Good and Greasy

Here we are, eighteen hours into the New Year. The passing of an entire decade is a significant event. I wish that I had some appropriately weighty musings to share with you.

Unfortunately all I can think of at the moment is what Dave and I ate for breakfast this morning.

 

We took our first meal of the new decade in George Town, Penang, at a food court tucked deep inside Chow Rasta Market. We went in search of only a glass of kopi peng (iced coffee), and found one.

But as we sat at our table getting caffeinated the sounds and scents of a good fry drifting from the char kuih kak stall at the food court's edge woke our sleeping appetites.

We've probably eaten, at most, four plates of char kuih kak, a.k.a. stir-fried carrot cake (the 'cake' is not really made from carrots, but from daikon, known locally as white carrots), since moving to Malaysia 4.5 years ago. There's a good reason for this -- the dish is fabulously, grossly unhealthy.

If you're referencing char kuih kak, 'greasy' is an adjective of high praise. It's the sort of dish that you know, as you're loving every bite, will put you in the ground sooner rather than later if you eat too much of it.

But we figured what the heck -- it's the first day of an entire decade! Dave and I passed a relatively low-key Eve, so why not make up for it on the Day? Sure, it ain't a bottle of champagne or a tub of caviar, but a plate of char kuih kak says 'celebration' in its own 'I know it's bad for me but today I just don't care' sort of way.

 

Char kuih kak starts with a well-seasoned cast-iron griddle boasting the diameter of a truck tire, a generously sized bowl of oil, and a jiggly radish cake, which the vendor cuts into squares by pushing it through a cross-hatched wire rack.

The radish cake cubes are vigorously stir-fried with lotsa oil (note how he keeps it close to hand -- and warmed -- right on the griddle) and dark soy sauce. When the cake is ready he pushes it to the side of the griddle, adds one egg per order (you can ask for an extra egg) -- breaking the yolks but essentially leaving the egg(s) be -- and a few dabs of chili paste.

Bean sprouts are next. They're quickly stirred into the eggs,

the radish cake is pulled forward and incorporated (with another spatula tip or two of oil to smooth things along) with a few quick stirs. As some point bits of crackling have also found their way into the mix.

 

The lot is dished up on a square of banana leaf -- a nice old-style touch (the leaf releases a bit of scent when it's hit with the hot fry-up) that's all too rare among char koay teow and char kuih kak vendors these days.

This vendor's been working his stall at Chow Rasta for about twenty years, and his char kuih kak is excellent: the radish cake is soft but not mushy, bean sprouts retain a bite, and everything -- egg and nubs of crackling included -- is touched with smoke. He's not cooking over charcoal, but we didn't miss it.

It's a greasy pile, no doubt about that, but if there's a better day of the year on which to start with something a bit over-the-top we don't know it. If every day of 2010 begins this well we'll be fortunate and happy campers indeed.

Happy New Year, and best wishes for 365 days of goodness in 2010!

Char kuih kak, outdoor food court off Jalan Chowrasta (between Jalan Kuala Kangsar and Jalan Penang), Chow Rasta Market, George Town, Penang. Mornings. Other possibilities for good eating at this food court include curry laksa and mee jawa. The freshly made Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun (filled with shrimp and/or chopped pork) are only yibande (so-so).

Update: EatingAsia reader and Penang native (now Stateside) Jenny was so excited about this post that she ran out to buy the ingredients for this dish and made it for her husband for their 11th wedding anniversary. If you're similarly inspired you can find her recipe here.

Comments

[Preeta]

Oh god, you're killing me! There used to be a stall selling this outside the gates of the Main Convent in Ipoh during my primary schooldays. It was the ultimate after-school treat, if you could afford it -- I remember relishing plastic-lined newspaper cones of the stuff (with extra chili) before "Computer Club," which was the cutting-edge extracurricular activity of the time. Part of the delight was the serving method -- those portable cones, out of which you would eat the koay kak with toothpicks.

[jodi]

It definitely looks good and greasy, but for some reason I can't see the egg anymore. :)

[Nate @ House of Annie]

Wow, that was a fast turnaround on a post! Breakfast this morning and posted this evening. Are we going to see more "realtime" posts on EatingAsia this year?

[Kalynskitchen]

So interesting and delicious sounding! I hope 2010 is the year I'll be coming to Asia so I can enjoy some of the dishes you've written about! Happy New Year to you both!

[prosti]

I miss this food. T_T

[the lacquer spoon]

Greasy food is irresistible when I'm hungry...so, better sleep now ;)

[Life 2.0]

Happy New Years to both Robyn and Dave. Good wishes from the mitten state, we are headed to a nearby park to go sledding.

