Penang Fried Kway Teow – Smooth Kway Teow at Upper Boon Keng Food Centre

I was lamenting the rarity of good Penang Char Kway Teow in Singapore when my friend recommended a place in Upper Boon Keng Food Centre.

The stall name is literally what the stall sells. There are $3 and $4 portions, and you can, of course, decide if you like your kway teow to be fried with chilli. Ye Zi, the shop owner, runs the stall herself. That might not sound that impressive at all, but do you know that Ye Zi is 74 years old? Now, are you amazed? I sure am! Oh, there’s one thing you must note, Ye Zi doesn’t allow customers to have her char kway teow without bean sprouts, so respect the elderly okay?

I caught a whiff of the Penang Char Kway Teow ($3) even before the plate reached me. Could this finally be the plate that satisfy my cravings?

It’s hard to describe that feeling when you finally get what you’ve been searching for.

I stuffed my face with heaps of smooth kway teow quickly, and every bite just got more delicious. The lovely wok hei wasn’t too overwhelming, and the kway teow wasn’t too oily. It didn’t feel heavy at all! I loved that the plate came with quite a substantial amount of egg.

Ye Zi includes prawns, Lap cheong (Chinese sausage), eggs, vegetables and bean sprouts in her char kway teow. The prawns were rather small but they were crunchy and flavorful. The lap cheong gave the dish a nice sweetness which might not cater to every tastebud but I enjoyed it very much. I finished my $3 plate in no time!

Ye Zi shared that she didn’t always cook a good plate of Penang char kway teow. While she was still learning the ropes 30 years ago, things were bad. She would fall asleep in her own stall as there were virtually no customers. This worried her tremendously. She had to pay rent, utility bills and spend on her ingredients. It was a tough time. Things changed a few months later, after she met her benefactor who amended her recipe as well as offered suggestions.

Revitalized, the stall slowly picked up momentum, and now has a loyal customer base comprising friends, taxi drivers and residents in the area. Ye Zi remains grateful to her benefactor who propelled her to success.

I guess I should thank him as well, for this delicious plate of char kway teow.

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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