In George Town, Penang, the locals love a soupy Koay Teow Theng (阿海粿條汤) as much as they love Char Koay Teow (炒粿條).
The street food culture is protected by a bastion of invincible hawkers like Khaw Khar Hai, fondly known as Uncle Ah Hai.
He is 84 and has cooked steaming bowls of soupy Koay Teow Theng since I was a child.
Old-timers like Uncle Ah Hai take pride in following traditional recipes and cooking and preparing food as they should be.
Uncle Ah Hai’s Indomitable Spirit
His indomitable spirit is the reminiscence of American author Ernest Hemingway’s novel,
The Old Man and the Sea.
He struggles not with a giant marlin but with old age as he prepares and plies his trade daily since 1970.
Uncle Ah Hai still gets up early every morning to ply his “Korcha Bee” Koay Teow Th’ng.
Koay Teow Theng (阿海粿條汤) Kedai Makanan Kim Lee – Macalister Lane
The Koay Teow Th’ng Original Stall
His original stall was at Siew Fong Lye Coffee shop on Burma Road for 16 years before Hong Leong Bank bought over the pre-war houses and built a new 4-storey Office Block.
I remember Uncle Ah Hai as a child from the old Hainanese Kopitiam, Hai Onn, on Jalan Burma.
He was there for 20 years before shifting to Kim Lee Coffee Shop, a pre-war building at Lorong MacAlister, where he has been operating for the past decade.
His Koay Teow Th’ng stall has been in this vicinity since the Japanese Occupation from his father’s time.
The stall is adjacent to a bit of a side lane. Most locals would sit here as it is more relaxed.
The Koay Teow Th’ng Soup Stock is made from scratch.
Slowly but surely, he starts his morning by making a sweet soup broth from simmering old hens, ducks, pork bone, and white turnips.
The result is a traditionally deep, full-bodied soup that is delicious and cannot be replicated from a stock cube.
This soup is the base for George Town’s old-time perennial favorite, the bland, pale-looking noodle dish Koay Teow Th’ng.
Uncle Ah Hai is perpetually almost bent over with old age.
He still toils to set up his stall. He prepares the ingredients, cooks, cleans, and washes up by himself.
The boiled meats, chicken, duck, and pork are sliced for garnishing.
The Ingredients for Koay Teow Th’ng
The simple Koay Teow Theng is served with shredded meat, organ meat, and fish balls. It is garnished with chopped scallions and garlic-infused lard oil.
Other condiments are light soy sauce, sliced green chili padi, and a dash of white pepper.
A must-try simple soft comfort food that’s delicious and light.
Give this a try before Uncle Ah Hai retires one day.
Penang would have lost yet another excellent heritage noodle dish.
Update: Uncle Ah Hai has passed on. A couple runs the stall now, and the taste is not quite the same anymore.
I’m glad I had my bowl of Koay Teow Th’ng about a year before he passed on.
May he rest in peace.
The bowl of Koay Teow Th’ng has the same taste since I was a young girl.
Ah Hai Koay Teow Theng
Kedai Makanan Kim Lee, 100, Lorong Macalister, Penang (behind Hong Leong Bank Jalan Burma)
Business Hours: 7.30 am to 1.30 pm (Mon-Sun)
This stall is permanently closed.
Really enjoyed looking at your website.
We have very similar interests and both love Penang with a passion.
Thanks for reading!
Im glad that i had the opportunity to taste his Koay Teow Thng,
Definitely the best KTT i’ve ever tested so far in Penang,
The broth was awesome.
can admin recommend me where can i taste something similar like this in Penang?
Thanks for stopping by Sinclair.
There are two other KTT stalls you can try: Lum Lai Duck Meat Koay Teow Th’ng at the Cecil Street Market Hawker Center, and the Ah Boy Koay Teow Th’ng Stall at Clarke Street.
Let me know if you like these. Both have distinct flavors and ingredients, with Ah Boy’s serving up old hens.
Another stall, Koay Teow Th’ng @ Fook Cheow Coffee House on Hutton Lane, offers homemade fish ball soup as a delightful side dish.