Duck egg char koay teow

I first stumbled upon duck egg char koay teow several months ago in a coffee shop in Subang Jaya. But I did not think very much about it. Until I saw it in another shop in PJ. Then my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a try.

The shop where I first saw the duck eggs was New Apollos coffee shop in USJ 4. It is a corner shop on Jalan USJ 4/6B, off Persiaran Tujuan.

It is an ordinary looking CKT stall. Apparently it started as such.

Then the guy started to offer duck eggs in his CKT. It got popular and he made a specialty out of that. The signboard above his stall has an added-on poster promoting his duck eggs. And a cutting of a newspaper article which he said was done without him even knowing about it.

I do not have much experience on duck eggs, so I really do not know how they compared to chicken eggs when fried or boiled.

But in CKT, duck eggs provide a distinct aroma that is very pleasant and I liked it. The guy at New Apollos made a creditable plate of CKT. The texture of the noodle, as stated in the newspaper cutting, was creamy. It was unmistakably different from chicken egg. However, I think he added "choy poh" (菜宝) - a preserved vegetable) into his CKT and I didn't quite like the flavor of that. Still overall, I enjoyed my first experience of this duck egg CKT.

 

Away from Subang Jaya, the other place that I had duck egg CKT was in Kelana Jaya, PJ. It was in Lin coffee shop on Jalan SS7/13B, off Jalan SS7/13. This is also a corner shop in the location where the demolished Kampung-ku seafood restaurant used to be, just outside the Kelana Jaya waterfront.

The stall is owned by a guy named Jasmi. I don't know what his ethnic origin is. I forgot to ask him. He looked like Chinese, but when I talked to him in Cantonese, he couldn't understand a word I said. We ended up communicating in English. From his slang, I think he is from East Malaysia.

He told me that his duck egg CKT is very popular among his regular customers. I asked him where he got the idea to put duck eggs into his CKT, he said his customers asked for it. When I told him that there was another place in Subang Jaya serving the same, he looked rather surprised. He thought he was the only one around selling CKT with duck eggs. He believed duck egg CKT originated from Penang. Penang folks - any idea? I personally have not encountered duck egg CKT in Penang on my many trips there.

Jasmi's CKT had the same distinct duck egg aroma and creamy texture as the stall in New Apollos. But I liked Jasmi's better. It was somehow more fragrant. It did not have the taste of choy poh (菜宝). Also, Jasmi served his CKT with a small plate of sambal belacan. It was a great complement. 

The duck egg CKT did not come cheap. Both places charged RM 5.00 for their plate. Normal chicken egg CKT is only RM 4.00. The duck egg is RM 1.00 more. Quite a price to pay for just a duck egg.

So far, these are the only 2 places I know that serve this deviant popular Malaysian culinary icon. Is duck egg CKT set to stay? Will the popularity spread? Why not? It tasted very good. I like it and I believe it so will a lot of other Malaysians.

Char koay teow in Air Itam

Foodwise, Air Itam in Penang is well known for the laksa. There is however a char koay teow stall that is apparently quite popular among Air Itam folks.

We went there for breakfast one day. The stall is located in a coffee shop called Restoran Lasia which is along Jalan Air Itam, about 100 meters from the Air Itam Maybank. If you drive along Jalan Air Itam towards Kek Lok Si, the shop is on your left and is the last coffee shop before the Penang Hill round-about. It is next to a Chinese primary school.

It is a typical Chinese coffee shop but is owned and operated by an Indian gentleman. The are several stalls in the shop. The char koay teow appeared to be the most in demand. The coffee in the shop is quite good. If you get there, ask for Kopi Cikgu - kopi si kau tarik jae which is roughly translated to be thick coffee with evaporated milk, less sugar and tarik. It is the favorite beverage of my brother-in-law who is also a teacher in the nearby school.

As we sat and waited for our food, the aroma of the char koay teow prevailed in the shop. There was the distinct smell of pork lard. Char koay teow in Penang is always fried with lard, unlike those in KL and PJ. I guess that is why it is so good there.

 

The char koay teow arrived after about 15 minutes, quite long considering that there was not many people then. The koay teow is individually fried. The seller does not mass cook. Each plated is by itself.

The portion was quite small. If you are a good eater, you will probably require a second. Two large shrimps dominated the plate. There was the usual see hum, taugeh, koo chai (chives) and of course egg. The char koay teow was OK. The taste was really not bad. But I found the koay teow rather soggy. I would prefer my koay teow to be drier. I would not consider the char koay teow fantastic. I think there are better else where in Penang.

 

But do not just take my words. Go and try it. My not-so-fantastic experience was probably because of a saturation of char koay teow when I was in Penang. There must be a reason why it is so popular in Air Itam in spite of the price, which is rather high. It is RM5.00 for the small plate - up from RM4.50 not too long ago. At RM5.00, it is apparently still not the most expensive in Penang. I was told there is another stall, also in a coffee shop, that sells for RM7.00 per plate. I knew char koay teow in Penang is good. I did not know it can be so expensive. I have to try the RM7.00 one. Perhaps the next Penang visit. And if I do, I will tell you about it.