What is nasi tim chicken rice?

Nasi tim chicken rice is a popular Chinese-Indonesian dish that you can find throughout Jakarta, especially in the Glodok neighbourhood. It has two different layers, and the best way to describe it is as an upside-down shepherd’s pie, except you switch out the mashed potatoes for rice.

The first layer is seasoned, boneless chicken that’s diced up and stir-fried with mushrooms, garlic, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil and oyster sauce. The cook spoons this layer of savoury, meaty-deliciousness into a small metal tin. Then, they cover it with the second layer: raw rice flavoured with salt, pepper and garlic.

They add a little bit of water and place the tins into a massive steamer. Dozens of tins steam together until the rice cooks to sticky, chewy perfection.

How nasi tim chicken rice is served

Once you order, the cook flips your individual-sized tin upside down, exposing that savoury, juicy layer of stir-fried chicken. The chicken sits on top of the fluffy rice, creating a steamy layered cake of savoury goodness.

They then cover it with a few spoonfuls of savoury chicken oil, adding an incredible amount of umami flavour.

The last step is the proverbal cherry-on-top: a fresh raw egg yolk. The cook delicately places the yolk on the chicken layer, finishing off the dish.

We have to say, the addition of the chicken oil and egg yolk really heightens the dish. This truly turns nasi tim into something incredibly rich with a savoury flavour that can’t be matched.

Sides to go with your nasi tim

Two popular sides often come with your nasi tim. One is acar, Indonesian pickled vegetables. You’ll also spot large jars on the table full of little pickled onions. Both sides pair perfectly with the dish, cutting through the richness with a crisp sourness and adding a welcome crunchy texture.

Where to eat nasi tim in Jakarta

Our go to spot for nasi tim is at a very modest shop in Pasar Pagi Lama. Right in the heart of Glodok Chinatown Jakarta you’ll find Nasi Tim Pasar Pagi “Ayauw”. It’ll be tucked away on the northern side of the market, closest to Jalan Pasar Pagi Lama, on the upper floor.

The shop is surrounded by book stores and paper shops on the second floor. It can be tricky to find, but the effort is totally worth it for this Jakarta comfort food.

Once you’ve arrived, find yourself a spot and order up a nasi tim. As far as we know it’s the only thing on the menu, so there’ll be no confusion as to what you want.

Nasi tim: the ultimate Chinese-Indonesian comfort food

This savoury steamed chicken rice, known locally as nasi tim chicken rice, is the ultimate comfort food in Chinese-Indonesian culture. Hearty rice sits under a generous helping of savoury stir-fried chicken and mushroom, all steamed together into the perfect savoury cake. Top it with chicken oil and a fresh raw egg yolk, and you’ve got yourself the biggest savoury hug out there. Is there any better kind?

Name: Nasi Tim Pasar Pagi “Ayauw”
Address: Lt. 2, Ps. Jaya Pagi, RT.2/RW.2, Roa Malaka, Jakarta, Indonesia
what3words: ///cookery.ranted.holds
Price: IDR 50K

The post Nasi Tim 101: The Ultimate Indonesian Comfort Food You Need to Try appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

The quality and value of the food, plus the traditional style of cooking, has even made Wong Mei Kee worthy of Bib Gourmand status in the Michelin Guide. As you can imagine, being invited to watch the entire preparation and cooking of these incredible pork dishes was a true honour. What’s more, is that despite Wong Sifu’s success, he’s remained humble and ever so welcoming.

If you’re looking to taste the best siu yuk in KL, then Wong Mei Kee’s crispy pork belly needs to be on your list of top foods to eat in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Our morning at Wong Mei Kee started a little before 9:00am, on the quiet, damp, humid streets of Pudu.

We were greeted at the front of the shop by a friendly lady, and announced that we were here to watch the full siu yuk and char siu preparation for the day. We’d been in contact with Wong Sifu days before in order to lock in this special opportunity.

We were sent down the side of the building and met by Wong Sifu’s grandsons. He’s been slowly guiding them over the last several years to take over the business. They do most of the preparation in the morning, and are met by Wong Sifu himself later in the day. The last stages of cooking are overseen by him, mind you. When it comes to chopping and serving the siu yuk, Wong Sifu is still the master.

This morning, his grandsons were beginning the process of preparing the massive slabs of skin-on pork belly, soon to be turned into the crispy roast pork. We could tell within the first two minutes of arriving that we were in for a treat today.

