SHAH ALAM, Jan 21 — It is often said that passion brings out the best in us and Johnny Ch’ng, 42, is a prime example of that.

After having worked in a rojak of jobs — electrician, plumber and line cook — he opened this food stall about 10 years ago.

Keen to settle down when he got married, he took his mother’s prawn mee recipe and perfected it to what’s probably one of the best in town.

The story began about 40 years ago with Johnny’s mother who is from Air Itam. The enterprising woman used to sell economy rice up North but in the 1970s, she decided to relocate here with her husband to look for better prospects.

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Enthusiastic Johnny Ch’ng produces probably one of the best prawn mee in the Klang Valley.
Enthusiastic Johnny Ch’ng produces probably one of the best prawn mee in the Klang Valley.

In the early years, they joined forces with a relative to run a canteen in University of Malaya. Later, they opened up their own coffeeshop in Section 17, PJ.

They started selling economy rice, prawn mee, economy noodles and pork noodles. As it became too expensive to sell their prawn mee, they switched to selling nasi lemak, tong sui or sweet broths.

They have since retired and prefer to just rent out the coffeeshop. Rather than enter the family business, Johnny prefers to run his own stall since the working hours are less compared to running a coffeeshop which can sometimes drag on till 5 or 6pm.

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The kuey teow th’ng may look simple but it’s incredibly satisfying, thanks to the pork broth made by slowly boiling pork bones for 16 hours (left). Traditionally served with sliced duck meat, Johnny prefers to use chicken meat for his version since most people avoid duck meat (right).
The kuey teow th’ng may look simple but it’s incredibly satisfying, thanks to the pork broth made by slowly boiling pork bones for 16 hours (left). Traditionally served with sliced duck meat, Johnny prefers to use chicken meat for his version since most people avoid duck meat (right).

Why the rojak of jobs earlier? Simple. He likes learning new things.

He adds, “It’s practical to DIY my own electrical and water.” Later, he joined a restaurant to become a line cook where he picked up his cooking skills, starting from the junior cook level where he had to learn how to clean fish.

When he decided to go into the hawker business, he chose to revive his mother’s prawn mee. The decision to select this particular dish was driven by the fact that the coffeeshop already had existing stalls selling economy rice and pork noodles.

Nowadays, he does regret selecting it, as he tells us, “I selected the prawn mee but it’s a lot of work and the ingredients are getting more expensive.”

This corner coffeeshop at Bandar Pinggiran Subang houses Johnny’s prawn mee stall and other good eats like Vietnamese food.
This corner coffeeshop at Bandar Pinggiran Subang houses Johnny’s prawn mee stall and other good eats like Vietnamese food.

Look for this prawn mee stall with the friendly Johnny at this corner coffeeshop.
Look for this prawn mee stall with the friendly Johnny at this corner coffeeshop.

It’s the delicious, full-bodied prawn mee that draws discerning diners to his stall hidden in Bandar Pinggiran Subang, at the fringe of Shah Alam and Sungai Buloh.

Previously a place only locals know, it is now better known after HELP University opened their Subang 2 campus back in 2016.

Behind each bowl of prawn mee lies a ton of work to ensure each spoonful is delicious down to the last drop. As the right ingredients are important in order to achieve that taste, Johnny insists only on using sea prawns to make his broth.

Previously, his mother would use a mix of prawns that included the commercially grown crustaceans.

The stall only uses sea prawns as they are full of flavour and free from any preservatives.
The stall only uses sea prawns as they are full of flavour and free from any preservatives.

He explained that he’s not keen to use those type of mixed prawns as sometimes you cannot predict their quality and cleanliness. The fussy cook prefers to remove the shells himself, to ensure there are no funky smells.

Occasionally, Johnny has extra sea prawns that he’ll use to top his noodles for customers
Occasionally, Johnny has extra sea prawns that he’ll use to top his noodles for customers

By using an abundance of bigger-sized sea prawns (about 20 kilograms a day!), it gives his broth an incredible umami flavour.

Rather than fry the prawn shells like in most recipes, he blends the prawn shells and boils it with water to create an intense flavour. Occasionally, depending on supplies, he adds flower crabs which imparts a natural sweetness and fragrance to the broth. He also insists on using the pricier big pork bones to brew his broth.

Each bowl of prawn mee is usually topped with de-shelled prawns. Occasionally, if it’s your lucky day, he’ll throw in bigger sea prawns as an extra free topping, depending on his supplies.

Using the same broth for the kuey teow th’ng, this loh mee has a lovely, thick consistency for their gravy enhanced with a dollop of chopped garlic mixed with vinegar.
Using the same broth for the kuey teow th’ng, this loh mee has a lovely, thick consistency for their gravy enhanced with a dollop of chopped garlic mixed with vinegar.

It’s well worth it since these prawns have a lovely, crunchy taste. Accompanying his noodles is his homemade sambal, a dark red almost maroon concoction made from dry chillies, garlic and shallots that is slowly cooked for about two hours.

Mix it with the prawn broth and shallot crisps. Also look for his braised pork ribs as they’re incredibly tender and delicious.

Johnny also serves loh mee, the usual companion for prawn mee. “It’s one set, if you have prawn mee, you must have loh mee,” he said. What makes his version incredibly addictive is the consistency of the smooth gravy, which is just the right texture — not too thick or watery.

Johnny insists on cleaning and removing the shells of the sea prawns himself as he is worried that those pre-shucked prawns are not fresh and cleaned properly (left). Johnny uses a flatter type of noodles for his loh mee (right).
Johnny insists on cleaning and removing the shells of the sea prawns himself as he is worried that those pre-shucked prawns are not fresh and cleaned properly (left). Johnny uses a flatter type of noodles for his loh mee (right).

It’s also packed with flavour since he uses the same broth for his kuey teow th’ng. Mix in a dollop of chopped garlic and vinegar to flavour the dark soy sauce-flavoured gravy with his own made chilli sauce, and dig into the bowl of flat yellow noodles... you will be surprised but you’ll finish it all up, slurping down the last spoonful of the tasty gravy.

Last but not least, there’s the simple, unassuming kuey teow th’ng. Johnny cooks it in the same style as a popular stall in PJ Old Town, he tells us.

In Penang, sliced duck meat is usually served but Johnny feels that chicken is a better choice. “Not many old people like to eat duck,” he explained. He also adds a large stuffed fish ball that he gets from his friend.

​Slurp down the clear pork broth; it is guaranteed to perk up your day, especially when it’s cold and rainy. A lot of time and effort goes into that broth, as it’s slowly simmered using pork bones for a whopping 16 hours!

Come, taste my prawn mee!
Come, taste my prawn mee!

Just before serving, Johnny will add a dollop of fried chopped garlic which intensifies the broth’s flavour.

Once you taste Johnny’s food, you will appreciate all the hard work, effort and passion behind it all since Johnny who is one big foodie insists that all his dishes must be tasty. Believe us, it’s well worth the drive here!

Johnny’s Prawn Mee Stall
Restaurant Wang Keng
1, Jalan Bulan BL U5/BL
Bandar Pinggiran Subang
Shah Alam
Tel: 012-2203647
Open: 8am to 1pm
Closed on Tuesdays
For Chinese New Year, the stall is closed from February 12 to February 24