When I first started blogging in 2012, I went all over Johor Bahru in search of kway teow kia 果条仔 - the uniquely JB dish is found everywhere here. You know how it is..., maybe because KTK is so common in JB, I soon took it for granted. I have not eaten KTK for a couple of years already.
So, when I stumbled upon the old school looking JJ Liang KTK 阿亮果条仔 shop while exploring the Johor Jaya Bakawali area for food, I decided to give it a try. It's been a while. Happily, it tasted good enough to rekindle my love for kway teow kia - one of the JB dishes that inspired me to start this blog.
Most established kway teow kia stalls in JB do their pork very well. Always fresh, just the right soft tender springiness, and natural porky sweetness balanced with savoury herbal taste infused from the braising stock.
JJ Liang has been in business for over 30 years. It's pork and innards are on par with the best in JB that I have tasted, though the skin is done on the softer side.
To me, the main variation between KTK stalls boils down to the taste of the braising stock. It's basically a blend of savoury and herbal flavours (though some places add in a bit of sweetness). Some people like it more savoury, some more herbal, others prefer it balanced precisely in the middle.
Some like the flavours robust, some like it mild. Some like the stock heavy, other like it light and watery. Every established KTK stall have their loyal fans. Taste is after all, a matter of personal preference.
At JJ Liang, the braising stock is fairly robust and leans on the savoury side with just a slight herbal hint. I like it this way. (Personally, I don't appreciate overly herbal stock.)
JB kway teow kia is eaten with narrow kway teow noodles. They range from soft to quite plasticky springy depending on the blend of flours used in making the noodles. 100% rice noodles are softer, which I prefer.
I like the kway teow kia noodles at JJ Liang as they are done just right - tender and soft, and the soft white strands pick up the braising stock very well.
The kway teow kia noodles and pork innards are dressed with a little fried shallot at the top and a dribble of aromatic oil. The best KTK stalls make their own aromatic oil by frying shallots at the stall.
JJ Liang KTK fry their own shallot, so the fried shallot and aromatic oil add nice aromatic notes to the kway teow kia. At JJ Liang, they also have a bit of lard crackling toppings with their kway teow kia, which is nice.
The chili sauce has layered flavours from the spicy chili, sour vinegar, and saltiness from dark soya sauce.
👉 JJ Liang kway teow kia is nice in the old school kind of way. Give it a try if you are near by or want to know what a no frills, unembellished old school JB kway teow kia is like.
Restaurant name: Restoran JJ Liang 阿亮果条仔
Address: 128, Jalan Bakawali 49, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°32'33.4"N 103°47'36.7"E | 1.542604, 103.793518
Hours: 9:30am to 10:00pm (closed on Thursday)
Non Halal
Date: 29 Aug 2017
Return to Johor Kaki homepage.
The kuay teow kia opposite, across the main road is better. They were featured on the foodie 8TV show Ho Jiak before.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes, I have blogged about that one before. Haven't tried it for a few years. Maybe time to revisit :-D
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