Hawker Food: Ah Leng Char Koay Teow
Written on 6:47 PM by Penang Tua Pui
This stall has to be one of the famous char koay teow stalls in Penang, Ah Leng Char Koay Teow.
There are few indications to that: the stall has appeared in local Chinese newspaper, the price of special char koay teow can be equivalent to few plates of normal char koay teow (else how can you charge high price for char koay teow?).
Furthermore the owner puts his handphone number in case people want to put advance order. And now, this stall is highlighted by Penang Tua Pui too.
This stall is in front of Kafe Khoon Hiang along Jalan Dato Keramat. It is opposite Federal Place where Honolulu café is situated. We noticed that they have an ordering system of how each customer want their char koay teow to be.
Tam Ciak saw the owner’s daughter scribbling something on the plate as to identify the ingredients and the portion of the char koay teow.
The waiting time was somewhat long or probably we were just too hungry waiting for our turn. The portion is enough for one person or maybe less but the ingredients of the char koay teow is what we were interested in.
Regular char koay teow (RM4.50 per plate) will give you two big prawns where as the special char koay teow (RM8 per plate) gives you 4 big prawns and 2-3 pieces of mantis prawns. Add extra RM0.50 if you want duck egg char koay teow.
Though the price is considered steep for a plate of char koay teow, it is worth the money paid especially when you see the size of the prawns. They are big sized prawns, not tiny or normal sized ones. And top that up with mantis prawns for special order, the char koay teow is worth the bucks.
Ah Leng Char Koay Teow is opened daily except Thursday and from 8am till 2pm. If you are not sure of when is it available or if you want to order in advance, you can call the owner at this number, 012-4983962
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Boss in action
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OMG.... look at those prawn, so big
but are we looking for big prawn or a great CKT?
nice zooming shot on the wok! Impressive. Well some of my readers find his CKY to be normal only, just that got big prawns.
Anyway, you told me about wanting to publish a book right? I am all in!
Have never visited this place...and after looking at your post of the CKT, I will definitely make a trip there.
this is one of my favourite!! :)
hi Joan,
We're looking at both things... big prawns and great CKT too. Undeniably, those prawns are quite big.. as for great CKT, it's Penangites that make the decision as this stall can come up at one of the Chinese daily. How many CKT stalls can do that, having being reviewed in local newspaper?
Indeed, we don't find the CKT unique in terms of taste and appearance compared to others but the ingredients they used definitely worth to mention..that's why they're being reviewed at PenangTuaPui
vkeong...
Thanks for the compliments. It's Huat Koay's excellent job in taking the best shots of these photos... :):)
Yea, we do find the CKT normal as well except for the extra BIG prawns, perhaps that's his advantage...
YES!YES the book publishing still in progress. we'll let you know when we're ready to kick off this project :D
Tried before...nothin much to shout about....it taste like any otehr CKT stall around Penang......not worth the price....i would prefer to pay 4.50 at the Siam Road stall or Opp Pulau Tikus Police Station stall (got sotong some more)
A good CKT depends on what you look the criteria for: some simple koay teow fried to perfection, some with good and large ingredients, others look more on taste, smell, method etc...
This CKT stall definitely has its own fans and regulars, especially those who want to have mantis prawns as well as big prawns in their CKT...it taste normal for us too except for the big prawns but perhaps this is what it's famous for. Any fans want to comment? :)
we have our own preference too.. Growing up in Raja Uda, i always like the CKT near the famous eiu char koay stall opposite the voluntary fire engine association. The lady has been frying CKT since the olden days and now into the 2nd generation..
Fei Fei on the other hand, prefers the CKT at Anson Road where there is an old man that uses charcoal to fry the CKT, an authentic method indeed for fragrant CKT..
So want to share where's your fav CKT stall? :)
Thanks for the sharing.
The reason why Chinese hawker food skyrocketed from year to year because nowadays Chinese no longer eat to live but live to eat. Filling up the stomach is no longer the main concern but the taste and the ingredients come first.
We are part to be blame for the high price because of our willingness to pay for RM5 for a plate Char Koay Teow, adding mantis prawn, double eggs and etc. Example: the Kg Jawa (near the FIZ 2 gate) famous char koay teow starting price is RM3.30 compare to a normal wan tan mee might costs RM2.50. Why different RM0.80, because of the willingness to pay. I think this is a bit exorbitant.
Anyway, for good char koay teow, try the a tricyle stall park outside of a coffeeshop (corner lot, besides UOB bank) at Bishop Street. Try the Koay Teow Bihun, is good.
Bezita,
That's true. The demand for hawkers' food increases because of the cumbersome of people today to cook their own meals (before petrol price hike) and especially for small families, it makes more sense to eat out than to home cook.
The ripple effects after petrol price hikes continue to spiral upwards and once it's up there, the price is unlikely to come down.. Eventually the the price for a bowl or plate of food will be the same as the one in Kuala Lumpur, costing RM4,5,6 and above.
But then, the question lies..will the portion be the same?
Criz Lai,
Based on the inputs so far and our own opinions as well, we believe the taste of Penang CKT actually varies from one to another. Like we said earlier, what is it in CKT that we look for?
