KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Whenever I see a signage that says Hong Kong chee cheong fun, my heart skips a beat, thinking it’s rice rolls doused with hoisin and peanut sauce plus a sprinkle of sesame seeds, usually served in Hong Kong eateries and called cheung fun.
Instead, they’re more like the chee cheong fun we get at restaurants, served with dim sum, with fillings like prawns and char siu.
Stalls like this particular one called Wah Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun, will prepare these rice flour rolls upon order, steamed over a cloth, scraped out and served with soy sauce and sambal.
Add a dash of yellow with Prawn and Egg Chee Cheong Fun doused in soy sauce and their homemade ‘sambal’. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
When it comes to Hong Kong chee cheong fun, everyone has their preferences, like some judge them by the silky texture of the steamed rice rolls.
Or it could be a combination of everything on the plate, from the sauce, fillings and the texture of the rice rolls, which is what I rate the dish.
This stall uses house-ground rice flour to make their chee cheong fun.
Their steamed rice rolls — the slippery sheets hold the fillings well — are not like those thinner sheets that tend to fall apart mid way as you’re eating.
The prawns are bouncy and fresh, enhancing the Prawn Chee Cheong Fun. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Even its look is smooth and opaque rather than wrinkly or sometimes translucent, resembling those served at luxurious Chinese restaurants offering dim sum.
There’s a choice of char siu, prawns, or a mix of two flavours should you be undecided.
While egg in chee cheong fun isn’t a Hong Kong thing, apparently it’s a local preference, where beaten egg is drizzled over the rice flour batter just before steaming, for an extra RM1.
Add a dash of yellow with Prawn and Egg Chee Cheong Fun doused in soy sauce and their homemade ‘sambal’. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
With their fillings, it’s the prawns that trumps.
Your order for Prawn Chee Cheong Fun (RM9) arrives with seven prawns peeking under the blanket of rice rolls, enticing you to relish them.
The prawns are bouncy because of their freshness rather than any artificial enhancements, giving a slight sweet taste to the chee cheong fun.
Fresh prawns, mellow well-cooked ‘sambal’ and ‘chee cheong fun’ makes a great breakfast. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
As their own cooked soy sauce tends to be a lighter and balanced type without any jarring sweet or salty flavours, it’s the perfect background for you to relish those prawns.
With the Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun (RM9), it’s a different story as the shredded pieces of meat don’t do much for the rice rolls, leaving not much of an impression.
For those who prefer stronger flavours, you will find it with their house made sambal.
The dark red sambal is well cooked — slow fire and long hours — coaxing the flavours for a mellow spiciness.
Tender roast duck (left) with a hint of herbal aroma goes well with the silky ‘chee cheong fun’ can be sourced from this stall selling chicken and roast meats rice (right) which opens after 10am. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Coincidentally someone else had recommended the roast duck at this coffee shop, from the stall that offers chicken rice, which I also tried.
The roast duck may not have crispy skin but the meat is moist and infused with a pleasant mix of spices and herbs.
If you dine here after 10am, that stall is open and you can try pairing the chee cheong fun with roast duck, just like how it’s done at a certain popular place in Puchong.
One can even create a new flavour here by pairing Plain Chee Cheong Fun with roast duck from another food stall. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The tender pieces of duck with a light, herbal scent work well with the Plain Chee Cheong Fun (RM5) and the savoury sauce.
Give that interesting combination a try, if you prefer a heavier taste profile for your chee cheong fun. One portion of the roast duck is RM9 without rice.
This chee cheong fun stall used to be located at Taman Muda’s Medan Selera Putra.
This area around KW Food Street may be packed so patience is needed to find an available spot. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Wah Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun stall,
KW Food Street,
56G, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3,
Pandan Indah, Kuala Lumpur.
Open: 7am to 2pm. Closed every second Tuesday of the month (The last date they were closed was June 10).
• This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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