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by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, July 27: One of the best halal kampua mee dishes in town can be found at AHA Kampua Mee stall, located in a coffeeshop at Jalan Satok here.
This noodle dish which originates in Sibu is also found in many coffeeshops throughout Sarawak, and this particular halal iteration is prepared by a Chinese Muslim lady and proprietress of the stall, Helen Chung Teng Teng.
41-year-old Helen revealed that she has been operating her stall for more than a year at the location.
She shared that despite selling halal kampua mee, people from all walks of life can be found ordering the dish at her stall to sample her interpretation of the Foochow dish.
Helen shared that her maternal side of the family is Foochow, and she is a third generation cook who has been making the noodle for more than 25 years.
“I have been making kampua mee for a quarter of a century and learned to make the dish when I was 15-years-old while still in Form 3 from my grandmother and mother, who operated the stall in Kuching here.
“The culinary knowledge in making the kampua noodle runs in the family,” she told DayakDaily.
Helen disclosed that she uses lard from chicken skin, which she fries until it turns golden brown.
“To make the kampua, I toss the kampua noodles with lard from the fried chicken skin as it will acquire a similar taste to the original non-halal lard,” she explained.
“I then top-up the dish with slices of roasted chicken breast, which is flavoured with five-spice powder, salty and sweet soy sauce. The rest of the ingredients for making kampua is the same.”
Helen said she decided to serve a halal kampua-style noodle after she got married and converted to Islam.
“This allows me to share my Foochow culinary knowledge with our Muslim community, and the idea of operating a kampua noodle stall gets the full support of my husband.
“My husband loves my mee sua soup, and my in-laws love wantan (dumpling) soup.
“These days, since we all live in unity in diversity, our food and dishes like kampua and other Sarawak Chinese delicacies can be served halal for wider market and to satisfy local taste buds,” she said.
The coffeeshop is located at 515 Lorong Rubber 10, Kuching and is open daily from 6.30am to 1pm. For more information, call 016-892 5033. — DayakDaily
