Ipoh cuisine
Encyclopedia
The city of Ipoh
is famous for its cuisine
. Its food culture is driven by its Chinese population who are largely of Cantonese and Hokkien descent. There is also excellent Malay and Indian food in Ipoh.
The famous Chapathi Sardine and Briyani Rice with Honey Chicken in Gunung Rapat,
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
is famous for its cuisine
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
. Its food culture is driven by its Chinese population who are largely of Cantonese and Hokkien descent. There is also excellent Malay and Indian food in Ipoh.
Savoury
- Bean Sprouts ChickenBean Sprouts ChickenBean Sprouts Chicken is a similar dish to Hainanese chicken rice....
(Cantonese nga choy kai - 芽菜雞), - This consists of chickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
meat, assorted chicken innards and beansproutsMung beanThe mung bean is the seed of Vigna radiata. It is native to the Indian subcontinent.-Description:They are small, ovoid in shape, and green in color...
boiled in water and served with soy sauce and sesame oilSesame oilSesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. Besides being used as a cooking oil in South India, it is often used as a flavor enhancer in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and to a lesser extent Southeast Asian cuisine.The oil from the nutrient rich seed is popular in alternative...
.
- Hainanese chicken riceHainanese chicken riceHainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Hainanese and Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia...
(Cantonese Hoi lam kai fan - 海南雞饭)
- Chee cheong fun (Cantonese - 豬腸粉) - This is a breakfast dish which consists of large flat pieces of flat rice noodles rolled up and served with sweet or spicy sauce. Unlike the chee cheong fun in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh has it with minced pork sauce and mushrooms, topped with preserved green chilli, a sprinkle of deep-fried shallots and sesameSesameSesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
seeds.
- Dim sumDim sumDim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
, (Cantonese - 点心） is also widely enjoyed in Ipoh. Several famous Ipoh dim sum restaurants are located at Jalan Leong Sin Nam.
- Ipoh "Hor Fun" (from Cantonese hor fun - 河粉) - These are flat rice noodles prepared in the hard water. There are two varieties. Sar hor fun - 沙河粉 is served in a clear chicken and prawnPrawnPrawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
soup with chicken shreds, prawns and spring onions. Chau hor fun (炒河粉） is fried with a little dark gravy, as opposed to Penang char kway teowChar kway teowChar kway teow, literally "stir-fried ricecake strips", is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore. The dish was typically prepared at hawker stalls especially in Penang, Malaysia.It is made from flat rice noodles of approximately 1 cm or...
（炒粿条） which has no gravy but is fried with egg, prawns and cockles. It is also different from Cantonese-style wat tan ho （滑蛋河） which is completely immersed in clear, egg-starch gravy.
- Fried cuttlefish vegetables (Cantonese yau yee oong choy - 魷魚蕹菜) - This is a dish of cuttlefish with kangkungIpomoea aquaticaIpomoea aquatica is a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable. It is known in English as Water Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Water Convolvulus, or by the more ambiguous names "Chinese spinach" and "swamp cabbage". It has many other names in other languages, such as "Phak bung" in Thai...
and sweet and spicy sauce on top.
- Hakka Mee （客家面） is a type of noodles - It is yellow in color, normally served in soup and with meat such as porkPorkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
or chickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
fillet. Hakka Mee originated from the town of SerembanSerembanSeremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban...
further south.
- Ipoh laksaLaksaLaksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Malaysia and Singapore, and to a lesser extent Indonesia.- Origin :The origin of the name "laksa" is unclear...
(Malay: Laksa Ipoh) - Laksa in Ipoh tastes sour and spicy, . The noodle soup contains prawn paste.
- Salt-steamed Chicken (Yim gouk kai) (盐锔鸡）- This dish is prepared by using paper to wrap one whole chicken together with salt and certain Chinese herbs and double-steamed for several hours. With this cooking technique, the meat will not lose its tenderness and the essence of chicken can be preserved as well. The combination of salt and herbs gives the meat a unique flavor.
- Claypot chicken riceClaypot chicken riceClaypot chicken rice is usually a dinner dish in the southern regions of China, Singapore and Malaysia. It is typically served with Chinese sausage and vegetables. More often than not, the rice is cooked in the claypot first and cooked ingredients like diced chicken and Chinese sausage are added...
