KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — When it comes to ingredients, freshwater prawns reign supreme for their bright orange roe.
Once cooked in a broth, the richness of the roe creates an intoxicating and luscious liquid you will want to slurp down till your bowl is clean.
Restoran Taman Orkid may not look like a place for these divine beauties but this stall operated by Wong is a force to be reckoned with.
Wong has about 20 years of cooking experience. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
She shares the premises with her brother who cooks up an array of dishes for the economy rice spread.
With 20 years frying up noodles in Seri Kembangan and around Taman Orkid, Wong who is also known as “May Jeh” works with skilled precision in her open kitchen placed in the front of the restaurant.
The freshwater prawns can be cooked in four ways here, whether it’s the classic sang har mee to bowls of milky freshwater prawn broth with either fish paste (yee wat) or fish head.
Freshwater prawns are sought after for their bright orange roe. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Not a fan of the orange crustaceans? There’s also fish head or fish paste noodles… on the menu you will see yee wat referred to as “fish slip”… a literal translation from the Cantonese!
There are also Cantonese fried noodles and loh mee too.
Out of the two soup noodles, Wong let on that the crowd favourite is the Freshwater Prawns and Fish Paste Noodles (RM33).
The prawns are pan fried and cooked in her special brewed siong tong, made with pork bones, dried flounder powder, ikan bilis and soybeans.
The key to the amazing dishes is this special broth, brewed with pork bones, ‘ikan bills’, dried flounder fish powder and soybeans. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
That incredible broth is the secret to her amazing dishes.
Using ham choy, tomatoes, spring onions, ginger, evaporated milk plus a dash of white pepper and sesame oil, that milky orange broth will cast a spell on you.
Thankfully there’s no dreaded thirst after and yes, no need for a cup of coffee or Coca Cola to clear the palate at all.
The fish paste is house made from mackerel fish, which gives you a firmer bite which I prefer.
It’s definitely a bowl you want to dunk your face into.
Freshwater Prawns Winter Noodles Soup is just as good with a subtle spicy savoury kick from the use of fermented chilli bean paste and fermented bean curd. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
There’s also an intriguing dish named Freshwater Prawns Winter Noodles Soup (RM30), the kind that may be divisive among diners.
Not everyone likes it, Wong explained, where the odds are usually seven out of 10.
Being the adventurous one, this was an interesting bowl as the broth uses the same siong tong enhanced with doubanjiang or fermented chilli bean paste and fermented bean curd.
Wong only uses a touch of those ingredients, giving a hint of its spiciness and saltiness, peeking out at the end, as you drink the orange broth spoon by spoon.
In this bowl, she uses glass noodles versus thick bee hoon for the other bowl, where those slippery strands get infused with the broth.
Sang Har Mee holds its own with the crunchy fried noodles doused in a thick, fragrant sauce with a freshwater prawn. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
With those flavour-packed bowls of broth, the Sang Har Mee (RM25) that is often the headliner for every stall seems to have been slightly sidelined here.
It holds its own in that category of fried noodles, so it is not fair to compare it to the other bowls..
What makes this rendition great is the egg noodles are a nice mix of textures — crunchy strands on top mingling with the strands drenched in that thick sauce infused with the prawn roe.
The noodles retain a bite even after it’s soaked in the sauce and digging into the firm fleshed prawns is fun too.
The restaurant also offers an economy rice spread. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
Restoran Taman Orkid,
6, Jalan Orkid 2,
Taman Orkid, Cheras.
Open: 7.30am to 3pm. Closed every second Tuesday of the month, the next date is July 8.
Tel:011-21820836.
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
The restaurant in Taman Orkid is within the vicinity of popular You City. — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
