Dough Story: In Ulu Yam, It's All About the Noodles

In Ulu Yam, in a timeworn Chinese coffeeshop next to a rubber sap collection depot, we found noodle heaven.

At Kedai Kopi Hook Choon Kee, magic is made in an ample but basic kitchen where shafts of sunlight are suspended in clouds of vaporized cooking oil that rise from giant woks.

Hook Choon Kee is a third-generation enterprise. The shop was opened in the early 1900s by this woman's grandfather. She and her husband have been running the place since he passed away in 1994.

The family is known for its loh mee - wheat noodles in a dark gravy thick with strands of cooked egg and lightly soured with black vinegar. Arrive around noon on a weekend and watch the parade of cars that disgorge families into a restaurant across the street, where a loh mee competitor operates offers al fresco and air-conditioned seating. Register that Hook Choon Kee is almost empty, and wonder if you're in the right place.

Then sit back and wait, as regulars arrive by foot and by bicycle and, only occasionally, by car. These aren't out-of-towners. Many of them don't even bother waiting to place an order. They walk straight back into the kitchen and help themselves to lunch.

Trust the locals.

The sparkle of Hook Choon Kee's loh mee is its noodles, made in small batches back in that atmospheric kitchen several times a day.

They're simply flour and water, nothing else, mixed together by the man of the house at a low work table of wooden planks that bend under the weight of his kneading. He flattens the dough by hand into a round loaf and then, with the help of his elder son, passes it again and again through the rollers of a flour-coated hand-cranked press. As the dough becomes thinner and thinner, and longer and longer, the noodle maker sprinkles it with flour to save it from the rollers.

Finally, what was a dough loaf has become a thin dough sheet. He folds it back and forth on itself and then cleavers it into thickish strands.

Another batch ready for the pot.

At the stove, his wife makes each massive bowl of loh mee to order, chopping ginger and pork, boiling greens, breaking eggs, adding soy and vinegar.

The gravy is thick but not gloppy, slightly sweet but tempered by vinegar. It's perhaps not sour enough for us, but the fine, silky-chewy texture of noodles made probably not more than half an hour before they found their way into our order of loh mee more than makes up for it.

Eateries serving loh mee often offer deep-fried fish cake as well. This one is skillfully fried, with a decently crispy coating and not-too-bouncy texture. But it's the loh mee that holds our attention. 

That, and Hook Choon Kee's exquisite sambal, with an intriguing richness that our dining companions guessed might originate in taucu (fermented soy beans). No, the owner informed us, this slightly tart and notably spicy concoction owes its deliciousness simply to onions, garlic, and dried chilies. We took home a bagful, dipped up from a huge urn in the kitchen.

Hook Choon Kee is - no exaggeration - an Ulu Yam institution.

Do EatingAsia readers tire of reading about places like this, spots that haven't changed a thing for years? We hope not. Because we'll never weary of extolling the virtues of eateries like Hook Choon Kee, where food is prepared with care, the way it should be, the way it has been for decades.

Thanks to our friend S and the KL food blogger who led us on this excursion.

Hook Choon Kee Kedai Kopi Dan Makanan, No. 22 Jalan Besar, Ulu Yam Lama, Batang Kali (Ulu Yam is about an hour's drive from KL. You can't miss the main road; Hook Choon Kee sits right on it.) H/P: 012-676-8380, 012-667-2383, 012-979-3273. The shop also serves the noodles in broth with greens and an egg (sang mee), and serves a few stir-fried dishes, including frog, as well.

Comments

[Jem]

"Tire about reading places like this"? Are you serious? In fact, couldn't get enough of it. Sort of an eye opener on things that have become rather mundane to the eyes of the old.

Keep doing what you do best!

[Tze How]

Good day. Wow, looks great and certainly a big bowl of noodles.

I have some more infor on the Sarawak kolo mee. I tried last weekend and this version is most close to Kuching version.

Try it out if you free. This time I note down the address (hope i get it right :P)
Restaurant Strawberry,
Puchong Jalan Puteri,
Bandar Puchong, 47100 Puchong.

Again, really really feels satisfying after read your blog. Keep updating!

[wmw]

Lovely pics of "behind-the-food"!

[CW]

I would never tire of reading your posts! Keep 'em coming! (my only problem is my envy at the fact that you get to explore and enjoy such great eateries and meals...)

[ilva]

Before reading and looking at this post I was absolutely full, no hunger whatsoever, and now I just want to take the next plane over to you to eat - you've done it again!

[Tammy]

Tired? No. This is one of many reasons I love your blog. It's one of my faves.

[James]

Today is officially the most depressing day of the year in England - where do I turn to, to lift that depression? You have succeeded yet again in transporting me for to places I'd love to go to and food I'm slavering for.

[magpie]

If, as they say, Marco Polo discovered noodles in China then clearly he discovered the hand-crank pasta machine in Malaysia. This is exactly how proper tagliatelle is made.

[Rabbit]

I don't think readers would much prefer stories on another Starbucks branch. Kudos to both you and Dave for giving us an access to these wonderful gems which remind us of our roots untouched by the ever-changing cyber/technological world we now live in.

[toniXe]

Many claim that Ulu Yam's lor mee is the best anywhere !

But I would recommend u 2 more must-tries similar yet no less slurpy noodle versions in

Yong Peng, Johore
Kg Koh, Sitiawan

happy eating !

[Chubbypanda]

Tire of reports about good mom & pops? Never!

I live an area where mom & pops have to struggle daily against the relentless encroachment of corporate eateries. It does my heart good to read about small, family-run eateries that have been around for generations and evoked rich memories of childhood summers in Taiwan.

Thanks and keep it up!

[Mags]

Tire of stories like this?

Absolutely not.

You make me want to book a flight to Asia right now.

Ever travel/eat in the Philippines?

[Robyn]

Thanks everyone - we just love doing these kinds of posts so we're glad to know there's an audience.

Tze How and ToniXe, thanks for the recommendations. They go on our list of 'must-trys' which, by the way, is impossible long given that there are only 3 meals in the day.

magpie -- interesting. ;-) I never saw one of these machines in China though when we were there I wasn't quite as fixated on food. Lots of handmade noodles there though.

Mags -- in fact, we are headed to Manila next wk for 9 days of food, photography, and 'research' (it's a rough job but somebody's gotta do it). We're very excited. Stay tuned! And send along recommendations, if you like.

[Rasa Malaysia]

KL's loh mee does seem a little different from Penang's, but the fact that the noodles are hand-made, I believe you can't find it anywhere in Penang.

[lee]

No way! I only hope that I'll be lucky enough to visit some of these joints myself.

[MB]

To answer the rhetorical with the rhetorical, do we tire of the intrepid adventures of our fellow foodies in a faraway land?

Keep up the excellent work, and I hope you publish a book soon!!!

[Phil]

I never tire of fresh noodle stories - it makes me very driven to get to KL sooner. Look forward to coverage from Manila - I'm intrigued by Philipino food, but literally know nothing about it.

[Tom]

Fantastic post, please keep them coming!

[plume]

Your photos are so incredible!
Each one is a work of art, composition, light, everything.
I'm not fond of traveling but I love to travel in front of your blog.