In Penang, “char kuih kak” is a hawker dish you can find in many places. It is available at food courts and kopitiam, and even at random roadside stalls.

In the Klang Valley, however, it is usually found at pasar malam, or night markets, than anywhere else. Why this is so is unclear, but if you’re hankering for a delicious plate of this Chinese delicacy, Pasar Malam Meru in Klang serves up a mean char kuih kak.

For those who aren’t familiar with this dish, it is basically fried rice cake, usually cooked up in a large, flat frying pan with plenty of dark soy sauce, preserved turnip, garlic, egg, chilli – for those who like it spicy – and, most importantly, beansprouts.

Some places get a little fancy by adding squid or prawns.

The dish is fairly simple, and the key to how good it tastes lies purely in the consistency of the rice cake – which can’t be too hard or too soft – and, of course, the all-important “wok hei”, or “breath of the wok”.

Wok hei is usually achieved by frying on very high heat to the point where the exterior of the noodles – or rice cake, as the case may be – starts to get burnt, giving it that slightly charred and caramelised taste, while leaving the interior done just right.

With char kuih kak, the finer the rice cake is chopped into pieces and swirled with the other ingredients in the pan, the more delicious it will be.

If you’ve never tried this dish before, give it a chance the next time you head to a pasar malam, or whenever you’re in Penang.

Char kuih kak @ Pasar Malam Meru
Jalan Kedah (off Jalan Meru)
Meru, Klang

Read the original article here.

Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.