The early bird catches the... chee cheong fun

PETALING JAYA, Oct 28 — Every morning, people drop by Hai Keng Restaurant at PJ’s Section 14 to get their chee cheong fun fix.

You’ve got to be incredibly early as limited quantities are made for these steamed rice rolls. This stall was started back in 1968 by Lai Yew Kong. Recently, his son Kok Tho took over the business.

There’s no big signboard at Hai Keng Restaurant but everyone flocks here for the chee cheong fun.

Why the fuss? Unlike other places that use machines to manufacture the rice rolls, the chee cheong fun here is made by hand. Every day.

Don’t expect perfectly shaped rolls. It’s also 100 per cent made from ground rice flour. Others tend to mix in tapioca or corn flour, since this makes it last longer.

The texture is also softer for these pure rice-made rolls. This means, you eat these soft rolls plain with pickled green chillies, a dash of oil and sesame seeds.

Lai Kok Tho’s aunt helps out at the stall at Hai Keng Restaurant to pack and serve the chee cheong fun.

Without its sauce, you taste the strong fragrance of rice, with each bite. If you prefer, they do offer brown sauce made from soybean paste. They also offer a mild chilli sauce, for a slightly spicy kick.

This stall traces its legacy to the iconic Madras Lane chee cheong fun stall. Hidden within the confines of the market in Chinatown, that stall was started by Yew Kong’s uncle.

The recipe for the steamed rice rolls is said to be that of Yew Kong’s mother. You will find similarities in the taste of their chee cheong fun.

At Decades Cafe, you can mix various types of chee cheong fun like this one with traditional style and another with a stewed yambean filling (left). For something unusual, sample a plate of Decades Cafe’s charcoal chee cheong fun with this experimental sambal sauce made with chillies, dried prawns and tomatoes (right).

The only difference is the Madras Lane stall serves theirs with a mellow reddish sauce as they use the red powder colouring. Later, Yew Kong omitted the colouring from his sauce as a customer who is a doctor told him it’s not healthy to consume colouring.

If you miss that small window of opportunity to score your chee cheong fun, you can head to Decades Cafe in Happy Garden. Opened in August this year by Li Jin Lai, Yew Kong’s eldest daughter, the cafe allows her to carry on her father’s legacy.

Aside from the traditional version, you will also find an array of unusual chee cheong fun dishes. Together with her mother who has a few recipes up her sleeves from making chee cheong fun throughout the years, you will find some interesting dishes here.

The jet black steamed rice rolls have a slightly firmer texture but it is delicious with an unusual sambal concocted by Li Jin with tomatoes, dried prawns and chillies.

Fried chee cheong fun is a new addition at Decades Cafe, as inspired by fried radish cake usually served at dim sum restaurants.

You also have chee cheong fun wrapped with stewed yam bean. curry chee cheong fun and fried chee cheong fun inspired by the fried radish cake. The place also serves their own made tong sui and some dim sum items.

Chee Cheong Fun Stall
Hai Keng Restaurant
22, Jalan 14/20
Section 14
Petaling Jaya
Open: 7am to 8am (or until chee cheong fun runs out)
Closed on Monday

Decades Cafe
No. 73, Jalan Rukun 4
Happy Garden
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 011-56954731
Open: 7.30am to 3.30pm
Closed on Tuesday
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Decades-Cafe-一甲子食苑-2218112415125760/