We don't think there's one CKT stall that will be the ultimate champion... Best of the Best CKT in Penang but it is more likely to win majority instead...
What we can say and proud to say is that CKT in Penang is much better than in most places in Malaysia... anywhere you go in Penang, you can easily find a CKT that'll taste delicious.
Maybe PenangTuaPui should come for the hunt of the Best CKT in Penang? Best of the Best? :P
Oh yea, we're still in planning stage for the book publication.. yes, you're welcome to join us :D
i agreed what Bezita saids, all is depends on "Demand & Supply", from the food till the petrol price. We force to pay expensive petrol because we need to feed our cars! yet, we are feeding those who earns billions and build mega projects on the desert! Luckily we still have the freedom and choose to pay what we prefer to eat at the valuable price. To be frank, i would not choose to eat / pay the RM8 for just only a different of prawn in the CKT. Because i wish to taste of frying Kungfu of the chef, but not the prawn.
Wow. One look and already lau noa.Most good char koay teow usually add in a lot of pork lard to strengten to the flavour. The duck egg adds kick to it too. BTW, the map images are great. Dont have to look hard for this place.
I like the anson road charcoal one, nice but need to queue.
gill gill,
no worry, you can still get a good, tasty char koay teow below RM2.50. Their kungfu not bad either :)
The char koay teow is nice but be warn on the BIG PRAWNS...these are not fresh prawns but PRAWNS that are being preserved to make it crunchy... Go to Anson Road market in the morning and inside the wet market at the fishmonger stall you would be able to see a group of people peeling such "ROTTEN" prawns. These prawns are probably from trawler boats and from the look of these big prawns, they are not fresh prawan by the look at the tail end and these are all black in colour. The whole pail is full of these prawans and the people will start peeling them off and you know what happen to the prawn shells, they will be sold off to Hokkien Mee hawker and cook the hokkien mee prawn soup. Probably, I think these are unwanted big prawns from Thailand trawlers and after peeling off the shell, these are preserved with "boric acid" to preserve the freshness look and there you got the crunchy & artificial taste of preserved prawns. If you eat smaller prawns, they would taste much better and a lot more healthier...SO DON'T BE CONNED BY THESE BIG PRAWNS THAT WILL SLOWLY KILL YOU....The Bigger the prawn & the more crunchy, the more chemical is added...Be Warned..Ask your mother and they will be able to know the taste of fresh & good prawns....
I heard of the same thing too, but what to do, tak kan I get those prawn to go to chemical lab to do the testing before I put them into our mouth?
That is the attitude of folks here and it is the tidak apa attitude of customers that hawkers nowadays are fleecing & conning us. What to do , yes we can do a lot of things as this is our money and our health that concern. Under this era all of us consumers should be educated & know what is good & bad for us.If we have more "What to do - eat lor" customers, the hawker will thus never changed as customers keep on coming to buy from them despite of all the poison they feed us.They will be laughing all the way to the bank for selling you RM5 to RM10 a plate of koay teow with preserved prawns. Then you customers still think that these crunchy, sweet & transparent BIG PRAWNS are value for money...THINK ABOUT IT. Nowadays the bigger the prawns they put in for frying a plate of char koay teow , you are all going to consume more boric acid in your stomach. Remember, European Country already banned seafood import from our country due to such contaminations and here we in Penang still say " What to do".. don't tell me the European people don't send our seafood for testing.....So be smart consumers..This is your right..
I grew up in Penang, and i consider myself a glutton and a food lover. As for this particular CKT stall, it's relatively new in the 'CKT world'. True, like many of those comments posted, Pg is definitely a CKT haven. Most stalls around the island serve up quite good CKT...be it opp. the Police Station at Pulau Tikus, Anson Road, Lrg Selamat, Sisters at the roundabout along Macalister Road, olden days A Go Go CKT at the Padang, end of Pahang Road in the late afternoon on a tricycle ( and moves infront of Ban Hin Bee in the evening ), Asia Cafe at Ayer Itam roundabout ( where they use the soft tiny kueh teow meant for KT soup ) and many more. They all have their unique tastes.
Large shrimps or mantis prawn are add-ons or simply extra ingredients which don't normally enhanced the taste but more likely to apppease an individual's yearning for the prawns.
Anyway, taste varies among individuals and it's very difficult to agree or disagree with any single person. To borrow the saying..Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, i guess Taste lies in the tongue of the diner himself/herself.
TC Low & Anonymous,
Thanks for sharing the perspective on large prawns and their preservations. It's definitely worth to share with other readers that not everything BIG will be good and not everything small will be considered the other way.
Boric acid is one of the agents used to preserve food so that they can last longer. You will likely to find them in most food today but the quantity varies as how long they need to be preserved. Besides these large prawns, the yellow mee we eat too contains boric acid (to our knowledge) as well as some other items we consume daily.. The difference again, is how much boric acid is used..
It is up to consumers whether you will continue to enjoy these food or you can choose to look for alternatives as well. For example, we know that smoking can cause lung cancer and yet we still have many smokers and despite any increase in sin tax, the number of smokers keep increasing..
