PETALING JAYA, Sept 18 — — It’s getting harder and harder to find good pork noodles in Petaling Jaya.
Maybe it’s due to the increasing price of ingredients but most stalls serve bowls laden with MSG, leaving you thirsty after the meal.
This stall in a house known as Mui Jie Pork Noodle is the exception.
Formerly from JJ Budget Restaurant, their present location is conveniently located opposite the Kampung Cempaka wet market.
Being next to the market means the ingredients are ultra fresh.
Since they’re in the heart of a village, it exudes a cosy neighbourhood vibe.
The food is simple yet exudes restorative powers. As I slowly ate my way through the menu over several visits, I truly appreciated how it reminded me of home-cooked food.
Offal lovers will be happy to see their pork noodles laden with all those forbidden goodies, like kidney, liver and intestines.
Rejoice as here, they take the extra trouble to stuff the intestines, where one can see those beautiful layers. This multi-layered treasure tends to have a softer bite, as the layers aren’t packed so firmly inside.
While the kidney and liver isn’t sliced thickly, I liked how it is cooked to a softness I enjoy.
The broth isn’t the super sweet type. Instead, it’s got a clean pork flavour in every spoonful. Combined with all the ingredients and the noodles, it makes a very satisfying bowl that I often end up drinking everything.
The pork noodles are RM10 for a small portion or RM11 for a large one. My version with pig’s kidney was RM12.20.
If you’re not a fan of offal, you can opt for the other version with minced pork, sliced pork, pork ball and fish ball.
The pork ball may be tinier in size than at other places but it is big in flavour. Expect to get dried cuttlefish flavour with each bite.
This version is RM8 for the small, RM9 for the bigger portion.
Most times, bitter gourd pork noodles (RM9 for small, RM10 for large) tend to have the same tasting broth like pork noodles. A dash of Shao Xing rice wine changes the broth’s profile, making it very drinkable. Even my friend’s mother liked it.
You will also find the bitter gourd is cooked thoroughly and yes, most importantly it doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste.
Tomatoes and soft beancurd cubes are also added to the bowl.
While pork noodles are the star of the show here, most of their other offerings are good too.
Porridge is a good option too, when you want something comforting. It’s laced with sesame oil for extra flavour.
Here, the porridge isn’t stodgy with a glossy sheen of starch surrounding the soft rice grains. You can opt for shredded chicken with century egg or all of the pork goodies found in the noodles.
Greedy me decided to create my ultimate version where I added a portion of century egg (RM2) to that pork combination (RM10 for small, RM11 for large).
This was combined with a poached chicken leg (RM5) too.
After multiple visits, I realised that ingredients are limited. If you arrive later in the morning, you may not get the pig’s kidney.
Even the porridge can finish by 11am too.
If that’s the case, regulars know there’s braised noodles (RM10 for small, RM11 for large) or mun mee. This is only available after 11am.
You see Mui Jie flex her wok skills with these noodles, which are braised in a brown sauce. It’s got prawns, sliced pork with bean sprouts.
It didn’t look like much but I ended up finishing the whole plate. I reckon it’ll taste better when you pack it home as all those flavours would be absorbed by the noodles.
The only pain you may feel here is looking for a place to park. It may take you a few rounds to score a space but it’s worth it if you’re a fan of this type of food.
Mui Jie Pork Noodles, 493, Jalan PJU 1/6, PJU 1, Kampung Cempaka, Petaling Jaya. Open: 7am to 2pm. Closed on Monday. Facebook:@mei.jie.jin.bao.zhu.rou.fen.ji.di.fen
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