The crispiest pork belly starts with charcoal

Wong Sifu has a special set up in the alleyway behind the restaurant where he roasts all of his meat. It’s back here that Wong Mei Kee’s charcoal roast pork gets its name. There’s three 55-gallon charcoal fired barrels to roast the pork, and an extra-large barrel-like contraption for the roast chicken.

The slabs of pork belly are prepped, boiled and pounded

The first stage of preparation for the siu yuk is to boil the slabs of pork belly in water to begin the cooking process. Once boiled for several minutes, they’re taken out of the water, rubbed with coarse salt, and hammered with a meat mallet covered in two-inch-long spikes.

The pounding process is twofold. First, it penetrates the skin with salt. Second, it allows the skin to release moisture during cooking, thus causing it to dry out more easily. This final preparation stage really facilitates the extra crispiness of the skin, the ultimate desired outcome.

After this, it’s time to hang and cook the massive slabs of pork

On this day there were 14 huge slabs of pork belly to prepare. Wong Sifu uses only the best cuts of meat. High-quality skin-on pork belly, with distinct layers of skin, fat and meat are the finest.

After his grandson carefully placed meat hooks into the slabs of pork belly, they were hung inside the barrels. In the meantime, burning charcoal had been slowly added to the barrels to begin heating them up.

We watched intently as the pork belly was methodically hung off the inner sides of the drums, four slabs in each. By the time all the pork belly was dangling inside, the barrels had heated up nicely. The skin on the pork instantly started to sweat.

Within minutes the meat was roasting, giving off the most tantalizing aroma. We would have stood there for the next two hours, getting as many whiffs of the dripping pork as we possibly could, but more work was yet to be done.

Next up, the pork shoulder is cut and seasoned by hand

As the slabs of pork belly were happily roasting in the drums, it was time for the Chinese BBQ pork.

Wong Sifu’s grandson dumped out a massive pot full of the best cuts of fatty pork shoulder. He meticulously went through each of the long strips of meat, one by one, cutting off any unwanted parts.

The chosen pieces were added back into the pot and seasoned. Hoisin sauce, sugar, five spice powder, salt, a massive heap of freshly minced garlic, as well as a few other secret ingredients, were added to the pot for ultimate taste. Everything was stirred in together by hand. This ensured each piece of meat was evenly coated with the crimson red, sticky sauce.

As everything gets going, Wong Sifu arrives

It’s about this time that Wong Sifu arrived and took over the general overseeing of things. He met us in the alleyway behind Wong Mei Kee. We were hovering over the drums, of course, and greeted us with a beaming smile. This is a man who loves what he does.

Wong Sifu began his own siu yuk business when he was just 20 years old in 1982. Over the last four decades he’s been perfecting his method of cooking to create the best, crispiest, juiciest siu yuk in all of KL. During these 40 years, he’s made a name for himself. Wong Mei Kee is known as one of the best places to go to in KL for siu yuk, char siu, and roast chicken.

Wong Sifu went from drum to drum, checking on the siu yuk, rotating the slabs and adding extra charcoal as needed. The slabs of pork belly were now fully crisping up and starting to make our mouths water. This was truly starting to look like the best siu yuk in KL.

The pork belly finishes, so the BBQ pork begins

The pork belly finished cooking and was given the green light from Wong Sifu. The tender, juicy, insanely crispy slabs were taken out of the drums. The last stage of Wong Mei Kee’s charcoal roast pork is to scrape off any char that had built up on the bubbly, crispy skin to make sure it tastes perfect.

Now, it was time for the Chinese BBQ pork to take its rightful place in the drums. The amount of char siu was much less than the siu yuk, with three skewers of meat in total.

All three fit perfectly into one drum. It didn’t take long for the outside of the meat to begin to caramelize. Each piece slowly dripping with the sticky, gooey, crimson red sauce and mouth-watering fat.

Part way through the cooking process, Wong Sifu took the long strips of barbecue pork out of the drum and put them into a bath of honey barbecue pork sauce. The char siu was basted and doused with the thick, syrupy, garlicky sauce; the perfect balance between sweet and savoury.

Now freshly glazed, the strips of pork shoulder were put back into the drum for the final stage of cooking. The overall cooking time for the barbecue pork is only about 20 minutes, depending on the heat of the drum. It takes a proper master to monitor the heat and adjust the cooking time accordingly.  

