Koay Teow Th'ng

When people talk about Penang hawker food, they often refer to the ones on the island while many really good food places on the mainland part of the state were forgotten or given a miss. So, I am introducing another great place for a local, common hawker fare, Koay Teow Th'ng at the mainland.

Restoran Lin is infamous for its wonderfully tasty Koay Teow Th'ng. So much so that the old-style coffee shop it is based at is now renovated into an air-conditioned, modern restaurant setting! Previously, it was more of a Koay Teow Th'ng stall but now it is a brand-new concept type restaurant.

People in Butterworth often talk about this place when it comes to Koay Teow Th'ng.

So, what is so good about the Koay Teow Th'ng here?

For one thing, the soup is really tasty and not so oily like most Koay Teow Th'ng usually are.

The flat rice noodles or koay teow used are smooth, soft and almost silky that it deliciously slides down your throat.

The fish balls are juicy, springy at the right consistency and does not taste like stale fish.

For someone who is not into soup-based food, I really do like the Koay Teow Th'ng here. Just so you know, I don't eat or order Koay Teow Th'ng much unless it is really, really good and fits my taste. In my experience, most Koay Teow Th'ng I tasted were either too bland or too oily. The one sold at this restaurant may not be a perfect 10 but it is good enough to warrant my nod of approval.

This restaurant also offers a variety of side dishes like steamed chicken (pak cham kai / pek cham kay), fishball soup, blanched vegetables (yau choi) and other types of noodles in place of the Koay Teow.

Prices are from RM2.50 each bowl/ RM5 per plate, they have a complete menu listing out the items they offer and the prices unlike most hawker stall-based coffee shops where you have to guess at the prices.

Rating: 7 /10

The venue:

Restoran Lin

8 & 10, Lorong Ceri 6,

Taman Aman Jaya

12300 Raja Uda

Tel: 04-3330216

Operating hours: Open daily - 7.30am - 5pm & 7.30pm - 1am.

Cook your own Koay Teow Th'ng

If you do not like to eat out, you can also make your own Koay Teow Th'ng as it isn't all that difficult.

Here is a simple Koay Teow Th'ng recipe:

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

500g pork ribs (optional)

salt to taste

packaged koay teow (flat noodles) which can be bought from supermarkets

garlic oil

fish balls

fish cake

spring onion, chopped

chili padi

chicken gizzards (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil water in a stock pot and place the chicken and the pork ribs in. Let it simmer over low fire for about 40 minutes or so.

2. Take out the chicken and pork ribs. Remove the meat from the bones and set aside. Place the bones back into the pot and let it simmer for another 30 minutes or so.

3. Dish out the bones and discard. Put in the gizzards, fishballs and fishcake. Remove it when cooked and set aside.

4. Remove pot from heat and sieve the soup with a muslin cloth (or cheese cloth) if you want a clear soup.

5. Rinse the pot and pour the soup back into it. Add salt according to taste (usually 1 tsp is good enough) and you can also add a dash of pepper and 1 tsp fish sauce. Keep it hot over low fire.

6. Shred the chicken meat and pork you had removed earlier. Slice the fish cake and chicken gizzards too.

7. Scald the flat noodles in a boiling pan of hot water and place it in a bowl. Add the meat, fish cake, fish balls and gizzards. Pour in the soup.

8. Garnish with spring onions, cut chili padi and add some of the garlic oil.

So there you are, your very own home cooked Koay Teow Th'ng. Alternatively, instead of pork ribs, you could use duck. Enjoy!