Perhaps this is not the right analogy but what we're trying to say is that, some consumers are aware of it but it's their choice to continue taking something they like...
We agree with what BL Lim put it.."Taste lies in the tongue of the diner himself/herself".
Happy eating, people~! :):)
P/s: Anonymous, perhaps you would like to identify yourself with initial as we have a few "Anonymous" here and we aren't sure if you all refer to same person :)
Well, that is the eating attitude of Penangites so what else to say la - just put what is serve in the mouth as taste lies in the tongue of the person and be happy ?
Boric acid is already a banned substance in USA & Europe etc etc for many many years and only dispensed by licensed practitioner.
European Union already banned our seafood import due to ours not conforming to their Hygienic & Food standard and now we have our Health Ministry crying that our seafood manufacturers have to quickly conform to strict standard in order that we do not suffer.Eventually, please think about where will such seafood goes to - perhaps it will flood the market here as people here don't mind !!!.
Even CAP(Consumer Association of Penang) have recently announced that boric acid is found to exceed in very very high level in dumplings sold here and yet you see such stalls still driving doves of customers lining to buy poison food.
Here we have hawkers marinating or keeping their food in recycle used paint pail, letting cats licking their plates & bowls lying all over the place - on the floor etc, wiping the table with stench towel over & over again - the sticky oilly substances will never get off & if you trying squeezing this towel, brakish & grease water will come out-smell it yeak ! etc etc. and yet thousands will still swear that the best food are found at this place.
Thus nothing will ever changed as the hawkers & coffe shop will be laughing as they still will be having such good business due to the attitude thinking of the people who patronise them.
Like you, I am also a hawker food glutton and grew up in a hawker business environment but nowadays I choose the place where I would like to go & boycott those not having the necessary basic hygiene standard and not caring for the customers concern. I might be doing this singly, but I am happy that now I don't simply put what is served in my mouth.
Penang is an island and with plentiful of seafood such as freshly caught prawns available, so why must we be eating rotten preserved prawns with chemicals and paying a high exorbitant price ? Think about it !
I've been hearing positive reviews about this CKT place (big prawns calling!) but haven't got a chance to taste it. I went once at 1pm ... he was already cleaning up his stall.
My favorite CKT so far is at Bee Hooi coffee shop in Pulau Tikus. Tasty, and again, big prawns calling! (but maybe not as big as Ah Leng's)
Went there after reading few blogs about this CKT, with "high" expectation. But that would be our first and last time. We ordered 3 plates of the special CKT with duck egg. The CKT has no fragrant smell, and taste blunt. My mum didn't finish hers, my bro took a long time to finish. I think the one in Air Itam is better.
haha... i think food taste is very subjective, it may be great for one but not the others, I believe different stalls got different type of taste, some liek huge prawn, some like the burning smell, some like the "si ham"
So is depend, my fabourite one is at Anson Road one. Very nice, fried using charcoal one ....
ANd i had learn one thing about food or anything in our life, never put high expectation at all for anything, dun raising the bar too high, anything over your expectation will be a bonus.... even on movie...
So du put high hope, just give them a try of different type of taste.
the plus factor for this stall is the size of the prawn they use which are quite big and also for the mantis prawn... Other than that, this CKT is just like other regular CKT in Penang, all equally good, maybe just with slight differences.
Some ppl may have this kind of preference when it comes to CKT, thus they may find this stall to suit their taste. If you have a CKT stall you normally frequent, chances are you like its CKT best.. which is why you'll keep going back for more :)
nothing great about his CKT, besides the big prawns weren't cooked through, mine were served "C" instead of "O". so there, at RM8.50 fist and last time there!!!
Am trying to leave a comment here after many failed attempts! I love CKT lah...especially Penang's!
hi wmw,
can you tell us what problems you faced while submitting the comments here? Maybe we can look into it and fix it. Thanks :)
Hi there, I've eaten CKT at this place for a few times already, and I really like it, regardless of the size of the prawns (but it's added bonus so I'm not complaining).
I noticed that the CKT is not oily (doesn't leave streaks of oil at the base), the KT itself is soft and has a nice bite, and it's fried really well. Definitely one of my favorite CKTs. The other one is Bee Hooi coffee shop in Pulau Tikus (night time).
jgirlpg,
We tried the one at Bee Hooi too and the uncle used charcoal as well to fry the CKT, another old style CKT. And we liked the one with duck eggs.. Yummy!!
Which is better in your opinion?
Dato'Keramat one or Ah Leng one?
One problem with Ah Leng is that his business time not fix...Many times i went there disapointed...'Tutup kedai'.Geram
wow..the daughter sui cha bor also..u shud take more pic of her.. :)
The worst of the worst CKT in Pg! They fried em in mass production hence you can only expect a plate of destroyed koay teow with 2 overpriced prawns. If I wanna eat prawn only I go eat seafood la. What's the different to those economy fried koay teow where it's cooked in mass production too? The economy fried koay teow tastes better! Even without prawns!! And much more economical!! And faster q line!!!