Perfect meat requires constant attention

It was a busy place at the back of this humble shop. Wong Sifu went from drum to drum. He patiently waited for the perfect time to lift out whatever pieces of meat were left.

His grandsons were busy scraping off the last of the char from the roast pork belly skin. Each scrape revealing the heavenly crispy and salty crackling underneath. It’s a labour-intensive process, with 14 slabs of pork belly to tend to.

Wong Sifu, the master of Wong Mei Kee himself, made sure that all of the meat was ready to be taken to the front of the shop. His last quality check is the finishing touch. We knew what that meant, it was time to eat!

As hungry customers gather, this is what to expect

Restoran Wong Mei Kee opens at 12:30pm, with people starting to queue up at least an hour beforehand. By 1:00pm the restaurant will be so busy, there’ll be a queue out the door. By 2:00pm most days, everything is sold out; char siu, siu yuk, and the roast chicken are all gone.

It was 12:30pm. People had queued up and begun to order, pay and take different numbers for either dine-in or takeout.

Before long, every table was full.

The restaurant, packed to the gills.

Forks and spoons at the ready, as is customary in Malaysia, the excitement was palpable. Each table was full of hungry customers awaiting their share of the spoils. They’d heard about the best siu yuk in Kuala Lumpur and now they wanted their fix, too. Both new and returning customers alike, patiently waited for their order.

We were shown to our table, nestled near the front of the shop, in perfect view of all the action.

Prepared by others in the shop were the BBQ pork and roast chicken . Meanwhile, the crispy pork belly, the pièce de résistance, was sliced, chopped and portioned out by the master, Wong Sifu himself.

He prepared each slab by cutting off any unwanted areas of the meat, leaving only the highest quality pork belly behind. Next, two strips were placed beside each other and cut and chopped into each individual portion. At the same time, he made sure that each chunk of layered fat and meat had an accompanying piece of the crispiest pork skin to go with it.

It’s time to eat, starting with the siu yuk

Finally, our feast arrived.

By this time, we’d been a part of the process since 9:00am and we were absolutely famished. After watching the preparation and smelling the wonderful aroma of roasting meat for the past few hours, we were ready to taste what all the hype was about. We’d heard so much about Wong Sifu’s crispy roast pork being the best siu yuk in Kuala Lumpur that we just couldn’t wait!

We tucked straight into the siu yuk, Wong Mei Kee’s charcoal, crispy roast pork belly.

It was served in big bite sized chunks. Each piece with an equal amount of lean meat and streaks of melted fat running through, all topped off with a golden crackling piece of crispy pork skin.

The meat itself was extremely juicy, tender and just that bit salty. Our teeth sank right into it. Likewise, the fat was cooked to perfection. Buttery, rich and soft, it just melted in our mouths. The skin, oh my gosh, the skin! Crispy, salty, juicy, fatty, slightly greasy and satisfyingly crunchy, just how you want pork skin to be.

In particular, we could taste the smoky charcoal in every bite, adding a whole other dimension to the dish.

It was about this time that we realized we were eating the best siu yuk in KL. All the labour and hard work that went into creating this delicious cut of pork really shone through.

After the crispy pork is the char siu

The char siu was just as satisfying as the siu yuk.

The barbecue pork had the perfect ratio of meat to fat, making every bite extremely tender, succulent and oh so juicy. The outer layer was covered in the sticky, crimson red, honeyed barbecue pork sauce, now caramelized and gooey after roasting over the charcoal. A sweet and savoury flavour bomb exploded in our mouths after every bite.

Lastly, the roast chicken

Last but not least was the roast chicken. By this point in the meal, it was no surprise to us that the chicken was extremely tender and moist, just like the other meats.

This skin was just a little bit crispy from frying in the oil, giving it a nice texture and flavour. The sweet light sauce poured over top before serving added a hint of sweetness to the savoury meat. Everything led to an incredibly succulent plate of chicken.

An unforgettable day deserves big thanks

We finished every bite, not leaving a morsel behind.

Afterwards, we went up to Wong Sifu at the front of the shop, busy slicing, cutting, chopping and placing. We thanked him for having us and for showing us such incredible hospitality throughout the day. It was truly an unforgettable experience to be invited into his kitchen to witness the craft he’s been perfecting for the last 40 years.

