A Wonton Mee Taste-Off

Early last Friday our friend H, a seriously food-obsessed Penang native, squired Dave and I to Jelutong, a suburb about 15 to 20 minutes -- in rush-hour traffic -- from George Town. At the entrance to the morning market H turned down a narrow lane and into a makeshift parking area, squeezing his dimunitive box of a car between two others.

We had wonton mee to sample -- two versions. A taste-off was at hand.

A few words about wonton mee in Penang: there it is less likely to be served with the sticky sweet char siew (barbecued pork) or multi-layered crispy/fatty Malaysian-style char yoke (roast pork) that adorns versions further south in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. Pink-edged, relatively lean Hong Kong-style barbequed pork is the norm.

Second, wonton mee eaters in Penang may choose to accompany their noodles with either steamed/boiled or deep-fried dumplings. Or both.

Finally, sambal belacan (chili sauce made with shrimp paste) is as likely a noodle go-with as are the pickled green chilies ubiquitous to wonton mee elsewhere on the peninsula.

We started at Kedai Kopi Lum Wah, a typical tile-floored corner coffee shop at the intersection of Jalan Jelutong and Jalan Penaga. H has been eating the wonton mee served here by a husband-wife team since he was a child.

The couples' noodles (H isn't convinced that they make the pasta themselves) are exquisite -- slightly transluscent and somewhat flattish, with a nice chew and even a bit of snap. "Q" (springy, chewy, elastic) to the max, in other words. There is certainly lard oil in the dark soy sauce mixture that dresses a "dry" order -- a positive characteristic, in our book. And the shavings of roast pork that sit atop each nest of noodles are moister and generally have more flavor that that which we've tried elsewhere on the island.

But the gold star of this wonton mee goes to the wonton. H ordered extra for he and Dave and I to share, and that was a Good Thing. With skins thin but not so delicate as to wimp out after 5 minutes spent in hot broth, the dumplings are dainty in proportion but packed with meat. And their incredibly flavorful pork filling isn't overly dense; like a meatball formed with the lightest of touches, it falls apart with the nudge of your tongue.

Next, we dove into the market, maneuvering our way past plastic bag-lugging shoppers to a cart fronting a vanilla bungalow with a dozen or so tables set on its concrete lawn.

The attraction here, H told us, is the sauce that dresses an order of dry wonton mee. Made with copious amounts of viscous black soy sauce, it's much thicker than usual, sticky and sugary. On its own, not so exciting, H points out. But when mixed with a spoonful of sambal this black goo is transformed into an roller coaster ride of sweetness, fishiness, and fire. Probably anything cloaked in it would be irresistible. The noodles certainly are.

Although this version's noodles aren't as notable as those at Lum Wah, they're better than average. The vendor's method -- boil, soak in cool water, and then reheat with a quick re-dip into boiling water -- insures a springy texture and a decent chew.

Also notewothy: plentiful nubs of crackling to mix through the pasta, and deep-fried wonton boasting sturdy but thoroughly crispy skins that somehow reminded me of thick potato chips. Be sure to ask for extra green onion when you order here, advises H.

This was meant to be a taste-off, but in reality we're talking apples and oranges here. On some days you're going to wish for meaty boiled dumplings and enticingly Q-Q noodles; on others, only over-the-top sweet, spicy stickiness and a crackly wing of wonton skin will do.

Either craving can be satisfied in Jelutong.

Wonton mee at Kedai Kopi Lum Wah, Jalan Jelutong just across from the entrance to the market. Mornings, off Sundays and public holidays.

Wonton mee inside Jelutong Market: enter the market across from Lum Wah and proceed straight up Jalan Penaga. Turn left just after the market building housing the fish section (it will be on your left). The stall is a few dozen paces ahead, on your right, in front of a cream house with green shutter. This stall is open Saturdays, Sundays, and when they feel like it.

 

 

 

Comments

[thang@noodlies]

thee chilli/red sauce looks divine!

[angie]

this noodle dish looks to-die for! thanks for sharing!

[Elaine]

Oh my goodness, the wave of nostalgia your post brings. My late-grandparents lived in Jelutong and every morning, my grandmother would walk to the market for her groceries and would get (the first one on the post) wonton noodles back for breakfast. The crispy wontons are simply the best and the noodles are just really "Q". My family had a similar taste off years ago and it was decided that Lum Wah's the best of the two! :)

[borneoboy]

Must go back to Penang ! How did I miss these 2 gems ?

[Rasa Malaysia]

Welcome to Jelutong morning market. That is the market that I grew up going to and always go to whenever I am home. There are a lot of good eats in the morning market. My favorite, the Nyonya kuih stall on the other end of the market. Love the cucur badak (hard to find it now). Also love the fast disappearing "fried umbrella kuih" (translate literally) sold by the "yaw char gui" hawker. At night, there is a mean tong sui stall with the best sweet peanut soup in Penang, served right beside a longkang. ;)

[Mwong]

love to see if GPS position is provided...make easier for one who have not been to Penang for awhile..

[Robyn]

Thang and angie - they taste even better than they look!

borneoboy - I think they'll be there for a while so you have time. :-)

Elaine -- small world! Thanks for sharing that lovely memory.

Bee, thanks for that tip. We've been lucky enough to make friends with locals over the past 2 yrs who've been quite generous with their hawker food knowledge.

Mwong - I'll make you a deal. Buy me a GPS-equipped device for Christmas and I'll be happy to provide GPS coordinates for every hawker stall and restaurant profiled on EatingAsia from here on out. Email me via the 'contact' on our sidebar and I'll provide my shipping address. ;-)

[J2Kfm (Malaysian Food Blog)]

Hmm, still not sold yet, for I have never been a fan of Penang's wantan mee.
Surprisingly, KL seems to have better wantan mee stalls, shops and even full fledged cafes.
I need the Char Siew to be of caramelized nature, chunky with tender bits of melting fat, basked in a glazed sauce.

That will lift any mediocre noodles up a notch. :)

[Robyn]

J2Kfm -- that's really a personal thing. Hong Kong-ese are quite fond of their own wonton mee, with the (what some Malaysians might describe as 'anemic') char siew after all. I also prefer a nice sticky caramelized BBQ pork.
All that aside, the noodles themselves at the first place are exceptionally good.

[Nathan Lau]

Anyone who has a GPS can just plug in the intersection, or even the name of the location. Easier than plugging in coordinates.

I also prefer the pork "KL-style" but a good noodle begs a tryout.

[Robyn]

We're way behind the times Nate, still using google maps. And I agree on both counts. I'm a noodle nut it's hard to beat KL char siu.

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