One of the culinary world’s flamboyant fashion icons, kuey teow is celebrated for its talent for pioneering a diverse range of styles. From its extravagant, red carpet Cantonese Kuey Teow look; to its more casual, girl-next-door Penang Char Kuey Teow ensemble – the flat rice noodle is a master of guises. My favourite ‘outfit’ comes from its vintage Malay collection – Malay-style Wet Char Kuey Teow, which for me, never goes out of style. When I came across a Facebook post about Tanjung Malim’s new Jenun Mini Food Court and its trending Wet Char Kuey Teow stall recently, I made a beeline for the eatery to try their spotlighted dish on for size.
A wall-less, side-of-the road structure striking a pose in a semi-rural part of town, Jenun Mini Food Court charms patrons with its in-vogue understated appearance, and all-the-rage semi-rustic locale. Though accessorized with a string of stalls serving gems such as Laksa, Keropok Lekor, Nasi Lemak, Satay, local-style Burgers and Air Batu Campur, the food establishment’s signature bauble is its Wet Char Kuey Teow – and I was ready for a fitting/feeding.
Within 10 minutes of placing my order, a sexy, photogenic head-turner of a dish sashayed its way onto my table. Throwing shade on all other Instagrammed gastroporn stars, the Wet Char Kuey Teow earned full marks for catwalk-ready presentation. Massively plus-sized (I like my meals full-figured and curvy), the portion was magnificently generous, considering its bargain basement RM4 price tag. But would my palate be as gratified as my wallet and sense of aesthetics?
Entwined with the lovely ribbons of kuey teow was a flirtatious mix of cockles, scallion leaves, bean sprouts, fragments of egg and two siren-red, lorry-sized prawns. The patently fresh ingredients swam in a thick, viscous, metallic-brown gravy, which, upon first sip, handily conquered my relatively sophisticated, been-there-downed-that palate. Piquant, full-bodied and just the right level of roaring-fire spicy, the gravy was liquid magnificence.
Not to be outdone, each of the ingredients shone with their own blazing awesomeness – the mammoth prawns were fresh, succulent and ambrosial; the cockles were small, exploding grenades of juiciness and flavour; the sprouts and leaves were satisfyingly crunchy and tasty; and the star of the show – the kuey teow itself – was moist, springy, tender and utterly delicious. Daring to tamper with near-perfection, I sprinkled the dish with complementary slices of pickled bird’s eye chili – and the overall effect was gastronomic Nirvana. I’ve eaten my way through the length and breadth of Malaysia, and had much, much more than my fair share of Wet Char Kuey Teow – and Jenun Mini Food Court’s concoction was among the best I had ever had the pleasure of brutally ravishing. Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
Jenun Mini Food Court’s Wet Char Kuew Teow stall
Jalan Ketoyong (adjacent to Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanjung Malim)
35900, Tanjung Malim, Perak
Hours: 6pm to 2am daily
*Based on an article published by militant foodie, omnipresent shutter bug, indefatigable traveler and bionic blogger, Venoth Nathan, in Venoth’s Culinary Adventure. Images are courtesy of http://venoth.blogspot.my/.