(Chinese - 瓦煲鸡饭) - This kind of chicken rice differ from the HaiNan Chicken RiceHainanese chicken riceHainanese chicken rice is a dish of Chinese origin most commonly associated with Hainanese and Singaporean cuisine, although it is also commonly sold in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia...
, this is served in a claypot and mostly cooked with charcoal. Most of the time salted fish is added in the rice but sometimes is not according to one's preference. The most famous ones come from BerchamBerchamBercham is a suburb of Ipoh next to the North-South Expressway in Perak, Malaysia. It is located between the Ipoh South Interchange of North-South Expressway and Ipoh city. It is near Ipoh Garden, Tasek, Tambun and Tanjung Rambutan. There are a number of housing estates in Bercham. Bercham began...
, the popularity spread throughout Malaysia including famous tourist destination Genting HighlandsGenting HighlandsGenting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
.
- SateSataySatay , or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are...
(also written as satay) is meat served on a skewer, served with peanutPeanutThe peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
sauce. The Ipoh satay is similar to satay served elsewhere in Malaysia.
- Tempoyak is a popular Malay delicacy. It is durianDurianThe durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
extract which is preservedFruit preservesFruit preserves are preparations of fruits and sugar, often canned or sealed for long-term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves today often involves adding commercial or natural pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used, as well. Prior to World War II, fruit preserve...
and kept in an urn. Commonly eaten with chilliChili pepperChili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s and other dishes; it is well known due to the popularity of its key ingredient, durian, among the locals.
Desserts and pastries
- Fragrant biscuits (Cantonese heong peng - 香餅) - These are flaky biscuits with a sweet filling, and are often bought as souvenirs by tourists to Ipoh. Among locals, 'heong peng' is famous in the suburb of Gunung Rapat, which is purportedly the pioneer in their production. For the best and most original taste, dipping the biscuit in water is not recommended.
- Fruits - Ipoh is famous for its fruits, such as seedless guavaGuavaGuavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
, pomeloPomeloThe pomelo is a citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia. It is usually pale green to yellow when ripe, with sweet white flesh and very thick albedo . It is the largest citrus fruit, 15–25 cm in diameter, and usually weighing 1–2 kg...
s and durianDurianThe durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
s. Pomelos are sold in front of Sam Poh Tong (三寶洞), along Gopeng Road (the old Route 1 that links the towns in Perak and neighbouring states). These stalls cater mainly for tourists driving into Ipoh. Alternatively, one can go right into the Tambun-Ampang area where most of the pomelo plantations are located to have more choices (and more competitive prices).
- Ipoh white coffeeIpoh white coffeeIpoh "white" coffee is a popular coffee drink which originated in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. The coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil margarine, and the resulting coffee is served with condensed milk....
- This is made from coffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
beans specially roasted with palm oilPalm oilPalm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
margarineMargarineMargarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
. Ipoh white coffeeIpoh white coffeeIpoh "white" coffee is a popular coffee drink which originated in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. The coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil margarine, and the resulting coffee is served with condensed milk....
is abundant in the Old Town of Ipoh. But, many places in Ipoh also serve white coffee well. Such as Bercham and Menglembu. Many locals strongly believe that the aroma, taste and texture of the traditional "white" coffee blend is superior to commercially-packed sachets or those found outside Ipoh.
- Kampar Chicken Biscuits (Cantonese kai zhai peng - 雞仔餅) - They are also a popular souvenir for tourists to Ipoh. These are famous in KamparKampar, PerakKampar Kampar Kampar (Chinese:金宝） is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1887, the town lies within the Kinta Valley and located in the newly-created Kampar District, an area rich with tin reserves. It was a tin mining town which boomed during the height of the tin mining industry....
, a neighboring town of Ipoh.
- Kaya Puff - These are pastries consisting of flaky pastryPastryPastry is the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder and/or eggs. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries."...
(akin to currypuffs) with coconut jam (kaya) filling.
The famous Chapathi Sardine and Briyani Rice with Honey Chicken in Gunung Rapat,
Hawker centres
There are several large hawker centers in Ipoh such as:- Ipoh Garden
- Wooley's
- Gerai Makan Hoi Teen
- Dai San Yen