It’s no wonder people line up every day to have a taste of what really is the best siu yuk in Kuala Lumpur.

The best siu yuk in KL is at Wong Mei Kee, Pudu

The unique street food in Malaysia never ceases to amaze us! After hours of preparation and cooking, Wong Sifu produces the best, insanely crispy siu yuk crispy pork belly and tender char siu Chinese BBQ pork in Kuala Lumpur. Melt in your mouth fat, tender meat and crispy pork skin, coupled with the gooey stickiness of the barbecue pork is just mind-blowing.

Wong Mei Kee Pudu is truly a must visit spot for the best roast pork in Kuala Lumpur.

Name: 王美記 Wong Mei Kee
Address: 30 Jalan Nyonya, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///taxi.tonight.slid
Price: RM28/strip

Check out the video below for our full experience at Wong Mei Kee, Pudu!

The post The Best Siu Yuk in KL is at Wong Mei Kee: The Ultimate Crispy Pork Belly appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

Manila is a city that’s absolutely heaving with street food wherever you turn. Some of the most busy and bustling areas of the city, like Quiapo, can be hard to navigate.

This guide to the best street foods to eat in Quiapo will take you through the top seven most popular street foods in the neighbourhood, and where to find them. These are gonna have your mouth watering, so buckle up and let’s tuck in!

Lumpia

A nice light way to start your day off is with lumpia, a Filipino spring roll. Most commonly they’re deep fried and known as lumpia shanghai, but oh no no, not this kind of lumpia. These lumpia are fresh spring rolls.

The number one go to spot for these bad boys is at Globe Lumpia House. It all starts with a thin paper-like egg wrapper that’s slathered with a sweet brown sugar soy sauce and fiery fresh garlic. It’s packed full of lettuce, ubod (palm heart), carrots, peanuts and sprinkled with black pepper.

The delicious result is a delicate roll full of a savoury filling with the most intensely strong garlic flavour. The contrast of the soft sweet soy sauce with the crunchy veggies will make you happy you got at least two.

At Globe Lumpia House you purchase your lumpia as a single roll. Each one is made fresh to order, bursting with ingredients and served with an extra packet of sweet brown sauce for you to smother your lumpia with.

Name: Globe Lumpia House
Address: Zone 030, 740 Gonzalo Puyat St, Santa Cruz, Manila, 1001 Metro Manila
what3words: ///confirms.snap.wardrobe
Price: ₱35

Buko Sorbet

This cup full of insane deliciousness is buko sorbet. Creamy and full of huge chunks of fresh buko (coconut) meat, this is just what you need on a hot day.

You can’t beat the creaminess of coconut milk and the strong flavour of fresh coconut meat. Luckily, this sorbet is brimming with both. You’ll be practically chewing the ice cream for all the coconut meat that it’s packed with.

Keep your eyes peeled when you’re exploring the market for the buko sorbet man, because he’s on the move! You’ll find him pushing his ice cold sorbet through the market, making sure he gets to both the wandering shoppers and the busy vendors, each braving the heat.

We were lucky enough to run into him just as our mouths were craving something cold and oh so refreshing.

Name: Buko Serbet
what3words: ///traps.mutual.swipes
Price: ₱20

Kwek Kwek

One of the most popular on-the-go snacks here in the Philippines is kwek kwek, a bright orange, battered and deep-fried quail egg. This is one of the best street foods to eat in Quiapo because it’s both cheap and easy. You’ll find vendors selling kwek kwek in a number of different places.

The crispy batter surrounds the creamy rich quail egg, creating the perfect combination of textures. Once you’ve chosen a stick that you like, if it isn’t piping hot, you can ask the vendor to refry it for you to freshen it up. Definitely recommended.

You’ll put your hot skewer in a cup and pull your kwek kwek off, using your skewer as your eating utensil. This is when you’ll add in the sauces.

There’s a number of different ones to choose from, usually including vinegar with onion, a spicy sauce, and a sweet sauce.

Name: Kwek Kwek Cart
what3words: ///nearly.grumble.spoils
Price: ₱20

Sotanghon

Next up on our list of the best street foods to eat in Quiapo Market, Manila, is the popular Filipino food of sotanghon. This flavourful bowl of glass noodle soup is a must try Filipino street food in Quiapo.

The broth of the soup is light and red, packed with peppery, rich flavour from the fish sauce and annatto oil. The chewy and springy glass noodles soak up this garlicky broth, with an extra kick of freshness added in with the crunchy lettuce.

