(Clockwise, top right) Chili pan mee, dry pan mee and soup pan mee available at the stall in Chun Heong Kopitiam in Lucky Garden, Bangsar. — Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
Patrons can choose whether they want thick, thin or even hand-torn noodles at hawker stall in Bangsar coffeeshop
BANGSAR is a Kuala Lumpur suburb known for its ample dining choices.
Those in the know often make a beeline for the flavourful offerings at the pan mee stall in Chun Heong Kopitiam in the Lucky Garden neighbourhood.
The stall, which will celebrate 34 years of serving hawker food in December, is operated by Chew Mooi Yin, 55, and her husband Wong Yew Loy, 56.
Chew cooks and prepares each bowl of pan mee while her husband prepares the dough and ingredients.
“We have been operating in Chun Heong Kopitiam since day one,” said Chew, reminiscing about the stall’s history.
Patrons can choose whether they would like their pan mee to be thick, thin or even hand-torn, which would then turn the dish into mee hoon kueh.
The machine which tranforms the dough into thick or thin noodles.
Customers can also decide to have their pan mee served dry or with soup.
Each bowl of pan mee features a generous amount of fried shallots and anchovies, pork slices and mince, lard as well as shiitake mushrooms.
A saucer of handmade chilli accompanies each bowl.
For just RM1, patrons can request for an egg to be added into their already loaded bowl of noodles.
Another RM1 will buy an upsized version to satisfy those with larger appetites.
The pan mee dish is made to order to ensure it is piping hot when served.
This also ensures that the soup, which is the heart of the dish, is rich with anchovy flavour and slightly sweet from the pucuk manis added to the bowl just before serving.
Additionally, the soft and chewy noodles are all handmade the night before so that they absorb the soup well, ensuring each spoonful of the dish bursts with flavour.
“We prepare the dough the night before and place it in the fridge to let it rest.
“We use up to 20kg of dough per business day,” said Wong.
I would recommend the mee hoon kueh.
“The wider noodles absorb the soup better while the unevenly torn pieces provide a very different texture and taste compared to the thinner machine-sliced noodles.
Moving on to the stall’s chilli condiment, it has an interesting mix of sweet, sour and spicy.
It is perfect as a dip for the pork slices or mixed into each spoonful of pan mee.
“Cili padi (bird’s eye chilli), limau kasturi (calamansi lime), belacan (shrimp paste), sugar and salt are among the ingredients used in the sauce,” revealed Chew.
Dino Herrera, a foodie who frequents Chun Heong Kopitiam, said: “This is the best pan mee I have ever tasted.”
In addition, patrons who want other interesting dish combinations may opt for the chilli pan mee which is served dry or the spicy pan mee which comes with a fiery version of the anchovy broth.
Those who prefer another dimension of taste can order the bitter gourd pan mee.
Also available at the stall is a pork soup noodle dish which has similar ingredients to the soupy pan mee but comes with pork balls, liver and fried lard as toppings.
The pan mee costs between RM9 (for a small bowl) and RM11.50 (for a large bowl with egg).
The Chun Heong Kopitiam pan mee stall operates from 7.30am to 2.30pm daily, except on the third Thursday and Friday of each month.
For details, call 016-283 0093 (Chew).
