LOOKS like I have plenty more exploring to do in Klang, a town that never fails to surprise me in the food department. Just when I thought I’d tried most of the good food there, I was introduced to more food places by Rif and another friend on separate visits.
I love soups and gravy, and more often than not, I would finish the broth faster than the noodles or rice. This is one of the reasons I prefer soup bak kut teh to the dry one.
Yap Beng Bak Kut Teh is known for both its dry and soup bak kut teh so it made sense to order both versions. For the uninitiated, bak kut teh is a Hokkien soup of pork meat (spare ribs and pork belly), pork offal, beancurd and mushrooms in a herbal, almost medicinal broth.
The soup bak kut teh (RM9 per portion) at Yap Beng had a good balance of flavours and aroma. The broth was neither too watery nor thick and had a lovely herbal fragrance without being overpowering. Each spoonful had just enough oomph and I had to stop myself from drinking all the soup straight from the claypot. For soup hogs like me, the shop uncle is willing to give a refill if you smile and ask him politely.
The pork belly was meltingly tender and paired nicely with the herbal broth. Even the pork ribs were tasty and fell off the bone. I also enjoyed the tofu puffs which were chewy yet airy in the centre. A pity they ran out of oil crullers (yau char kwai) and it was only 11.30am when we arrived! I guess it’s best to go early or bring your own crullers.
To me, the dry bak kut teh (RM18) was the highlight of our lunch. This dish comprised tender pork belly slices, okra and red chilli, cooked with dark soy sauce, Chinese medicinal herbs and possibly some dried cuttlefish for extra aroma. The dark soy sauce glaze was cooked to a caramelized state and well-coated the fatty pork belly. It was slightly spicy from the dried chilli and rich in flavour. I used my spoon to scrape the remaining savoury-sweet gravy from the bottom of the claypot.
Lunch came up to slightly over RM30 which was pretty reasonable in my book seeing how they were pretty generous with the meat.
Yap Beng Bak Kut Teh (non-halal), Jalan Mesra, Taman Chi Leong,Port Klang, Selangor. GPS Coordinates: N 3 00.873, E 101 25.450
Special fried chicken
On a subsequent visit to Klang, Rif and I were introduced to the famous Klang Fried Chicken by Ken, who suggested a trip there after our brunch in PJ Old Town. I’ve always like fried chicken and the first thing I would want after a bad day is good fried chicken.
The fried chicken stall is Klang is situated in a restaurant called Kedai Makanan & Minuman Yao Yao Ping. Each piece is priced from RM2.40 onwards, depending on the parts you select. Just place your orders at the stall and take a seat inside the restaurant, which has air conditioning.
The chicken pieces were seasoned, coated in batter and then deep-fried, resulting in their light-browned, crunchy crust and tender, juicy meat. My fried chicken thigh (RM2.70) was especially juicy with a smooth and meaty texture. What I liked about the Klang Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) was how its skin remained crispy and light even after 15 minutes. Good stuff. If you’re one of those health-conscious people who refuse to eat deep-fried items, you’re missing out on good fried chicken. I’m not asking you to eat fried chicken every day (you’ll probably shorten your life by 10 years), but there’s no harm indulging in some once in a blue moon.
Besides the fried chicken, you can also try the Yao Yao Ping (RM1.50 per cup), the Malaysian version of an ice blended beverage. There are a few flavours to choose from – red bean, cendol, bubur cha cha, kedondong, mango, pineapple, watermelon, sour plum and lemon – and the flavours change every now and then. You can mix the flavours to create your personalized ice blended but don’t overdo it as the taste might not be as palatable as you thought. I chose to mix the cendol and bubur cha cha ice blended.
Nothing fantastic but it was very refreshing on that hot afternoon. I reckon it tasted like a slurpee with local flavours and wouldn’t mind having it again.
Klang Fried Chicken & Yao Yao Ping (pork-free), 1503B Jalan Young, Pandamaran, Klang, Selangor. GPS Coordinates: N 3 00.672, E 101 25.248. Opens: Noon to 7pm
If you have any food recommendations for Tiong Sue Lynn, email her at bangsarbabe@gmail.com. Follow her food updates on her blog at www.bangsarbabe.com or tweet her at twitter.com/bangsarbabe.
