When in Penang, do what the Penangites do; Eat Char Koay Teow. That’s right! You have not been to Penang if you don’t get your ass to the popular places to savour the legendary Penang Koay Teow (Fried flat rice noodles). They are usually fried with eggs, chinese sausages, chinese chives, bean sprouts, deshelled prawns, cockles, chili paste and garlic.
There are apparently a few popular koay teow stalls recommended by many. You have the Lorong Selamat, the Macallister Road etc. I have never wondered far from these beaten paths of great koay teows until last year when I spent the new year eve celebrating a couple’s engagement party in Penang. They took a whole bunch of us to a quiet corner of town to this stall that does char koay teow differently from the rest. They use duck eggs instead of normal chicken eggs to fry the koay teow. Sounds interesting doesn’t it.
Prior to that, I have never heard of duck egg fried koay teow. I do know that duck eggs are richer and stronger in flavours. It enhances a dish when it is used as thickening or coating ingredient but in Koay Teow?
The stall that we went to is called Kafe Ping Hooi. Located at the corner intersection of Lebuh Melayu and Lebuh Carnarvon, this place was empty when we arrived. Normally this is not a very good sign when you are the only patron. The shop was really old and has got a yesteryears feel to it. Since it was recommended by our dear friends, we gave it a benefit of a doubt. Turns out the version here is a killer!
We were so overwhelmed by their delicious koay teow, we ordered a second round. The char koay teow was done to perfection with the colour slightly golden brown and not too dried. The duck egg apparently gave it a moist finishing and strong yet smooth flavour. Combining well with the thinly sliced chinese sausage, aromatic chinese chives, semi raw cockles, fresh prawns and crunchy bean sprout, this is really worth the travel. It HITZ the SPOT!
All I can say is duck egg fried koay teow rocks big time!
My perception of char koay teow has changed and I will never look down on duck eggs again…ever. Next time round, I wouldn’t want it any other ways. How come they don’t do it here in Kuala Lumpur? Do they even know about this?
Location
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Address:
Junction of Carnarvon Street and Lebuh Melayu.
GPS Coordinates: N5 24.873 E100 20.046
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