Char Kueh

Yun Nan Yuan Salty Char Kueh

There are three places that I like to go for good char kueh. Number one is at Yun Nan Yuan, a coffee shop situated opposite the old Upwell. It's a corner coffee shop, and the char kueh stall is right at the side. I have only had this once, but the taste is really good. Tried the plain salty one with no chilli, and it was extremely good!! Usually the plain salty version's rather blah without the chilli, but this was just fine by itself. Definitely one of the better char kueh's available in Kuching.


Number two is at Jalan Song, right at the end of the stretch of food courts. I forget what it's called (Plum Garden, I think?), but the name of the stall is Hong Kong Style Char Kueh. This stall only has the salty version, but this char kueh is fried with taugeh (bean sprouts). The taugeh adds on to the crunchiness of the chai por and gives it an interesting flavour. Can also be fried spicy, both versions are good for the stomach.

Number three on my list is in Tabuan Jaya market area. This stall is usually open in the evening till pretty late at night. I have been eating char kueh at this stall for years, and the best combination is pua kiam ti, char hiam (half sweet and salty, fried up spicy). The saltiness of the preserved raddish (chai por) is toned down with the sweetness of the atap t'ng (gula melaka?) and the spiciness of the chilli adds the kick to the dish. Fantastic as it's not too dry or too oily (you can request for them to use less oil). One word of advice though, this char kueh can be rather flat in taste if you omit the chilli. And the man fries it better than the woman! This dish goes extremely well with iced lemon tea. Yum...

Do go and try one of these days, all three spots are my favourite for char kueh!!