DR WONG SIEW TE
CONSERVATIONIST, MARRIED WITH TWO DAUGHTERS; FAMILY LIVING ABROAD
“As a Penangite who has settled down in Sandakan Sabah for the past nine years and living alone without the company of my family, it’s always tough when it comes to food.
“What am I going to have for tomorrow’s lunch and dinner…. and the day after tomorrow?” are the questions that keep popping in my mind.
In my opinion, Penangites are quite unlike other Malaysians because we’ve grown up with all the famous Penang fares like char kuay teow, Hokkien mee, asam laksa, curry mee, chee cheong fun and a host of delicious hawker food.
We develop such a hankering for these types of food once in a while to satisfy our palate. After all, these represent my childhood in Penang which I recall clearly with great fondness.
The problem is that in Sabah, we rarely encounter hawkers who sell authentic Penang food. What’s worse? I’ve lived away from Penang for more than two decades. At the end, if I were to have authentic Penang food, I have to cook myself!
My favourite nostalgic go-to dish is the evergreen char kuay teow or fried flat rice noodle — Penang style.
During the MCO, I’ve cooked this dish a few times along with other dishes I’ve learnt, living away from home.
The entire preparation of this dish brings back old memories of hawkers plying their trade in Penang.
First the wok-hei or the flame of the stove has to be strong enough to create the char on the rice noodle, bringing out the strong flavours of garlic, chilli paste and the soy sauces.
Like hawkers of old, I whip out my old trusty thin black carbon steel wok to cook my dish.
The aroma of the dish is enough to make me reminisce of days long past; of carefree childhood in my small town.
When you taste, you should feel the crunchiness of the bean sprouts and lightly cooked chives, as well as the softness of the kuay teow.
The char kuay teow should be flavourful in your mouth — mixture of slightly salty, sweet, spicy and briny flavours from the prawns and cockles.”