When it comes to the street food sweepstake of Malaysia, Kuching has many aces up its sleeve. Beside the peerless kolomee and Sarawak laksa (See separate posts in this site), a slew of  Kuching’s endemic dishes can send the most cynical food critics breaking into praises. Here’s a list of what we Sarawakian are so passionate about, in no particular order of preference, of course.

Beef Noodle (Kuching style)

This is actually a spin on the popular kolo mee, except slices of beef and ox tripes and beef stock take the place of the usual kolo mee’s flavoured condiments of char siew and sea food. The taste for this dish is distinctly discernable from kolo mee as the strong flavour of beef takes over. The beef soup stock is also more delicious than the plain kolo mee soup. Most Kuchingites swear by Ah Mui’s beef noodle, which he had “franchised” to his many offsprings and kins all over town, thus any beef noodle stall with the “Ah Mui Beef Noodle” signage is your assurance of the original taste of this dish (As there are several version of beef noodle, notably the Taiwanese beef noodle which has a different taste).  The original Ah Mui’s beef noodle stall is still operating in the Open Air Market, and there are at least 4 or 5 more around the city. As of writing there are several other  beef noodle outlets in town that give Ah Mui’s a run for his ;money.

Char Kueh

Literally translated, char kueh means fried pastry in local Hokkien dialect. The pastry or “kueh” is usually slabs of yam based , stir fried over a large flat frying plate with soy sauce, eggs bean sprouts and preserved salted vege (”kiam chai por”). It comes in three basic flavours, sweet or salty or a combination of both. The char kueh vendor wields two identical utensils dagger-style, one in each hand, that look like the mason’s scrappers to chop the yam cake into smaller pieces in the process of frying. The condiment dip is usually a sambal based chili mixture.

Kueh Chap

Kueh chap of Thomson Corner (Palm Raod). Cholesterol comes free with this dish, so get your statin medication ready after eating.

Sounds like a guy selling kueh? Far from it. this is a pork innards’ lovers dish. Lets look into what diabolical ingredient goes into preparation of this dish. First, the thick slabs of pig skins, translucent brownish with gigantic pores (sans the hair of course), clinging beneath this layer is an intermediate layer of glorious pork fat, the absolute no-no for health freaks but which kueh chap fan would rant to no end if they’re missing, then another layer of leaner meat underneath. Next, there is the intestine, still with its blueish tinge of viens (I suppose) and whitish lard clinging to the sides. There are blocks of lean meat of course, cut into slices. This is the best bet as they are relatively healthier (kueh chap lovers have no compunction ingesting millions of cholesterols into their system), pork knuckles with bones protruding from the meaty mass. The only stuff that’s not unhealthy is the white flat noodle (kueh tiaw) that completes this dish, and of course the tofu puff (tau hoo pok) soaked to a delicious dark colour by the soya sauce-based soup. This dish easily wins the award of the most sinful dish of Kuching. But kueh chap lovers are a bunch of brave souls for blatantly disobeying their doctors’ order to stay away from rich pork meat laden, and often risk familial discord on spats with their spouses over health issues surrounding this food.

Tomato Kueh Tiaw

Another Kuching endemic dish. this is good old fried kueh tiaw swimming in a shallow  thick soup/gravy of tomato topped with chicken meat and bean sprout and pork livers. Some tomato kueh tiaw come with so much gravy soup, a newbie often think it is a soup dish which it is not. The kueh tiaw must be thoroughly fried to a brownish tinge before the tomato gravy is pour over it, otherwise the bland kueh tiaw would be render tasteless even if the gravy is good.

Lui Cha

To the uninitiated, trying on a bowl of lui cha is a rather intimidating experience due in no small part by the green algae like vegetable topping. This is actually a traditional Hakka dish and is basically rice served with finely shredded vegetables and peanuts. By the look of it, there can only be nutrition and goodness in every bowl of lui cha. Indeed native Hakkas swear by the benefits deriving from the consumption of this dish.I did tried once and I thought it was like munching a clutch of tree leaves, perhaps the function of the peanuts is to mitigate this “greeny” taste. Get a known lui cha eater friend as a stand-in in case you decide the taste is not for you. Waste not, want not!

