Pix by Alissala Thian and Chan Lilian
GEORGE TOWN, UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its unique heritage buildings and structures. Foods from Penang are equally heritage. Many of these famous hawker foods are handed down through the generations. Buletin Mutiara’s Chan Lilian explored the city for some breakfast places serving non-halal hawker foods.
A stone throw away from Penang’s iconic Komtar are several hawkers who are in their 60s and had taken over the business from their fathers. Many of these have maintained that taste which will evokes memories of younger days in older folks.
For example, the koay teow th’ng (flat rice noodles in soup) comes in many versions but the older generation will remember the original one sold by the hawkers who followed the Chinese opera troupe. There were no fancy ‘add-ons’ but mere, fishballs, slices of old ducks and some spring onions. What made that koay teow th’ng tasty was the rich, flavourful soup derived from long simmering of old ducks. If you hanker for that bygone days taste, head over to Kim Lee Coffeeshop at Lorong Macalister (corner of Jalan Burmah).
Tok-tok mee or now known as wantan noodle gets its name from the tok-tok sound made by the push-cart hawker who cycled around the city when he knocked on the bamboo. For an authentic taste of wantan mee, head over to Kedai Kopi Tai Wah at Argyll Road (opposite Caltex station). Uncle Chan who is 67 inherited the secret recipe of handmade wantan mee from his father. The wantan mee has been around for 46 years.
What is special about the wantan mee is the fine, smooth wantan noodle that is handmade without the presence of lye water taste of some commercial ones. Uncle Chan’s wantan mee comes in two version – white and black. Black version is the normal dark soya sauce type. The ‘white’ wantan mee is unique because the simplicity of a plate of handmade noodle garnished with wantan, char siew, slivers of chicken and vegetable coated with some fragrant oil provides the comfort of wholesome noodle.
Will these heritage foods fade from our midst when these uncles who are in their late 60s retire? Or will the secret recipes be handed down to future generation? Ah Soon Kor famous Hokkien Mee has been around since 1968. The steaming hot, delicious prawn noodle with plenty of ‘add-ons’ like mantis prawns, roasted pork, pork ribs, intestines will remain for many years to come because Ah Soon is only 40 years old. His father named their stall Ah Soon Kor long before Ah Soon was born.
Ah Soon learned the secret recipe from his father when he was 22 years old. He wakes up as early as 3 am every morning to prepare the Hokkien Mee soup and it is a family secret known only to his mother and siblings. Ah Soon Kor’s Hokkien Mee which attracts tourists and known among food bloggers start selling as early as 7 am till 2 pm at Kedai Kopi Sin Kim San at the corner of Jalan Macalister and Jalan Rangoon.
“I have two children but I am not sure if they will want to continue this business when when they grow up. It is up to them,” Ah Soon said. “Currently we have two stalls, one operated by me and the other, my mother. Although I can prepare the soup and let my helpers serve, my customers usually prefer to see me around. Hence, I can’t operate more stalls. But maybe franchising will be a good idea for the future,” he added.
If you are looking for a hearty, truly Penang flavours, Ah Soon Kor’s Hokkien Mee is certainly the breakfast to energise your day. Loaded with rich, prawn flavour soup, you get to add on as many varieties of things as you can eat.