Penang Food For Thought: Larut Matang Hawker Centre

This article is part of my 2018 Taiping and Kuala Sepetang trip series.

Larut Matang Hawker Centre (拉律马登小贩中心) is probably the most popular local eatery in Taiping. It is just within a short walking distance from our hotel, Novotel Taiping. The hawker center amasses over a hundred stalls under one roof, serving all sorts of hawker dishes across many ethnicities.

Perhaps the most unique dish that I came across here is Goreng Koey Teow (炒鱼丸粿条, RM4.80) from stall number 63 (8:30am-5:30pm). Unlike Penang Char Koay Teow (槟城炒粿条), this recipe is a combination of braising and wok-frying techniques. The resulting noodle is mildly sweet and still moist with dark sauce. The fiery aroma (镬气) that is contained within is superb.

For the noodle, we opted for koay teow (粿条) because it gives the springiness that we desire. Other ingredients in this noodle dish are fish balls, fishcake (鱼饼), char siew (叉烧), sliced pork and choy sum (菜心). Overall, I cannot recommend this unique dish highly enough.

Hor Ka Sai (虎咬狮, RM2.60) is a unique drink from Taiping. It is essentially a combination of black coffee and Milo. The bitterness of coffee and sweetness of Milo seem to complement each other. We ordered this drink from stall number 65 (7:00am-7:00pm, closed on Tuesdays and Fridays).