Beehoon Breakfast

It's a Saturday morning in Penang and we're on a mission.

Back in June we walked up to this Nyonya kuih vendor's stall two mornings in a row, only to be told 'sold out'. Today, taking no chances, we arrive well before eight and are rewarded with two servings of kerabu beehoon, a tangle of rice vermicelli tossed with sambal belacan, calamansi juice, and chopped herbs.

What's sold here isn't made by the vendor himself, but by an elderly Nyonya lady who learned to make the kerabu from her mother-in-law. The sweet kuih and bak chang (leaf-wrapped rice dumplings) also on offer here look tempting, but we know what we came for and we're sticking with it.

Kerabu beehoon appeals to many of our culinary personalities. The chili hounds in us adores its heat (this version's is unusually high on the Scoville scale), while our Thai food-loving side is taken by its sweet-sour-salty calamansi juice dressing. As noodle heads, we admire the springy, al dente texture of its beehoon. But perhaps more than anything else, it's this kerabu's pungently pervading sambal belacan-ness that makes the fan of fishy flavors in us swoon.

Practically speaking -as Westerners who have never really acclimated to Malaysia's sticky heat - we can't rate highly enough a noodle that packs a whollop of flavor without also delivering a faceful of steam. And let's not forget that we're in Penang, where limiting oneself to three meals a day is akin to heresy. Kerabu beehoon's light, almost salad-like nature makes for maximum enjoyment with limited impact upon the appetite.

This version is a fine one, miles ahead of another we sampled last June elsewhere in Penang, better even than the one served from an otherwise stellar Nyonya stall we'll contentedly graze from in just another hour or so. The noodles, though minimally dressed, are fragrant with belacan and calamansi lime and boast herbal notes of torch ginger flower and mint. The flavors dance on our tongues (and continue to do so even after we're finished, thanks to chilies), leaving us both sated and wishing for more.

Our moans of pleasured surprise inspire amusement among a few regulars at the next table. Behind the counter of the coffee shop that generously supplied us with chopsticks, the proprietor thoroughly enjoys us enjoying our beehoon.

Kerabu beehoon at Nyonya kuih stall, in front of Hup Guan Cafe, 46 Jalan Cantonment, Penang. 7a-noon or until sold out. Closed Monday.

Comments

[bayi]

The cup of coffee looks more appealing to me. Not that the bee hoon is no good but I like to drink coffee like this at the shops. :)

[Nate]

Robyn,

Another great post! Such a simple yet sublime meal (pun intended). You've flung another craving!

[Mama Bok]

I love beehoon..! and spicy ones..?? yums..!

[Robyn]

Bayi - the great thing (one of the great things) abt traveling in Malaysia - you're never far from a great cup of coffee! We too love the thick coffee served up in these sorts of Chinese coffee shops.

Nate - thanks. This dish was a surprise. Can't believe it took us two years to get around to it.

Mama Bok - this is a great beehoon dish! Perhaps I'll dig up a recipe.

[Piggy]

OMG! I'm surprised to see the picture of that stall vendor. He stayed two houses away in the same neighbourhood where I grew up!

[Robyn]

Piggy - Penang is a small world indeed!

[mycookinghut]

Looks absolutely delicious! I am hungry now!