Balacan Bee Hoon

No place on planet earth serves this dish except good ol’ Kuching, and that’s what makes this city so special!  This dish is not mainstream food and only gets served as a “high tea” dish,  from 12.00 pm onward, but eating them for lunch in lieu of your usual chicken rice is rather unorthodox for a Kuchingite, but then what is protocol in a steaming hot food court of Kuching?  The designated and thus the “in” place for this obnoxious smelling dish is the food court at the Song Kheng Hai Ground. Obnoxious because its main flavour ingredient is the love-it-or-loath-it belacan. The bee hoon is soaked in hot water till cooked and plopped on a plate, then shreds of cucumber and pieces of cuttlefish make up the topping and finally a dark ominous liquid made of belacan is splurged on it and its done. Some newcomers take to it like duck to water, but others take a whiff and shyly declined while pinching their noses.

 Kampua Mee

Kampua mee is Sibu’s answer to Kuching’s kolo mee. This noodle dish originated from Foochow (a Chinese dialect group) dominated Sibu, a town in central Sarawak. The Foochow love their noodles done they way they like, with plenty of lard and the noodle is generally done “softer” than the kolo mee. Genuine kampua mee has only one garnishing - the razor-thin sliced pork, not necessarily char siew, but rather slices cut from slabs of lean meat boiled-cooked and then coated with red essence to make it look like char siew meat, which makes up the unmistakable flavour. Some stalls offer a side dish of pork liver soup with a dash of red wine, perfectly complimenting a good plate of kampua mee. Presentation is never a strong feature of Kuching’s street food, but any attempt to do so should be commendable as witness by the symetrical arrangement of the meat slivers.

Bah Kut Teh

Originally from the West Malaysian town of Klang, this popular dish has already found a firm footing in Kuching, if the number of this stalls is anything to go by.  In fact some shops sell exclusively Bah Kut Teh and nothing else. This dish is essentially a herbal soup of pork rib, pork innards and a sprinkling of vegetables and is best serve on boiling claypot, so on a hot afternoon, eating a bowl of bakuteh can make one ends up like being in sauna!

Chicken Rice

What Ah Mui did to the Kuching beef noodle, Ah Suan did to Chicken Rice, for when it comes to savouring this delightful rice, the latter is almost peerless. As the pioneer of chicken rice in Kuching, Ah Suan had grown and astutely franchised his popular fare all over town.  This dish depends very much on how the meat and rice are cooked and there are secret cooking processes along the way!  Some stalls have such fragrant rice that you can just eat it on its own. Ah Suan’s flagship store is near Sarawak Plaza next to Pizza Hut of Jalan Abell.  Chicken rice comes in two basic version, the white steamed chicken and the roasted chicken. “Purist” chicken rice lovers go for the “white” as this is the original recipe.  The Hainanese claim to be the masters at this dish, small wonder as the original recipe seem to have come from them. For halal eaters, the best bet is Singapore Chicken Rice, which has several outlets in and around Kuching.  The nearest in town is opposite the Malaysian Airlines office along Jalan Song Thian Cheok.

Roti Canai

Another Malaysian all-time favourite one can find in almost all the food court, but quality differ.  As the roti is quite standard amongst all the stalls, with the basic ingredient of flour, it is the dish of dip, it’s the accompanying curry gravy that make or break the dish. Some stall give a watery gravy with little dhall, while some give thicker gravy and even with some sambal in it. Roti Canai comes in many version, with egg, onion, beef, tuna or a combination of all or just plain kosong, which is the most popular. 

Mee Jawa

Especially popular among the Malays and are found mostly in Satok area and its vicinity. This is yellow noodle in rich curry flavoured gravy topped with the usual garnishings of sliced hard boiled egg, chicken and even satay.

