By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Nov 17: As a bubbly 9-year-old, Tan Chai Hong had fun helping her late father make delectable kueh chap (flat rice noodles) at his stall at the Sungai Maong Bazaar Hawkers’ Centre.
At the time, it did not occur to her that 51 years later, she would be carrying on her father’s legacy in making the Teochew noodle dish using his closely guarded recipe.
Tan told DayakDaily she gives credit for where she is today to her father, Tan Yong Heng, who passed away ten years ago in his 80s.
He began making and selling kueh chap after quitting his job making fishballs.
“He (my father) already had the basic knowhow as he knew how to make fresh fishballs and fresh meatballs for his employer. As a Teochew, he loved kueh chap, and through trial and error, he figured out what ingredients were suitable for making the dish.
“At that time, when he started in his late 30s, there were not many people making and selling kueh chap, and he was one of a few people who sold this noodle dish at Sungai Maong Bazaar,” Tan said.
Today, Tan prepares kueh chap using the same recipe taught to her by her father. After her father retired, she moved to her current location, taking along with her the family recipe.
“The only huge difference is when my father started selling, he charged 60 sen for a small bowl, and the big bowl cost RM1.20.
“With the price of goods and ingredients rising and escalating many times (over the years), now I sell a small bowl for RM8 and a big bowl for RM12.”
Tan revealed she is not the only person in the family continuing her father’s legacy of making and selling kueh chap.
“My younger brother is doing well in Sungai Maong Bazaar, and so is my only daughter at Kota Sentosa and my nephew at the Kota Padawan commercial centre. I could say that selling kueh chap runs in the family blood now.
“I am glad that all our stalls use the family recipe in making the dish that my father created,” she reiterated.
Tan, who now sells kueh chap at 4th Mile, Jalan Penrissen, said she had been in the business for more than three decades, and at her present location for a decade.
“We moved around to get customers and cheaper rental, and I am comfortable where I am now. Our regulars remain loyal and we thank them,” she said.
Despite the price of ingredients continuing to rise, she revealed that all her family selling kueh chap continue to use the same recipe created by her father.
“We have to use the same branded soya sauce my father used to make the broth. The spices, eggs, tofu, pork belly, intestines, pig ear, and offal included in the dish are expensive now, and so too the chilli we make into and serve as a dipping sauce.”
She said that increasing the selling price to match the rise in ingredient cost was inevitable.
“To ensure that the customers get value-for-money, we maintain the taste and standard. These days, many stalls are making this dish.
“It’s healthy competition but we cannot speak about their dishes as they also have their very own recipes,” she said.
“With the third generation of the Tan family continuing the legacy, I am sure the Teo Chew Kueh Chap is here to stay in the city. I am glad that my father’s version of kueh chap is here to stay and will continue for years to come,” she said.
Tan’s Ah Hong Teochew Kueh Chap stall is at Koufu Food Court (4th Mile), Jalan Penrissen. It operates daily from 7am to 11am except on Tuesday. For more information, call 016-890 2663. — DayakDaily