Have it as is, or add in a hard-boiled egg or pork belly for some extra fatty richness. We recommend going for both, the layers of pork belly fat and meat really kick it to the next level.

The best place to find sotanghon in Quiapo Market is at Rosa’s Pancitan – Famous Sotanghon. Tucked away along a busy side street, Rosa’s Pancitan is hard to miss. The massive pans of soup give the place away. Not to mention the queue of people waiting their turn to grab a fresh bowl of hot soup.

It’s a bit of a musical chairs situation here. Wait for a stool to open up around the action in the centre, pop yourself down and wait for your bowl of soup to be served in front of you.

Name: Rosa’s Pancitan – Famous Sotanghon
Address: 738 B, R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, 1001 Metro Manila
what3words: ///released.drive.woof
Price: ₱80

Lugaw

Something for the less faint of heart is lugaw, a Filipino rice porridge made with cow offal.

Depending on your level of adventurousness, you can get yourself a bowl full of porridge with both large and small intestine, and cow heart. If you’re not feeling quite at that level, you can choose to have a bowl of just the porridge, no offal required. Either way you choose, the result is a savoury, hearty porridge full of beefy goodness.

The congee-like rice soup is stewed with a number of spices such as chives, ginger, garlic and onion, infusing loads of flavour into this one bowl.

Once you’ve chosen your adventure of offal or not, more spices are added in. Green onion, chicharon (deep fried pork skin), fried garlic, chilli oil, black pepper, fish sauce and fresh calamansi all go on top.

Thick, hearty, savoury, soft and crunchy, this dish is full of interesting flavours and textures.

Eddie Wow Lugaw does this Filipino street food best. Right at the end of the main street leading from Quiapo Church is where you’ll find them. You can’t miss them cooking up their massive vat of lugaw on their street food cart.

Name: Eddie Wow Lugaw
Address: HXXJ+8VV, Paterno Gomez St, Quiapo, Manila, 1001 Metro Manila
what3words: ///minerals.forest.lighten
Price: ₱80 (with offal)

Pancit Palabok

Rich and sticky, pancit palabok is a flavourful rice noodle dish that’s a must try street food in Quiapo Market.

Thick rice noodles are sprinkled with crushed chicharon, spicy tofu, black squid ink adobo squid, fried garlic, egg, black pepper, green onion and huge pieces of freshly cooked chicharon. Everything is smothered in a super thick, rich, orange shrimp paste gravy.

Mix it up while you can! The thickness of the gravy only gets thicker, leading to a dish that’s practically a dry noodle. The richness of the sauce, strong garlicky flavour, chewiness of the squid, creaminess of the egg and crunchiness of the chicharon, oh my! This is a dish bursting with flavour and texture that you cannot miss.

On the far edge of Quiapo next to Quinta Fishport, you’ll find the best pancit palabok in Quiapo. Jolli Dada’s Eatery serves it up fresh and fast. When we visited, they were packed to the gills. Wait a few minutes though for a fellow customer to finish their noodles and you can park yourself on one of the stools. For the quality and price, they can’t be beat.

Name: Jolli Dada’s Eatery
Address: C. Palanca Street, corner, 1001 Quezon Blvd, Quiapo, Manila, Metro Manila
what3words: ///pulp.views.backpack
Price: ₱80

Halo-Halo

You can’t go exploring for the best street foods to eat in Quiapo Market without getting yourself a halo-halo. This dessert is extremely popular throughout all of the Philippines and is the perfect respite on a hot day.

Evaporated milk, ube jam, sweet brown and white beans, banana, leche flan, red tapioca, green jellies, and rice krispies are all set on top of a heaping ball of shaved ice.

Literally translating to ‘mix-mix’, all the ingredients of a halo-halo will be unique to each place you have one. Nevertheless, it’ll always have shaved ice and evaporated milk as the base, so it’s guaranteed to be cold and creamy!

Halo-halo is a must try street food to eat in Quiapo Market, originating around the Quinta Market area about 100 years ago. At Jolli Dada’s Eatery, they serve one in a massive bowl, so you can grab a cool dessert after your pancit palabok.

