By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING: April 25: The Peninsular Malaysian dish of pork noodles is making its mark in the local food scene and has become a gastronomic delight among food lovers in Sarawak.
A standard serving of these pork noodles usually consists of “kueh teow” (flat thin rice noodles) with fresh pork ingredients such as minced pork, pork meatballs, pork liver, pork kidney, pork intestines and vegetables in a tasty broth or served dry.
On a recent trip to Serian, this alluring, scrumptious dish was a very much welcomed meal to this writer, who declared the sampled pork noodles as almost having the same tang as those found in the Klang Valley.
To unearth the secret recipe, DayakDaily spoke to the stall owners of “KL Mee Pork”, Peninsular Malaysian Richard Cheong and his Serian born spouse, Cindy Voon.
Cheong said that secret is in the broth and the freshness of the ingredients.
“Every day, my wife would prepare dry anchovies and boil them with water to make the broth. It could take two to three hours.
“We might not get the exact broth as the best pork noodles at Klang Valley but it is as good,” he asserted.
“We want to share what folks in Klang Valley experience and to provide more variety in how noodles can be prepared.
“Diners have more options instead of just “Kolo Mee” and other noodles available here,” he said.
Cheong asserted that it is an arduous task to cook pork noodles with the exact same flavour profile as pork noodles found in Klang Valley, nevertheless they try to recreate such a taste.
“We try our best to do the same pork noodles like that in Klang Valley,” he reiterated.
He said being in the food business for many years, he and his wife tried to prepare their pork noodles with the same ingredients to achieve the authentic flavour.
“We are not in the pork noodles business before as our specialty is “Palo Duck” (five-spice braised duck),” he explained.
He jested that any Peninsular Malaysian food stall operator would not be able to get the exact “Kolo Mee” or “Kampua”.
Cheong hoped that the pork noodles they prepared and served would capture the tastebuds of food lovers here.
He added that the dish is soothing to an empty stomach as the light soup broth is always served hot.
“We want to suit everybody’s taste palate and reach all demographics, not only here in Serian but also travellers,” he enthused.
Cheong disclosed that having pork noodles on the menu came to mind before he and his wife started the business as it was easier to prepare instead of five-spiced duck. The opportunity became a reality after they rented a stall at the new eatery last January.
“Our dish of pork noodles is well-liked by locals. This dish gives them more variety in addition to the ever popular “Kolo Mee”, “Kueh Chap”, “Bah Kut Teh” and other popular fried noodle dishes
“I was nervous at first for the business. Since then, we have secured our regulars who enjoy the dish. They give us the thumbs-up,” he revealed, as he smiled.
He credited his wife’s culinary experiences from many years of preparing food for giving them the right idea of what savoury dishes the locals will be craving for and prefer.
“I am happy when I see the same customer coming back to my stall. I know that they had acquired the taste for my pork noodles. I believe the dish suits them,” he chuckled.
He believed that to sustain the customers’ demand, it is important to maintain consistency in the taste of the food.
“Serian is a small town. Everybody knows each other well. We like to welcome visitors to have good food here.
“It is a very affordable and reasonable price for the portion we serve,” Cheong said, revealing that they charged customers between RM6 to RM9 per bowl.
He invited travellers and food lovers to look for the “KL Mee Pork” stall at Everwin Kopitiam if they are in Serian. — DayakDaily
