TELUK INTAN, Dec 13 — When I first moved from Teluk Intan to Kuala Lumpur, one of the hardest things to get used to was the food. Needless to say, each time I made a trip home, it inevitably ended up being a food fiesta of my favourite eats. The good thing about small towns is as development creeps in slowly and changes are gradual, many long-time hawker stalls and street food vendors have managed to keep their businesses brisk all these years, with the original proprietors still running the show.
That also means that the food has remained largely consistent, with flavours that are comfortingly familiar and while prices have caught up with the times, they are very affordable compared to the city. The only thing you can’t rely on are the opening days; as they are small family-run outfits, rest days can be erratic so it is often a matter of luck to catch them in operation. Think of it as hometown charm, complementing its unhurried pace, where traffic jams only happen on long weekends and during festival seasons when everyone balik kampung, and it typically takes no more than five to 10 minutes to get from any one point to the next. On a recent trip home, I managed to grab satisfying bites and a taste of nostalgia at these six spots, all of which have been around for several decades.
Market stalls
Between the old town market and the Pasar Besar Teluk Intan is a short strip that used to teem with food stalls parked under big colourful umbrellas selling a wide spread of breakfast goodies. The road would be closed to vehicular traffic in the mornings. Gentrification has moved the stalls into two neat rows of cement platforms with properly constructed zinc coverings. While some stalls have fallen by the way, many institutional favourites have stayed on and continue to serve their loyal regulars.
My first stop is usually stall no 10, Gerai Makanan Wan Kee, for their glutinous rice — white, yellow (turmeric) or fried — with curries. The must-try is the white rice with prawn curry, tiny pieces of sticky char siew in a glossy red sauce and shredded coconut cooked in brown sugar. The latter is truly the cherry on top, lending a sweet balance to the otherwise spicy-savoury dish. They also sell chee cheong fun, though not from the highly popular Liew Kee but it’s a decent version.
Jalan Maharani
Opens: Most stalls by 7am till sold out; many are closed Monday-Tuesday
Min Loke mee rebus
Students of SRK Convent Teluk Intan will remember this lady proprietor, who used to run the school canteen stall with her in-laws before venturing out on her own. There are just two items on her menu: Mee rebus and assam laksa. The latter is passable, but the former is the bee’s knees for its moreish, thick sweet potato soup and crunchy prawn crackers. A squeeze of fresh lime adds the required tang to give the whole dish an even more appetising lift.
10 Jalan Sithambaram Pillay Opens: 11.30am-4pm daily; closed two days a month
Hup Aik
Mention heong peah (crispy, flaky biscuits filled with molasses) and most people know the ‘Tiger head’ brand, but like char kuay teow to Penangites, every Teluk Intan native has his or her own favourite. Mine is Hup Aik, a third-generation family business that happens to be next door to the famous Sin Joo Heong.
Hup Aik began operations in 1986 at the owner’s home in Pasir Bedamar. He and his wife toiled at their charcoal stoves and would pay neighbourhood kids to sell their biscuits from door to door, sometimes setting up a stall at the market too. They moved to the current premise in 1993 and today, their offerings include tau sar peah, sak khe mah (sweet egg squares), and banana chips. Production is done on-site, between 2.30am-10am as the cooler air then makes the heat from the stoves more bearable.
Doors open around 7am, but if you can’t sleep and feel like buying some piping hot heong peah in the wee hours, you can knock on their doors and they will accommodate. Their heong peah comes packed individually, or in loose pieces — recommended, as they are crispier — and also ‘kosong’ (without filling, for those who like to just munch on the crispy shells and crumbly flakes).
830D Jalan Mak Intan
Opens: By 7am till about 8pm; opens daily including throughout Chinese New Year (the only time they do close is for family events)
Teck Kee
For 30 years, Teck Kee sold their homemade Nyonya kuih from a tricycle parked by the side of Glutton Square before setting up shop a decade ago. And not just any shop; the current second-generation owner’s father started the business, and used to sell right in front of this very unit. Staying connected to their roots, their array of colourful, creamy steamed cakes are still displayed on trays parked atop the tricycle that now sits inside the shop.
The nostalgia extends to the shop’s interior, where rows of classic black and white photographs take centrestage alongside vintage posters, signboards and old-school soda bottles. There are also several cabinets full of antique collectibles, the family’s own collection, that are for sale.
Their pulut panggang is an easy favourite — soft glutinous rice holding a fragrant mix of shredded coconut, chillies, turmeric, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves wrapped in banana leaf and grilled to impart a smoky flavour. On the sweet side, a good choice is the grey ang koo filled with sweet crushed peanuts. Besides kuih, you can also enjoy several varieties of tong sui, fried noodles and nasi lemak.
37 Jalan Raja
Opens: 9am-7pm, Monday-Saturday; 9am-6pm, Sunday; closed alternate Mondays
Kou Kee
Kuay teow (or your choice of noodles) in a stock-based clear soup garnished with slices of char siew, chicken, prawns and bean sprouts — indeed, there is nothing fancy about Kou Kee’s bestselling dish, just simple honest food done well. The soup is sweet and full of flavour, the slightly charred homemade roast pork is tender with a good balance of lean meat and fat, the rice noodles suitably smooth. It’s the kind of comfort in a bowl you can count on that’s especially satisfying on a rainy night and for me, the supper du jour of my childhood. The original stall was located opposite the old Capitol cinema and was a popular post-movie haunt.
Food court in Jalan Pasar, next to Yew Hotel
Opens: By 6pm, days uncertain
Thong Kee
This tai chow stall used to be next to Kou Kee back at their old location, and now they’re still neighbours at this food court diagonally across from Liew Kee chee cheong fun. Thong Kee’s proprietors, who are well into their 60s and 70s, are still as quick on their feet as I remember though with two younger hires assisting them. My all-time favourite dish of theirs was the har khau, prawn fritters in a ketchup-chilli sauce with onions, carrots and cucumber slices. Decades on, it is equally as gratifying to my palate and if there’s one thing you can count on Thong Kee to deliver, it’s the wok hei.
Food court in Jalan Pasar, next to Yew Hotel
Opens: 4.30-10pm (last orders); closed two days a month