Cheers,

Life

[Rasa Malaysia]

Gorgeous Robin. Happy New Year and more good eats in Asia, and especially in Penang. :)

[Jencrafted]

What a delicious way to kick-start the new year!! I think I'll have the same for b'fast on our first day of 2010 as well.....except, there're no char kuih kak vendors around....not one single soul selling CKK here in Bay Area California!!! Urrgh, such torture! :-(
Thanks for the wonderful post! Heading off to Ranch99 (Asian grocery chain) to get the ingredients for CKK. Another 3 hours or so before my cravings can be satisfied.......

[Albert]

Happy new year!

awesome post, I really like the contraption he used to cut the cake into uniform chucks.

I always get daikon cake at dim sum, we also use to eat daikon cake for breakfast in taiwan, but often they are served by themselves, with a little soy and chili sauce (no sprouts or eggs).

I am with Jencrafted, making some from scratch might be a good way to kick off a new decade.

[Sook]

Wow that looks fabulous! I'd like some right now. :) Happy New Year!

[Vincent Tan]

Been awhile since I commented on your site Robyn... if you get a chance to go to Sarawak, there are both the savory and sweet versions. :)

[Robyn]

Hi Preeta - Happy New Year! There's a vendor in George Town at night (on Carnavon Lane near Chulia, if anyone's curious) who serves it that way -- banana leaf rolled into a cone inside a piece of newspaper. But I think I've had my quota for at least 6 mos. ;-)

jodi- the egg is there in pieces, coated with oil and black soy, mingled with the radish cake

nate - ha ha. I could make that a resolution but I'd never keep it ... too hard to predict internet access when we're on the road, and too difficult to predict when I'll be too mired in deadlines to write when we're home. It would be nice though...

Hi Kalyn, thanks for stopping by. Do let us know if you're going to be in the region, we get around and you never know if our paths might cross!

Life - ah yes, the mitten state. Enjoy your snow!

Thanks Bee, same to you.

Albert and Jencrafted -- Ranch 99 in El Cerrito by chance? Good luck with your project.

Sook - tastes as good as it looks. Same to you!

Vincent - I'm intrigued by the sweet version! Thanks for stopping by and Happy 2010!

Prosti, lacquer spoon, thanks for your comments and happy new year!

[550ml jar of faith @minchow]

Yup CKK says celebration as good as a bottle of Moet, if not better! I like the one at the Anson Road market, haven't tried Chowrasta's but I think it's just snuck its way to the top of my NY resolutions. Happy New Year!

[Cynthia]

the dish is fabulously, grossly unhealthy - I love it!

A very Happy New Year to you and David and I look forward to being fed more outstanding food!

[Carl Parkes]

Thank you so much for all your great posts over the last year. I read them daily via my Bloglines RSS Reader. Thanks!

[Su-Lin]

Oh yes! My favourite dish! Used to have the white version as a kid and still try to cook it from time to time at home. Happy New Year!

[Chris]

I will so hit the Chowrasta Mkt this summer when I visit. We used to call it "Char tow kuey" and I don't know why. The secret ingredients include garlic, finely chopped preserved radish, and well, not too secretive, a sprinkle of Chinese chives. Mum actually made some at home before and claims it is quite easy. It did taste almost authentic except for the lard chunks!

[lili - pikeletandpie]

Oh! I ate this kuih kak from this vendor when I was in Penang in November and loved it. I never managed to post about it and am glad to have been reminded of it again. I never saw the cutting of the radish cake, it was all cooked by the time I got there.
Thank you, and happy new year!

[Eurasian Sensation]

Carrot cake is pretty much the best thing ever. I find it interesting how it is almost the exact same recipe for char kway teow, except using the radish cake instead of noodles.

Looking forward to another year of great Eating Asia posts!

[Meng]

Nice post. This is one of my favorite dishes. My mom would take me to Petaling Street wet market near Madras cinema back in the 70s. There was a famous carrot cake hawker at the food stalls area. His carrot cake was good. He was always busy stir frying. The Laksa stall was also well known in that area. Madras cinema was said to be haunted and it was burnt down. It has been more than 20 years since I visited that market.

[KY]

growing up in penang, grandma always took me to this market. this post just brought back a lot of memories

[Alex]

Hey this is my first time visiting your blog, great post! That food looks awesome, I wish I was there right now. Happy new year!

[K L Chew]

I really get depressed when visiting your blog, and drool like mad too. There's nothing like Penang food here in Muscat, Oman. Month or so ago, the Shangri-La Muscat had a Malaysian food week and they imported the Penang Shangri-La chef to cook some hawker delicacies. Like manna from heaven. He complained to me that they had to import almost all their foodstuff from Penang to Muscat because it was almost impossible to get the ingredients here. Oh, we had a passionate debate as to where was the best char kuey teow. He said the best he ever found was in Bukit Mertajam, near Butterworth. Any thoughts on that?

[Danielle]

I'm so glad I read this post. I'm heading to Penang in June for a weekend and will be sure to check out this stall. I used to eat this for breakfast as a kid (not everyday of course), so this brings back lots of memories.