SUBANG JAYA, April 22 — When a friend told me about Borneo beef noodles... I was curious. So one morning, I made my way to this hidden coffeeshop tucked within USJ 6’s apartment block.
This stall is run by Kota Kinabalu native Pricilla Jude Wang whose beef noodles are based on a family recipe. What sets it apart from our local version is the beef broth which has a milder herbal taste. The incredibly camera-shy woman’s offerings are also pork free, a rarity in a Chinese coffeeshop.
Wang first came to Peninsular Malaysia more than 15 years ago when she relocated to Seremban. There she raised her family and worked in an accounting cum administration and human resources job.
After her retirement, she and her husband moved to Subang Jaya. The relocation about two years ago was because her husband took up a job in Puchong. Bored with life as a retiree, she decided to start her own little F&B venture.
After looking around at various spots, she decided to open at this coffeeshop in February this year. She chose this place as it was cleaner compared to others, as it was renovated about a year ago.
Her pick for her first F&B foray was beef noodles, just to be different from others. What she noticed was most coffeeshops would serve chicken rice or pork noodles but beef noodles was often missing from the selections.
Balancing out the beef offerings, she also offers Hakka lui cha. It’s a completely vegetarian version minus any onions or garlic. The recipe was taught to her by a woman who ran a vegetarian stall where Wang used to help out.
As a newbie to the F&B world, she’s enthusiastic about meeting people and her offerings have won over the Subang residents.
Before she decided to start her business, she experimented with the family recipe for beef noodles, until it got her whole family’s approval. The broth is boiled for six hours, using beef bones.
“It’s all original. No Aji and only salt,” said Wang. She also uses spices such as black cardamoms, star anise, cinnamon, onions and ginger to stew her beef brisket and tendons, till they are soft.
A bowl of beef noodles with the wholesome broth is perfect for a rainy day or whenever, really. We especially like her beef balls, made by Wang herself, with its firm, bouncy texture.
Our top pick is the dry noodles (a choice of your noodle preference) tossed in dark soy sauce and crowned with minced beef, served with tender beef brisket.
It’s the simplest, most unassuming dish but one that I find comfort in.
There’s a homespun air about her minced beef topping that hides fragrant, well fried finely chopped garlic. She also adds oyster sauce, fish sauce, pepper and sugar to create a tasty topping. Pair it with the fork tender beef brisket and tendon, for a very satisfying meal. If you prefer rice, you can accompany your beef brisket with a plate of it.
The beef brisket recipe is one that Wang picked up from the Internet, tweaking it until she was satisfied with the results. She’ll braise the beef brisket with spring onions, ginger and five spice powder, until it’s nice and tender.
If you love chilli that will explode your head, dip the beef in Wang’s homemade chilli sauce. It’s pungent from a mix of cili boh and garlic, laced with calamansi lime juice to give it an extra zing.
Another attraction at her stall is the Hakka lui cha. Customers tell us they like the broth that is served with it since it has tea leaves, which is usually not found at other spots.The green broth is made from a blended paste of ingredients like mint, basil and tea leaves. Her lui cha has six different varieties of vegetables: kai choy or mustard greens, spinach, long beans, sweet potato leaves, coriander and cabbage.
She also tops each bowl with toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and choy poh or preserved radish. The healthy, wholesome dish is popular with the ladies who often order it during lunchtime.
Borneo Beef Noodles Stall
Restoran NSV USJ 6, P0-3/0-4, Subang Verdana, Goodyear Court, No.2, Jalan USJ6/1, Subang JayaOpen: 7am to 2pm
Closed alternate Mondays
