KLANG, Sept 3 — My friend and colleague Keertan, who has the biggest collection of colourful shirts in the office, recently graduated with a Master of Public Policy degree.
It was a moment of celebration not just for him, but for me too, as it had been the main thing putting off our long-overdue makan appointment.
It was one that I was determined to make him keep, as he’s the only person I know willing to make the 30-plus minute trip to Klang on a weekday for lunch with me.
Which is why, on a recent Monday, we found ourselves at Swee Xiang Restaurant in Taman Klang Utama, staring down a plate of braised pig’s trotter, stomach and intestines in all their messy glory.
I hadn’t told Keertan what we were going to eat; this being Klang, he naturally assumed we’d be having bak kut teh, which Swee Xiang does serve. But I was following a tip that told me to come for the hong bak instead.
If you’ve only heard of hong bak in a Penang context, especially the Peranakan variant where tau cheo (fermented soybean paste) and sand ginger are the main flavour components, this will seem quite alien.
Hong bak is simply Hokkien – and most Peranakan Chinese in Penang are Hokkien – for braised meat.
In this context, it’s also a braised pork dish, but one that uses every part of the pig, especially the gelatinous bits and bobs, in a thick, sticky sauce heavy with soy sauce and warm spices like cinnamon and star anise.
Go to the right place, and you can get it with chewy alkaline rice cakes, or kee ya kuih, another traditional Hokkien speciality.
Rather than the intoxicating, medicinal aroma of bak kut teh, it’s the smell of hong bak that greets you at Swee Xiang.
Sure, some tables might have bak kut teh. But nearly every table here will have some form of hong bak. The standard portion of braised trotter (RM84) serves four and comes with pig tendons, intestines, stomach, chicken feet and hard boiled eggs; our thoughtful server, though, fixed us with a two-person serving (RM36) instead, tendons not included, so we ordered a separate portion of those (RM20).
To this, we added the faithful accompaniment of alkaline kuih (RM3), as well as long bean rice (RM2), one of two kiam peng (Hokkien savoury rice) options available on odd days of the week. Mustard green rice (RM2) is available on even days.
Keertan was well and truly outside his comfort zone, and it showed on his face when the hulking plate of trotter arrived, glistening from the sauce and jiggling under its own weight.
Press a spoon onto the meat and it resists a light level of pressure before giving way like a hot knife through butter.
The sauce, which coats the alkaline kuih like maple syrup on pancakes, is so full of fat and gelatin that a thin film, or “skin” begins to form on the surface if it’s left to sit even for a while.
I began describing the pieces of offal to Keertan; he replied that it might be better if he didn’t know what he was eating.
The stomach is inoffensive enough, with a satisfying snap, but the intestines were a tad chewy for him.
I enjoyed them just fine, although I concur that their wrinkled appearance doesn’t help their case.
Chicken feet were a step too far, however; the sticky, rubbery texture of the skin didn’t appeal to him, and I’m sure my juvenile toe-sucking innuendos helped matters greatly.
But the surprise for both of us was how much he enjoyed the tendons: soft and almost luscious without completely falling apart, braised into tender, melting submission.
“Wow, I would never have tried these if you had told me what they were,” he said, “but now I’m really liking them.”
The long bean rice was a dependable filler, and just to cover all bases, the fried meatball (RM15) is a crowd-pleaser that anyone and everyone is bound to enjoy: crisp exterior, juicy, crunchy pork mince interior studded with water chestnut and carrots for sweetness.
We spent the rest of the time having multiple rounds of tea; he told me about his experiences moving into his first home, and I replied the only way I know how, with stories from college, when my life peaked.
All that was left to do was reflect on that while staving off the post-lunch temptation to doze off during the 30-minute drive back.
Swee Xiang Restaurant
7, 9, Lintang Sungai Keramat 10A/KU6,
Taman Klang Utama,
Klang, Selangor.
Open daily, 7am-3pm. Open till 8pm from Friday to Sunday.
Tel: 016-684 9811
Facebook: Restoran Swee Xiang
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more hong bak adventures.
