusual offering.

A must for the fried rice with prawns and lala is the Kampung Koh garlic chilli sauce.

It’s just a simple plate of fried rice but most importantly it’s well fried with wok hei and separate rice grains that are not too mushy or overcooked. There’s also bits of fried egg and chopped spring onions mixed within the grains. You can order it with lala, prawns or both items. Contrary to the myth that claims the best fried rice must be made from overnight rice, Lee tells us it’s all in the skill of cooking the rice. She prefers to use freshly cooked rice for their signature dish as it can last longer. Should you use overnight cooked rice, there is a possibility it will go bad later in the night.

Most of the preparation work is done ahead as the orders need to be fulfilled as fast as possible. Some of the ingredients are prepped ahead and fried, if they have the time. Even the rice is partially fried with a beaten egg. Once an order is placed, it’s Lee’s turn to fry the assembled ingredients together before it’s served to their customers. Most of their orders are take-aways and some regulars even call ahead to order.

Yow Cheong Hong picked up his wok skills from working as a chef in a Chinese seafood restaurant.

One must-have for their customers is the legendary fragrant Kampung Koh garlic chilli sauce that complements their fried rice.

Their omelette is also prepared differently, as it’s got a more toasted surface and a chewier texture that pulls apart when you eat it. The beaten eggs are first cooked with the potato starch and cut into large pieces with the spatula. Once an order comes in, they toss back the egg pieces into the piping hot wok and fry them up again with the ingredients, whether it’s the shucked lala or prawns.

Look for this hidden stall with Chinese wordings at the Medan Selera.

Even the prawns are prepared ahead, shelled and stir fried already. The omelette is pressed on the wok to form a circle so it gets a nice toasted exterior. Rather than use a hot plate like they do at most oh chien stalls or fry the omelette all scrambled up, they prefer to use the wok to make a circular shape.

Despite their 20 years behind the hot wok, unfortunately there won’t be any second generation taking over the couple’s business as their three children are not interested in cooking. Lee is also reluctant to let the children take up the back-breaking work.

Lot 30, Medan Selera Taman Selayang Jaya, Jalan SJ4, Selayang. Batu Caves. Open: 11.30am to 4pm. Closed on Monday. Prices start from RM6.50 for a small plate of fried rice, lala chien (small) is RM6 and the prawn chien (small) is RM6.50