Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak Penang

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak is one of my favorite breakfast indulgences, and I’ve been patronizing a Kopitiam since the 1970s.

The sisters are the third generation of hawkers of this Teochew-style snack, which I’ve been eating from this pushcart stall since I was a child.

I ate their grandfather’s food, then their father’s.

The younger sisters now took over the cooking.

No matter their day, the sisters always make their customers feel welcome.

They remember my Char Koay Kak order and allow for all sorts of customizations that each customer wants.

Big smiles, friendly greetings, and Happy New Year wishes loudly.

Other hawkers look tired, worn out, and grumpy.

The sisters exude a positive energy that continues to attract people to their little pushcart stall.

It’s good to see businesses last more than 70 years.

I wish for the next generation to continue to savor the authentic Korchabi Penang food we Penangites love.

It is a Penang-style good solid generational customer base that builds a lasting business.

Many Penang old stalls like Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak deserves a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand Award.

Char Koay Kak Vs. Char Koay Teow

Visitors to Penang will make a beeline for Penang Char Koay Teow, but for me, the cousin dish, the Char Koay Kak, has more bite!

The aroma of eggs, taugeh, Chai Por, and rice cubes fried in a large pan is intoxicating.

So if you’re wondering, why not try both and see which you prefer?

There is a Char Koay Teow stall at Cafe Seow Fong Lye (Kopitiam).

Char Koay Kak History

Yeoh Joo Seng started the pushcart Char Koay Kak stall in 1963.

The dish is the most aromatic, soy-infused delicious, cholesterol-laden treat.

When Senior Yeoh cooked the dish, he used lard oil.

The Eoh sisters, Guat Lan, and Guat Hoon, take turns frying up the delicious treat every morning.

I’ve tried both sisters’ cooking, and I assure you there is no difference in the “Ko Cha Bi” authentic taste.

It envelops the little pushcart stall with delicious smoky hot soy fumes as the sisters fry away.

Every time I go, I’ll do the Penang thing, wave to the Eoh sisters, and linger to chit-chat a bit.

They would smile in acknowledgment.

Street food vendors in Penang recognize their regulars and remember our orders.

Naturally, I will stand away from the downwind and chat with them as they fry away with rising, smoky hot soy fumes.

Is It  Char Koay Teow?

Outstation visitors have mistaken this as Char Kway Teow (stir-fried flat noodle dish).

The Char Koay Kak is made from rice cakes, not radish cakes.

The preparation is different from the Teochew-style rice cake snack.

When Do You Eat?

Penangites eat Char Koay Kak for breakfast or even a supper snack.

Char Koay Kak is eaten as a snack too.

How Is It Prepared?

The preparation is almost similar to Penang’s iconic Char Kway Teow.

Instead of thin flat noodles, radish cake uses steamed rice cake cubes for this dish.

The hawkers fry these cubes in a large flat cast iron frying pan rather than a wok.

The preparation of the Char Koay Kak is simple.

First, the cook fries a batch of steamed rice cakes, cutting them into small bite-sized squares with lard.

Sometimes you get a bonus – bits of crunchy, fragrant Bak Eu Phok (deep-fried lard).

Later, she adds a mixture of dark and light soy sauces, garlic, and Chai Por bits.

The bits of pickled vegetables are a must, as they add a satisfying crunchy texture to the “soft” dish.

Next are the bean sprouts, which give the dish a bit of freshness and help balance the saltiness of the combined sauces and sweet/salty pickled Chai Por.

Finally, she knocks an egg (or two–on request) into the mixture for added creaminess and protein.

Duck’s eggs are exceptional in leading and have a full-bodied aroma to the “omeletty” dish.

She Fries it thoroughly and tops the dish with Chinese Chives for crunch and texture.

The ingredients are simple, but like many other Penang hawker foods,

It is challenging to replicate at home.

Origin of Char Koay Kak

The origin of the dish is not clear.

Combining the ingredients used could result from two ethnic Chinese cultures: the Hokkien and Teochew influences.

The salty Chai Por brings everything together.

Char Koay Kak Recipe

Ingredients for steam Koay Kak

• Cubes of steamed rice cakes
• Garlic
• Chye Por (preserved vegetable bits)
• Bean sprouts
• Egg
• Chili paste, as desired.
• Soy sauce
• Chives
• Lard

Modern versions have these ingredients.

These new variations by different hawkers try to set their dishes apart – Seafood Char Koay Kak or even those with curried blood clams!

• Prawns (optional)
• Squid (optional)
• Clams (optional)

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak @ Macalister Lane

Three sisters will set up their pushcart stall every morning in front of the Cafe Seow Fong Lye on Macalister Lane.

They have been doing this for decades.

