Of Lawan Kuda's Chee Cheong Fun, Kampar's Hawker Fare, & The Slaughter

A break from the Cameron Highlands posts, giving way to photos from my stash of backlogs. Yeah, all the while watching (or rather listening to) the epic battle between our very own badminton superstar, Lee Chong Wei, against China's great wall, Lin Dan. Why bother blogging at now? Well, let's just say, it's tough watching Lee fell in the 1st game, and til now, still being "slaughtered" by Lin Dan left and right. Sigh .... Guess RM300k is adequate?

Remember the old couple's faces, as the shop has no name

Still remember The Star's Sunday Metro's recommendation of Lawan Kuda's Chee Cheong Fun (Rolled Rice Noodles)? Lawan Kuda is a small town near to Gopeng, about 30km from Ipoh.

Many may associate the name of the town with "weird" food, from fruit foxes to terrapins, and snake's blood soup to squirrels' meat. Therefore, it was an eye-opener for me of sort, reading about this stall selling Chee Cheong Fun (CCF), and supposedly quite famous for it. Suffice to say, this stall warrants a visit in my book, and the opportunity came when work took me over to Lawan Kuda.

Their homemade stuffed fish paste (Yong Tau Foo) to complement the CCF

Locating this stall was not hard. Situated on the main road of Lawan Kuda, this stall opens only a few days a week, from Thurs-Sunday (reference : Sunday Metro), from 12pm onwards. The stall is next to a Chinese medicine shop, punctuated by TWO big, colourful umbrellas. Opens only during lunch hour, we were amazed by the endless queue for the CCF once the stall started operating. Students, housewives, workers etc swarmed the stall as soon as we took our orders. It was a good thing we arrived earlier.

My plate of CCF with Curry Pork's Skins and Long Beans, and sides of Yong Tau Foo (RM4.70)

They serve the CCF with curries or plain with soy sauce, and the obvious popular choice would be the curry pork's skins. That's not all, the extensive array of Yong Tau Foo, supposedly homemade, are the perfect partners for the noodles.

The springy fish-pork balls, steamed and deep-fried varieties

So, how did the CCF fare? The flat rice noodles were indeed very smooth, served plain with NO dried shrimps unlike Ipoh's version. And fried shallots is an optional garnishing, remember to ask for them, or take them yourself from the container.

The Yong Tau Foo were passable, some hits, some misses. Particularly yummy was the deep-fried balls (fish/pork), a signature item. The curry on the other hand, disappointed us as it was plain oily. So oily in fact, that the chopsticks and plates they serve the CCF on were all greasy from the previous person's indulgence. Yeah, grab a tissue along before you tuck in.

If you're sitting at their stall's area, drinks are not served. But they can order for you from the market opposite their stall. Sugar cane juice was the beverage of the day. Diluted, not sweet, but quench our thirst nevertheless.

Kampar town, south of Ipoh

If you're going south bound, after Gopeng, you'll reach the town of Kampar after 15-20 minutes. A popular stop for tourists occupying the trunk road, Kampar is famous for a variety of food, such as the Claypot Chicken Rice, Roti Kari Ayam (Curry Chicken Bread), Ais Kacang, Lou Shu Fan (short rice noodles), and a myriad of hawker delights.

The main food court in Kampar, next to the morning market

To sample a little bit of everything, it is highly recommended that you pay a visit to the Medan Selera next to the morning market, situated on Jalan Pasar.

Memorize the stalls' number, if you can't read Chinese (like me)

With what could possibly be hundreds of stalls (OK, I'm exaggerating, but there are at least 50?) around, the area is separated into 2 sections, one serving halal food, while another with mainly Chinese stalls. Once you step into the food court, you'll be at lost for directions. There are so many stalls, with so many patrons, it is generally tough to make a decision on where to park your butt. Rule of the thumb? Sit where the crowd are. You can't go wrong. Unless you order what others are NOT ordering.

Gorgeously sinful

Stall No 42 has been serving their famous glutinous rice and yam cakes for years. The locals mostly throng the stall during breakfast hours, and the glutinous rice is a hot commodity, wiped out before lunch. So be sure to arrive early.

Savoury glutinous rice, complemented with "char siew" slices, peanuts and scallions, doused with curry (optional). Sheer bliss scooping the grains into your mouth. Simple, unpretentious, but got the job done. At roughly RM2 per plate (with curry), it was a good start to the day.

Notice The Star's coverage of this humble stall?

Still craving for more? Or looking for something lighter, and healthier? Check out this porridge stall, manned by 2 ladies. Signature item? Pork porridge.

Food for the Soul?

A bowl of smooth, creamy porridge with chunks of minced pork meat and pig's liver cost RM2.50. Though for some, all porridge tastes the same. But to differentiate a good porridge from an average one, just sip/taste the consistency, and the flavour of the grains. Here, the porridge is smooth, indicating hours of boiling, and the taste is sweet, from the meat, and probably from the stock used to cook the boiling hot concoction.

What a way to start the day ...

A good ol' bowl of pork porridge and a cup of frothy hot coffee. Subdue your hunger pangs, and the caffeine will jolt your brains into activity. But, longing for more? :)

Nyonya kuih stall, outside the food court

Buy a piece or two, or maybe three, of the sweet or savoury snack termed "Nyonya Kuih", from the stalls lining the road outside of the food court. As ration when hunger strikes, or something sweet to tempt the palate while walking/driving to your office?

Out-of-topic Rant : Geez .... As expected, the slaughter ended quick, and painless. Or painful. Malaysia lost to China 21-12, 21-8, in about 30 mins. Well, there's always another Olympics, ya?