PETALING JAYA, April 1 — On some days, it’s nice to just snack on small, simple bites. Nothing fancy.
This stall run by the friendly Alice Yong Chan Fong is often my go-to for just that kind of food: tiny steamed rice puddings or woon chai koh, rice dumplings or bak chang, tong sui and the list goes on.
So much love and hard work goes into her snacks and desserts, making it a pleasure to eat everything.
A native of Singapore, Alice started this food stall after her retirement from her beauty salon business when she turned 58.
She had started her hairdressing career from age 13! She relocated to Malaysia after her marriage to a local man. A keen self-taught cook, she decided to open this place back in 2005, since it’s near her home.
From as early as 5am, work starts at the stall. Most of the items are prepared from scratch by her. Occasionally, she gets help from a worker.
Her woon chai koh are a nod towards her Singapore heritage; these are served in tinier portions. Soft textures and not overly salty preserved radish toppings make them a satisfying snack.
Alice will grind the rice herself to make the steamed rice puddings. Much work also goes into stir frying the preserved radish for about three hours until it’s dry and fragrant.
For those who prefer a spicier kick, ask for her homemade sambal on the side.
If you’re hankering for rice dumplings or bak chang, try this stall’s version. Despite being of Hakka heritage, Alice prefers to make the plainer white Cantonese version since they are more widely accepted by others.
Each rice dumpling is not overly oily and filled with ingredients such as salted egg yolk, shiitake mushroom, chestnut, a chunk of pork belly, dried prawns and beans.
There are three variations; a plain version while the other two include the addition of green beans or black eyed beans.
On a daily basis, Alice will wrap around 60 dumplings for sale. They are incredibly popular with her regulars who will often buy back a few to eat at home.
Other savoury offerings include a steamed yam cake and a simple fried bee hoon. Alice also makes her interpretation of a Teluk Anson-style chee cheong fun, wrapping the thin steamed rice flour layers with shredded yam bean.
Accompany your small bites with a bowl of tong sui from Alice’s extensive selection. You will find that her sweet desserts are not tooth achingly sweet, making each spoonful less sinful but perfect for allaying your sweet cravings.
Choices range from the comforting fu chok yee mai, red bean dessert, black glutinous rice and so forth. You also have modern-day desserts like the Thai red rubies in coconut milk served with water chestnuts.
Occasionally, she’ll make her own glutinous rice balls or tong yuen served with tiny, fragrant osmanthus flowers.
Our absolute favourite is her version of bubur cha cha, generously filled with an assortment of steamed orange sweet potatoes, Thai tapioca, yam and bright pink sago.
It’s a pleasure to tuck into this dessert since everything has a fluffy, soft texture. Give it a try.... and you will definitely return for more!
Stall No. 12
Medan Selera
Jalan 17/1A
Section 17
Petaling Jaya
Open: 6am to 3pm
Closed on Sunday
