Trunk Road Treasure

Once upon a time, before Malaysia built its efficient, rest stop-dotted North-South highway, the only way to travel between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh was via two-lane blacktop. The journey took twice as long in those days, but I doubt anyone minded. You see, there's culinary treasure on the trunk road to Ipoh.

In the 19th century Perak state saw a massive influx of Chinese immigrants, drawn by the discovery of tin. Though the fortunes of trunk road towns like Kampar have faded with the decline of the tin industry, they are still host to eateries offering the (mostly southern Chinese and Hakka)  specialties of the immigrants and their descendents.

Bidor is one such town. Its main street - the trunk road - is lined with a mixture of grand but crumbling old shophouses and contemporary concrete block uglies. It's population looks to lean towards very late middle age. There's no hustle or bustle in Bidor.

But there is Pun Chun, and there is Pun Chun's duck noodle soup, a dish that is known to probably every single Malaysian living on the country's west coast. Malaysians travelling between KL and Ipoh divert from the highway just to dine at Pun Chun. And many make the 3-hour roundtrip journey from KL just for a meal. We joined the ranks of the latter a few weeks ago.

Pun Chun has been in business nearly seventy years. It's your average Malaysian coffee shop: long and narrow, open-aired, high-ceilinged, fan-cooled, noisy, populated by a mix of regulars and food tourists.

Almost everyone's come for the specialty, ngap pei meen (duck thigh noodles). Ngap pei meen are the product of a lengthy process that involves first steaming the thighs in an herbal soup that includes ginger, dried longan, and wolfberries,

and then moving them, in their individual pots, to an oven.

The thighs are pulled from the oven to order and transferred, along with their broth, to a deep bowl.

Some patrons order their noodles 'dry' (tossed with seasonings and served on the side). Some skip noodles altogether and opt for a double order of duck.

The wait at Pun Chun can be lengthy,

but is justified by the mahogany-colored duck meat, thoroughly permeated with herbs and so tender that it falls off the bone with barely a nudge of the chopsticks. Long, slow cooking reduces the skin to little more than tissue paper and Pun Chun's slender, springy noodles are perfectly al dente.

Those crazy enought to pass on the Pun Chun Ngap Pei Mee Experience might investigate the coffeeshop's roasted meats stall, which serves up fragrant duck, moist chicken, expertly done pork, and chewy, slightly sweet sausages. Indecision can be cured with a mixed plate, a sort of 'meat salad' of roasted bits in a pool of light meat juices, bedded on sliced cucumber and topped with grated carrots and chopped cilantro.

Every visitor should order the woo kok, char siu-filled mashed taro dumplings dipped in batter and deep-fried. Covered with just a wisp of greaseless, crunchy batter, these 'taro puffs' are almost worth the drive in and of themselves.

There's also a display case with a fantastic selection of baked goods - including kaya puffs, pastries plump with lotus seed paste, and an intriguingingly spiced flat, round biscuit filled with a mash of dried fruits - to stop in front of on the way out.

A little something for the road.

Pun Chun, 40 Main Road, Bidor. Tel. 05-434-1554. Open from the crack of dawn till 10 at nite.

Comments

[toniXe]

ya, this place shouldn't be missed ! Wonderful energising essence.

My favourite pit stop towards Pangkor/Camerons ! ( There is another clear herbal no less potent & delectable soup version of the same thing 2 or 3 shops away from Nam Chuan, Bangsar, just in case u missed it...)

[TehSee]

One look at the duck soup noodle and the "meat salad" and the near 2 hours drive is worth the trip.
Great photo and I too love to eat along these trunk road...so many treasures hiden await to be discover.

[Rasa Malaysia]

Hey Robyn -

I love their steamed fish balls, steamed soup and and various food souvenirs. I never fail to stop over at this place whenever I head down to KL.

I forgot that Malaysia is 16 hours ahead, but I hope you and Dave have had a great Thanksgiving!

[tho tran vietnam]

awesome pictures. keep it going man

[Robyn]

tonixe -thanks, are you referring to the coffeeshop on the same strip as Nam Chuan? Is the vendor advertising duck noodle?

TehSee, thanks ... have to admit I made myself hungry uploading the photos for this post. :-)

Thanks Bee. We don't celebrate Tgiving in SE Asia ... somehow the wet heat just doesn't spark my appetite for turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings. So I hope you had some pumpkin pie for us! When we're in the US Tgiving is our favorite holiday ... bec, of course, it's all about food!

Tho Tran, thanks very much! We need to get back to Vietnam and give the camera a workout.

[Edward]

Great pictures. Just curious if those pictures with soft edge around the corners were taken by Dave with lens baby?

[toniXe]

this duck soup is sold by a woman inside this shop called Chun Heong, a few doors away from Nam Chuan. This shop is quite famous in Bangsar, esp for the pork ball kway tuey in sauce n a pretty lady running the drinks section !

[bayi]

This post brings back a lot of memories. I used to look forward to the stop at Bidor to eat roast duck drumstick with vermicelli. That was in the sixties!

[Robyn]

Edward - yes. Dave loves his new lens baby! :-)

toniXe- OK, thanks for the info. Will check it out.

Bayi - that was probably when it was just a single narrow shophouse, before they expanded into the next shop?

[UnkaLeong]

Did you get the Shak Kei Ma? Man, brings back memories travelling back to my hometown via the trunk road. That was in the 80's, am not as old as Tonixe ;)

[R Khooks]

I've just been going through some of your posts and my stomach is seriously rumbling. I'm half malay-chinese and half visited Malaysia a few times. You capture Malaysia and it's food perfectly. Keep up the good work!

[Karen Ramsey]

I am so glad to find your webpage.I lived in Bidor for a long time.My house is just a few shops from Pun Chun.I love their wonton soup it's the best.Thanks you for your spectacularwork.

[Karen Ramsey]

I am so glad to find your webpage.I lived in Bidor for a long time.My house is just a few shops from Pun Chun.I love their wonton soup it's the best.Thanks you for your spectacularwork.

[eastingfeasting]

are you guys sure you were not asian in your past life? :) i think i eaten the vietnamese verson of this mi vit tiem. i love your pictures, they make me realized malaysian food is clean and meant for magazine gloss.