IPOH, Aug 10 — You know that area in Ipoh where two shops are locked in perpetual battle for the ultimate crown of BEST bean sprouts chicken or nga choi gai?
It’s at the heart of Ipoh city, at the crossroad of Jalan Yau Tet Shin and Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar where Lou Wong and Onn Kee compete for the bean sprouts chicken loving crowd.
Not that it matters to me though as my personal preference is still Cowan Street Restaurant’s slightly superior version of this Ipoh trademark dish.
But enough about chicken rice. Our focus today is on a Teochew rice stall that’s seated right smack in one corner of the “square circle”, yet it has remained under the radar for a good 30 years now.
Chuan Kee (direct translation from the Chinese name) Economy Rice Stall operates from morning until late lunch at Comeson Restaurant; directly pitting itself against Lou Wong and Onn Kee by sharing the same crossroad of chicken rice fame.
But Chuan Kee has more, way more substance than what appearances show.
Walking past Comeson Restaurant in the afternoon, you might probably wave this off as merely another “chap fan” (economy rice) stall trying to make a living by leveraging on the influx of tourists around the area. Or those turned away by Lou Wong’s incredibly packed lunch hours.
The lacklustre interior of the premises; old blue mosaic tiles lining the floor and a relatively older crowd seated around tucking in into their plateful of “chap fan” and Chinese tea will not appeal to the hipper, younger crowd with their laundry list of Must-Eats.
But if it so happens that you’re a local or an oldie (like yours truly), or even a more adventurous foodie who would like to break away from the generic crowd Instagramming the same old nga choi gai, kaya puff or salted chicken, Chuan Kee is worth visiting.
The bald, rotund owner could be in his late 60s, or maybe early 70s. He’s a Teochew, presumably since Mum used to speak in Teochew dialect with him all the time and kept raving about his masterful renditions of good old Teochew classics that go exceptionally well with porridge.
Now where to start?
Typically, like any other “chap fan” stall, the array of dishes is mind-boggling. Imagine a buffet spread, but you pay according to the dishes that you want.
And the jovial owner (we call him Ah Jik; a nick given by Mum as according to her, everyone calls an uncle that in Teochew) would be there with his helpers scooping the dishes for the eager lunch crowd which sometimes arrive in droves during peak hours.
His eyesight has deteriorated over the years, to which he sheepishly admitted that he can no longer see the customers clearly at times. Let alone recognize them.
But he knows them by heart I figure, since Mum has been a constant patron of his stall and he immediately smiled upon hearing her greetings.
A traditional Teochew rice or porridge stall should have the basics; salted egg, deep fried fish or steamed pomfret (or any other fish) Teochew style, lots of braised dishes especially with pork, and my absolute favourite; salted fish pork patties; coated with crumbs and deep fried to perfection.
At Chuan Kee, he has them all, and then some.
For example, on certain days (sorry my memory fails me), he would serve sweet and spicy crabs (!) as part of his repertoire.
Then, on other days there would be the extremely delicious vinegar pork trotters, a dish that’s tricky to master owing to various variables; the quality of the black vinegar used, the hours spent laboriously watching the fire and the premium cuts of pork trotters that go into the pot.
But let me reiterate again; the salted fish pork patties are a definite MUST-try if you so happen to chance upon them. Yes, only on certain days again. Thursday’s one of them, if I remember correctly.
Very tender pork patties mixed with mashed, almost disintegrated salted fish then coated in a batter and deep fried. The pungent yet addictive aroma of the patties wafts through the air if you so happen to buy some back, keep them frozen and fry them again the next morning.
Yes, you can do that like how Mum frequently purchase them by the dozen for the week’s meals!
Ah Jik (let’s call him that while I find out about his real name) sources his seafood from Pangkor Island, hence the freshness is guaranteed. Should he not have the day’s freshest catch, then he cooks up other dishes instead.
Try his steamed Teochew fish and spicy stir fried La La, and you will understand.
Remember, a run-of-the-mill economy rice stall may NOT be what it seems. To have survived and thrived for more than three decades, Chuan Kee Economy Rice Stall has proven that it can still stand tall among the giants of Ipoh’s chicken rice war.
Chuan Kee Economy Rice Stall opens from 11am onwards, at Comeson Restaurant along Jalan Yau Tet Shin in Ipoh. Earlier in the morning, you should try the the stall next to Chuan Kee that serves one of the best wanton mee in Ipoh.
James Tan loves good food and blogs at Motormouth From Ipoh (www.j2kfm.com)