Name: Jolli Dada’s Eatery
Address: C. Palanca Street, corner, 1001 Quezon Blvd, Quiapo, Manila, Metro Manila
what3words: ///pulp.views.backpack
Price: ₱80

With so many incredible and popular Filipino street foods to find in the Quiapo Market, it’s hard to know where to begin your street food adventure!

As with any country, don’t be afraid to taste new things you’ve never seen before, or ask locals for recommendations. Filipinos are some of the friendliest people you’ll meet, and the locals in Quiapo are a wealth of information.

We hope this list of the seven best street foods to eat in Quiapo Market, Manila will get you going on your exploration of this vibrant neighbourhood.

Make sure to check out our video below tasting some of these popular Filipino foods on our Quiapo Market food tour!

The post Best Street Foods to Eat in Quiapo Market, Manila appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

Moroccan snail soup, good for the body

Babbouche snails are served in a bowl with a spiced broth made up of over 12 spices. Amongst them you’ll find licorice root, aniseed, thyme, chilli, lavender, mustard seed, bitter orange peel and tea leaves.

Not just tasty but also healthy, these spices are very good for the body. You’ll never forget this mind you, as the vendor will love to remind you of all the healing powers of this herbal soup.

A steaming bowl of spiced snails

Once you’ve been served your bowl of fresh Moroccan snail soup with an extra side of broth, you’ll be ready to eat.

This is the fun part.

You’ll be given a toothpick as your eating utensil. Its purpose?

To pluck your snails out with it, of course!

It’s by far the easiest way to eat them, and becomes a bit of game to see who has the largest snail.

Each meaty snail is washed down with a large gulp of spiced broth. Moroccan snail soup is perfectly balanced, with a nice warm after-burn from the ginger.

Where to find babbouche in Morocco

Moroccan snail soup is commonly found in the medinas of Morocco. In Fes, the maze of alleyways that is the medina will have a few babbouche stalls around. These are unmistakable by the huge nets of snails hanging on the wall behind them.

The stall we visited is not far from the main entrance to the medina. Lucky for you, whether you happen to arrive or leave this way, you’ll be able to get a taste of these local spiced snails.

Name: Babbouche Snail Cart
Address: Fès Médina
what3words: ///starting.jams.task
Price: 20Dhs

The post Are You Brave Enough for Babbouche, Moroccan Snail Soup? appeared first on Hungry Two Travel.

The Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur began development in 1870 and Petaling Street itself was one of the earliest roads to be built. The area was mostly Cantonese and Hakka who came to the city for the tin trade. With their skills, they brought their incredibly diverse cooking styles and unique flavours.

Petaling Street is now home to temples, shopping, and hawker stalls serving up the top street foods in Kuala Lumpur. A number of these street food stalls have been around for over 50 years and are onto not the first or second, but third generation of family looking after the business. The quality of ingredients and history that goes into these dishes is incredible.

So, let’s get to it! Below is a list of the top 11 street foods to eat on your next visit to Petaling Street Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur.

Roast Duck

The crispiest, juiciest, most tender roast duck in Chinatown is at Sze Ngan Chye. This famous street food cart is run by two sisters that took over from their father, who started the business over 70 years ago. After all this time they still provide the same great taste and quality that he always did.

Sze Ngan Chye means the man who wears spectacles. It got its name from their father who would sell his duck on Petaling Street wearing his unmistakable glasses. With no name for his cart, the nickname just stuck!

We’ve gotta say, they sure know how to roast a duck. Perfectly cooked, juicy and tender with just the right amount of salt… we almost wished we had gotten a full duck and not the half!! Depending on your hunger you’ve got choice, RM34 for half a duck, or RM68 for the whole one. Don’t worry, we won’t judge.

The two sisters start selling their fresh roast duck at 6:00am, and because of their popularity can sell out by noon. So, make sure you head to their stall first, nice and early, to make sure you get some tasty duck.

Name: Sze Ngan Chye
Address: 46, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///usual.singles.gave
Price: RM34 half duck, RM68 whole duck

Muah Chee

Madam Tang Muah Chee Queen (as she is called), has been selling muah chee from her cart on Petaling Street for over 50 years. She’s become a permanent fixture along the busy street, making her stall a must try when in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur.

Soft, chewy and bursting with flavour, these little muah chee pack a punch! Coming in six different flavours, we couldn’t resist the black sesame and mango. Both were delicious and with a surprisingly intense, strong flavour that you can pick out at first bite.