Popiah

A delightful side dish and favourite of weight watchers, this is a vegetable based dish of bangkuang, carrots, bean sprout, tofu, meat (chicken, pork or prawn) packed into spring rolled style with a wafer thin skin made of flour.  It is then cut into bite-size sections and served with sweet soya sauce based gravy or chilli sauce.  Another version of this is the deep fried popiah, which is equally delicious.

Satay

Arguably one of the best loved visitors’ food of Malaysia,  if its disappearing rate at all hotel buffet tables is of any guide! This irresistable eat are found only at designated eatery as the smoke from barbecuing them get into your eyes even if you sit quite a distance from the grill.  There are beef, chicken and mutton satay of which beef is the most popular.  Again, the peanut and curry gravy can make or break the dish.  In Kuching any satay stall with the signage ” Satay Rex” is a good bet. The reason being that during the heydays of Rex cinema in Wayang Street, a numbers of  reputable satay stalls operated near the building. But after the cinema was demolished all the satay sellers spread all over town and continued to call themselves “Satay Rex”.  Thus it will not be a surprise to see some dubious signage claiming to be so, and the only way is to ask, in a nice way of course!

Barbeque fish with sambal

You can only find this dish in the evening and not every food court has them. But it rates a mention because this dish is really worth trying if only because you have tried all else and want something different.  The fish are mostly pomfret and small stingray-like fish fried on a banana leave on top of a flat pan. Many a curious diners would stop and watch (and smell)  while the dish is being prepare right in front of them. When the fish is done,  sambal gravy is spread on top of the fish, with a lime cut to drip its juice for extra zest. The portion are not heavy even if eaten with a bowl of rice and there is also a choice of ring cuttle dish (sotong) done in the same style.

Meat ball porridge

Do not write off this most humble of dishes! Many people think taking porridge at foodcourt indicate the eaters are either sick or senior citizen with weak stomach, in other words - uncool. But a coffee shop in Padungan Road selling porridge debunk this notion every day by 11 am for ages. Newbies flock there on being told the congees are charcoal cooked and many became convert!  Another awesome seller is the stall at Ling Loong Cafe, Simpang Tiga, go early in the morning, for the sellers packs up by mid morning too.  The waiter, a spritely fifty-something literally runs from table to table to cope with the orders!

Wan ton

This is meatball wrapped up in translucent flour skin and normally serves as a soup dish. A light eater’s favourite dish,  this is a distant cousin of the famous Chinese “shui chiaw” of which in recent years has also found its way into Kuching’s food scene too.  A fried version of the shui chiaw is the “wo tieh” serve with prepared vinegar.

Yong Tau Hoo

Another Hakka invention I was told. This is a soup dish with white tofu and deep fried tofu stuff with fish ball paste. For variety, eggplant and lady fingers and bitter gourd are added to the menu.  The soup base is usually preserved vegetable thus giving it the unique taste. Glass vermicilli (tang hoon) usually make up the base as fillers.

Fried Kueh Tiaw or Char Kueh Tiaw

Char kueh tiaw is a generic term for fried white flat noodle found throughout Malaysia and Singapore, but prefix the word “Penang” to it and the phrase take a whole different meaning. For this is the famous dish that supposedly originated from this culinary heaven of an island..  Many a nostalgic Malaysian living oversea are known to make a beeline for this food the moment they arrive home. But in Kuching, char kueh tiaw stalls without the word “Penang” are basically dishing out the same fare. Only the very discerning are able to tell the difference between the two. Perhaps those with the word “Penang” are actually Penangites running the store. The local version of this dish is simply fried with eggs and “koo chai” (strand vege) with a final sprinkling of bean sprout before the noodle is scooped out from the frying wok. In some food court, where the stalls are quite near to the customers’ tables, some cooks put up showmanship (and publicity & advertisement) by frying till the wok is dramatically “on fire” and clanging the wok with the metal scooper loudly. Char kueh tiaw also comes in various versions, some come with added clam and prawn, some are cooked “sweet” or “salty”, others are fried with belacan sambal, a pungent and fiery local condiment many foreigners may find repugnant. For good old local Kuching char kueh tiaw, go to the popular tried-and-tested stalls at Hui Sing Garden.

