As mentioned in the earlier Penang series, Hokkien Mee...the soup variety served by hawkers in Penang is a favourite of the family...as such, other than CKT, we had HKM everyday were in Penang...:-)
I didn't take my camera on our second visit to Ah Leng CKT, but there were only two other food stalls in the same coffee shop, one selling economy rice, and the other HKM. We tried it and it was quite superb. The soup was cooked in the traditional way, with pig skin, and was excellent.
But I did sample one of the best Penang had to offer in HKM. Called Super HKM, and located at the oddly named One Corner Coffee Shop, just behind Penang Plaza, this stall, I believe used to be behind a department store just across Burma Road from Penang Plaza called Super. They were at the corner shop with the famous Swatow Lane Ice Kachang and Mee Goreng, but that delapidated shop was torn down, and most of the hawkers, including the Swatow Lang Ice Kachang moved into the swanky New World Complex just down the road.
But this HKM stall moved across the road the other direction, and set up shop amongst perhaps 10 other stalls. The wait at the Super HKM is super long...so long, that many Penangites, because they live there, and not tourists who have time to spare, have not eaten at the store before.
We arrived at about 9am, usually by this time, they would have run out, but we were lucky, and could still place our orders. 45 mins later, it arrived...meantime, we planted ourselves on a table just next to the store, and soon after we placed our order, we saw and heard countless other who were told "bo liao"...meaning sold out.
The soup was wonderful...the stock was heavy, with the characteristic hard boiling (boiled for a long time) with pork bones, prawn heads, pork skin and fortified with rock sugar. It had a beautifl savoury taste and fragrance. The chilli was quite powerful, if you add the entire spoonful as it was served, giving quite a kick. The slices of hard boiled egg provided richness. And the deep fried shallots were capable accomplices to enhance the taste.
The noodles were typical - yellow mee mixed with bee hoon. And typical of Penang HKM, cooked till very soft and flaccid. A couple of slices of lean pork adorns the dish, as well as a few mid-sized, shelled, sliced prawns. The pork was lean, but flavourful. The prawns were fresh, but because they were sliced, could not really judge the succulence and crunchiness. But the dish had a fresh, sea flavour. Very good.
For us, one of the better HKM we tasted this trip.
Super Hokkien Mee
One Corner Coffee Shop
Jalan Larut
Penang
Google map, courtesy of Penang Tua Pui.
View Penang Food by PenangTuaPui.com in a larger map
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