If those flavours aren’t your thing, don’t worry, there’s also lychee, ribena, pandan and original to choose from. Each piece is bathed in crushed peanuts, adding the perfect crunchy texture to the soft and chewy muah chee.

Name: Madam Tang Muah Chee Queen
Address: 42, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///abacus.slimy.poker
Price: RM6/box

Congee

This salty bowl of porridge goodness is congee, a popular Chinese street food of savoury rice porridge with delicious pork, century egg, and green onions. At Hon Kee Petaling Street you have a few different congee options to choose from, including salted egg and pork, crispy innards, pork ball, and raw fish.

Served piping hot, you mustn’t forget the white pepper. It adds the perfect seasoning to the dish to make it mouth-wateringly good.

As with so many of the delicious food choices along Petaling Street, this humble stall began business in 1949 and is still going strong. Spanning three generations and counting, this is one of the top street foods to eat in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown.

Name: Hon Kee Petaling Street
Address: 93, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///cautious.cared.sporting
Price: RM7

Chee Cheong Fun

This bright red, saucy dish is chee cheong fun. A popular street food of fresh chewy rice noodles with the most amazing, slightly sweet, red peanut sauce poured over top.

As with many Chinese-Malaysian dishes, there’s a decent helping of spicy chilli sambal on the side to mix in as much or as little as you want. The result? Fresh, peanuty, spicy rice noodles that feel like the perfect comfort meal.

What sets chee cheong fun apart from other rice noodles is that they’re freshly chopped to order. At Yooi Kee Chee Cheong Fun, their plates of noodles come in three different sizes based on your hunger. We got the small, which was a decent helping for the both of us, especially if you want to make sure you save some room for the amount of street food you’ll be eating on Petaling Street.

Name: Yooi Kee Chee Cheong Fun
Address: 51, 49, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///sting.trumpet.vitals
Price: RM4 for small

Tau Foo Fah and Dau Jiang

Another stall that is an absolute institution here on Petaling Street is Kim Soya Bean, one of the most popular Chinese street food stalls here in Chinatown. If you merely mention to anyone in Kuala Lumpur that you’ll be in Chinatown, they’ll make sure you make a stop at Kim Soya Bean for their famous tau foo fah and dau jiang.

Tau foo fah is a soft tofu that’s served hot and with your choice of white or brown sugar syrup on top. Its velvety smooth texture, mild flavour and sweetness from the brown sugar (our go to), really make this treat something special, even on a hot day!

If you’re looking for a cool off, however, make sure to pair your tau foo fah with a creamy cup of dau jiang soy milk. Scooped out from the massive container front and centre on the cart, it’s served cold, with or without sugar, sweet and soft on the tongue.

Running now for over 90 years and by the third generation, the current owner is an extremely friendly man who’s been manning the shop for the last 40 years. Things have surely changed on Petaling Street in those years, but the quality and taste of their soy bean treats sure hasn’t, so we’re told by the regulars!

Name: Kim Soya Bean
Address: 49, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///similar.hosts.keyboard
Price: RM2.20/each

Joong

Savoury or sweet, what’s your poison?? We can’t help but always choose savoury, how can you resist salty goodness?!

Whichever way you swing, you’ve got choice when it comes to joong, a popular Chinese street food. This tasty glutinous rice dumpling is filled with either sweet dates, red bean and other sugary deliciousness, or savoury pork with salted egg, mushrooms and chestnuts.

The steaming process makes the rice lovely and chewy, with a soft texture. Everything all wrapped up in a bamboo leaf like a little present, these dense dumplings are jam packed with ingredients, full of flavour, and the perfect snack on the go.

Name: Ho Yoke Kee
Address: 19, 15, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///scar.deep.required
Price: RM8

Fresh Beef Noodles

Just around the corner from the main road of Petaling Street is a noteworthy place that has the best fresh beef noodle soup. Sin Kiew Yee Shin Kee Beef Noodles is a small shop that gets busy during any hour of the day, so be prepared to queue for a table. Luckily the line goes quick so you won’t have to wait for long.

Their beef noodle soup is full of raw beef, perfectly chewy egg noodles, green onion and beef floss, to give you a hearty bowl full of deliciousness.

The beef is added in raw to get the most tender meat possible, being cooked only briefly when it’s dunked into the main broth like a hot pot before being added to your dish. This rich and meaty broth, enriched with all the juices and oils from the beef, is further used as a bath for the egg noodles to cook, and finally being used for the broth itself.