Salad chicken rice

Kuching hawkers are an innovative bunch. Just when you thought there are no other of spinning the respectable chicken rice, some creative chicken rice sellers started toying with the idea of using the poultry ala Kentucky Fried Chicken to go with their specially cooked rice, with a little twist here by adding some potatoes chips at the side and a dollop of western salad and voila! Salad Chicken Rice is born, and mind you this has caught on and you can see quite a number of such stalls at food courts and kopitiams. Hmmm… wonder what would the Colonel has to say if he visits Kuching.

Clay pot noodle

Preparation for a claypot dish is quite a hassle and this explain why it has not gone mainstream dispite being one of the well loved mode of cooking.  In the case of this dish, the noodle has to undergo  a deep fried process to make it crispy and stored in air tight tins, only to be retrieve when it is ready to cook.  A well prepared pot of claypot noodle is a most heart warming fare in the cold early morning, but order it in the midday heat  may leave you drenched in sweat.  Not many food courts feature this dish, but watch out for bakuteh sellers, they may sell this dish on the side. A good one is at King’s Centre near the Smart Supermarket. For the uninitiated, do be careful when the bowl is place in front of you, this is a mini cauldron of bubbling soup and a slight touch of its side can give a nasty scalding.

Fruit rojak

This 100% fat-free, cholesterol-free and healthy dessert is just the right stuff after all the binge eating around town! Cut pieces of pineapple, cucumber, bangkuang, tofu puffs, bean sprout and sometimes unexpected addditions like yew cha kueh and “water jambu” are thrown in as bonus. Then they are stirred in with dark prawn paste and without any cooking. There are actually two types of prawn paste, one is the “gooey” sticky type which in my opinion is like licking glue. Unfortunately you cant tell the different just by looking at them before ordering. A simple guide is to look for “Penang” (again?) fruit rojak where the prawn paste is more agreeable: http://eatingoutkuching.com/penang-rojak-peach-garden-jalan-song/    Fruit rojak are available at many “high tea” joints like Boon Khai and Old Rex Cafe and also at Song Kheng Hai food court.

Jiu hoo eng chye (cuttlefish with kangkong)

Definitely one of the lesser known dish this city has on offer, but nevertheless a culinary gem that a visitor should try. This is cuttlefish, that flesh colour, slippery with suction cups studded tentacles creature of the sea, soaked in boiling water together with the accompanying kangkong until it is cooked.  It is then cut into bite size pieces and serve by dipping into a specially prepared sauce of soya sauce, vinegar, sugar, gum (for stickiness), chili, and crushed peanuts. This is one sauce that always makes my saliva wells up inside my mouth just by thinking about it! However not many food courts or kopitiams feature this dish but the best stalls selling it can be found at the food court of the Song Kheng Hai ground behind Jalan Padungan, which by the way also sell the (in)famous Belacan Bee Hoon. As this is also a “high tea” dish (like belacan bee hoon), follow the crowd and go in the afternoon. Ordering candol or ABC (Shave ice with assortment of green jelly, red beans etc) is almost de rigeur. Ordering a hot drink like coffee to go with this dish in this joint is totally “un-cool”!

Cucur udang (prawn fritters)

Together with Belacan Bee Hoon, Jiu Hoo Eng Chai and Fruit Rojak, Cucur udang (prawn fritters in Malay) is the quinessential high tea item. For Kuchingite  who miss their lunch, cruising around town for a chow after 2 pm may be wasting fuel and time, most of the good stalls are packing up for the day, while stragglers stalls are food with a big question mark on their tastiness. This is where cucur udang stalls come to the rescue.  This prawn fritters comes with choices like flat slices of deep fried potatoes, yam and some time skewers of fish balls, slabs of cut deep fried tofu served with chili sauce topped with crush and pounded peanuts. Famous cucur udang outlets are around Satok area and Rubber Road.  Mention “Old Rex Cucur Udang” to knowledgeable eaters and their eyes will light up.  Boon Kai Refreshment Centre is another popular high tea outlet. Again, ordering ABC or candol to wash them down your system is almost mandatory.

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