Their father, Eoh Joo Seng, started the stall in 1963 at the original Seow Fong Lye Coffee Shop before Hong Leong Bank replaced it in the same location.

Cafe Seow Fong Lye has since shifted to the current spot next to the side lane.

The stall shifted to the roadside a few hundred meters from the junction and has stayed there since the 1980s.

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak Penang

I have known the Eoh sisters since they took over the business. Eoh’s daughters, Guat Hong, Guat Lan, and Guat Hoon, operate the stall together.

All nine Eoh children, seven sisters and two brothers, used to help at the stall growing up.

When I asked how does it feel to be working and being together every day for the past 50 years,

Eldest sister Guat Eng says, “Our father started this business, and now that he’s gone, he’s left it to his daughters to soldier on!”

If you go early, say 7:30 a.m., you will see the sisters setting up a small table for another traditional homemade snack.

The eldest sister, Guat Eng, sells this alongside their Char Koay Kak stall.

• “Otak Otak” (a Nyonya delicacy)
• Teochew Chai Kuih
• Dumplings
• Yam cake
• curry puffs

How do you order Char Koay Kak?

Char Koay Kak’s standard portion is without an egg.

The steamed, cooled rice cake cubes are fried with bean sprouts, preserved radish bits, chili paste, soy sauce, and chives.

Nowadays, not all vendors add chives to the dish.

My order includes extra bean sprouts, chives, radish bits, a little chili, and lots of chopped charred soy-infused bits!

I like an extra egg to make it creamier! Some foodies love to have double eggs for a smoother texture.

If you haven’t tried Char Koay Kak before, I suggest going with the egg.

There is no vegetarian version, as this stall uses lard to cook.

Some hawkers still use lard oil, but most have changed it to vegetable palm oil.

Make A Deluxe Version

Some stalls sell a premium version of this dish with seafood.

I make a “deluxe” version for my home-cooked version with duck eggs, prawns, sweet pickled radish bits, mung bean sprouts, and extra chives (kuchai).

I love the slight aroma of Chives, and adding some green to the mix makes the dish look more attractive.

Location of Penang Char Koay Kak Stalls

Char Koay Kak is a street food you can only find in Penang and the mainland.

Other hawkers in other states try to cook it, but the taste differs from a Penangite.

Some hawkers still add Chinese chives, but crunchy deep-fried lard has become few and far between, perhaps due to more health-conscious consumers who ask not to have this added.

Plenty of hawkers’ stalls sell Char Koay Kak all over Penang, especially early in the morning for breakfast, in the afternoon for tea, or late in the evening for supper.

Char Koay Kak Calorie Per Plate

The standard serving size of 385 g plate of Char Koay Kak has 742 calories!

2023 Price List

Top Char Koay Kak Recommendation

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak
Cafe Seow Fong Lye (Kopitiam)
96, Lorong Macalister, George Town, Penang
Business Hours: 7.00 am-12.00 pm
Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays

List of Char Koay Kak Stalls in Penang

Here are some stalls to try out:

• Burma Road Char Koay Kak
• Batu Lanchang Market Hawker Center
• Bayan Baru Hawker Centre, Bayan Baru
• Char Koay Kak @ Jalan Raja Uda (Butterworth)
• Char Koay Kak @ Bukit Mertajam
• Lu Shou Cafe
• Fried Koay Kak, Lebuh Carnarvon
• Kedai Kopi Cathay
• Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock, Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus
• Kedai Kopi Teoh Guan Hup at the ground floor of Block 2G, opposite Old Farlim Market (breakfast)
• Midtown Cafe, Lorong Selamat (lunch)
• Perak Road Market (morning)
• Restoran Enrich
• Restoran Keat Seng, Air Itam
• Restoran Lye, Batu Maung
• Sin Yin Nam Cafe, Jalan Macalister – New Lane junction
• Stall at Lorong Selamat
• Stall opposite old Lip Sin Market at Lebuh Nipah (breakfast except for Friday)
• Sungai Ara Food Court
• Super Tanker Ford Center, Lengkok Nipah
• Taman Kheng Tian Night Market, Jelutong (Friday evening)
• Teluk Bayan Hawker Centre, Sungai Nibong
• Yi Garden, 150 Jalan Macalister

Updated 24 July 2022

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak’s listing on Google My Business is marked as ‘Permanently Closed,’ as Google’s rules say they will “close” a listing when a business moves.

Updated 1 January 2023

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak stall is back in action.

Blog Disclosure: This is a NOT sponsored blog post. All opinions are mine. The writer and friends paid for their meal.

Sister Yao’s Char Koay Kak MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View

 

Malay Mail: Char koay kak served up by the Eoh sisters