Just a short walk from Petaling Street, we feel like this is worth the extra distance. I mean, with all the food you’ll be eating, you’re gonna need the walk.

Name: Sin Kiew Yee Shin Kee Beef Noodles
Address: 7a, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///boggles.pinches.situated
Price: RM10

Apam Balik

Apam balik is best described as a peanut pancake. The batter is cooked in a huge pan and covered in sugar and crushed peanuts, then folded in half to keep all the goodness inside. This pancake is massive, mind you, so ordering one portion will get you a decent sized slice. The combination of crunchy peanuts, with the soft and springy interior is something that we very much enjoyed.

While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up one of the smaller coconut pancakes. These guys were the real hit for us, with a super strong smell and flavour of coconut, they were a lovely little snack on the go. If you love coconut and peanut as much as we do, you’ll love these apams.

We unfortunately didn’t catch the name of the gentleman who owns this hawker cart, but we did have a nice chat with him. We learned that he’s been selling apam balik from the same location on Petaling Street for 40 years, “from a young man to an old man,” in his words. With a sense of humour and knowing what his customers want, it’s no wonder he’s been in business all these years selling the top street food pancakes in Chinatown.

Did we mention that his cart is attached to the side of a motorbike like a side car? It doesn’t get much more street food than that!

Name: Petaling Street Apek’s Apam
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///safest.envy.joggers
Price: RM1.50/each

Yong Tau Foo

Yong tau foo is a popular Hakka dish of vegetables and tofu stuffed with springy fish paste. Found down an alley off of Petaling Street, Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo has a plethora of yong tau foo to choose from. Eaten either dry with a sauce, or in broth as a soup, you can’t go wrong with either.

We went for the dry version and chose a few different yong tau foo, mistakenly picking up a bitter melon! It was nice to try something different, but definitely a little bitter for our tastes! We prefer the soft eggplant, crispy fried wonton, and fish paste balls. Conveniently, you’re charged per piece of yong tau foo that you order, so you can have as much or as little as your stomach can handle.

Name: Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///terms.skinny.elated
Price: RM1.70/piece

Air Mata Kucing

If you’re craving a little something sweet to keep you going through your exploration of Petaling Street Chinatown, we recommend a quick pit stop at Air Mata Kucing for one of their refreshing mata kucing drinks.

Mata Kucing is also known as cat’s eye, and is a close relative to the plump and juicy longan. Their special mata kucing drink is quite sweet, more so than we were expecting actually, since it’s sweetened with monk fruit, which is far stronger than sucrose.

Starting up over 70 years ago, Air Mata Kucing used to serve their drink in metal bowls/cups, to drink right there and then. Over the years they’ve (unfortunately) switched to plastic, so you’ll be able to take your drink with you as you wander the streets of Chinatown.

Name: Air Mata Kucing
Address: 15, Jalan Hang Lekir, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///typhoon.latest.pirates
Price: RM4

Teh Tarik

Last but certainly not least, is something that you’ll find all over Malaysia, but is an honourable mention when you’re in Chinatown. Nestled away down Madras Lane, right across from Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo, is Kong Chai Coffee Stall. Here you can get a number of hot or cold Malaysian drinks.

Our go to and ultimate favourite Malaysian drink is teh tarik, literally translating to pulled tea.

Teh tarik is made with a strong brew of black tea combined with condensed milk. The two are added together in a cup, and are mixed by pouring, or “pulling”, the drink back and forth from one cup to another.

Not only is this process fun to watch, but it mixes the condensed milk in while also cooling down the tea and frothing it all up to create a velvety tea with the perfect drinking temperature.

Depending on your preference, you can enjoy it hot or cold. For us, on those hot Malaysian days, we prefer ours icy cold and oh so refreshing.

Name: Kong Chai Coffee Stall
Address: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
what3words: ///successor.twilight.tagging
Price: RM2.40

Petaling Street Chinatown

Some of the most popular Chinese food in Kuala Lumpur can be found in Petaling Street Chinatown. There’s so much incredible street food in Malaysia to try, and this list of the top 11 street foods to eat in Petaling Street Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur will get you more than started on your way to trying some of the best Chinese Malaysian street foods in the city.

We hope this list will be helpful for you to create a personalized street food tour of Petaling Street Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Check out our video below trying all of these top street foods to eat on Petaling Street!

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