Ipoh is the chicken rice capital of Malaysia and Lou Wong 老黄 is the undisputed King going by celebrity and media endorsements. Founded over 60 years ago, Lou Wong is now a tourist destination.
Lou Wong is the only chicken rice stall I remember from my regular weekend jaunts in Ipoh 20 years ago. So, I am glad that my friend chose to take us here during our one night stay in Ipoh.
Actually, this cross junction known locally as "beansprout chicken street" because there are a few shops here selling this dish, doesn't look very different from 20 years ago. Maybe a bit brighter, neater, cleaner. A bit more touristy but still authentic.
Indulge me in a little digression.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Twenty years ago, there were street side CD stalls outside Lou Wong. They are still nearby now.
My son, a fan of the singer 50 Cent, wanted to buy his music CD from the young lady at the stall.
"Do you have 50 Cent?" he asked.
The young lady promptly pulled a 50 sen coin from her pocket and gave it to my son. No questions asked.
Of course, we returned the money but people are just so nice lor.... 😄 We still remember the small incident to this day.
Now back to Lou Wong chicken rice 😄
Lou Wong was founded by Yung Jie 蓉姐 and her husband Lou Wong 老黄 over 60 years ago - Yung Jie cannot remember exactly. Lou Wong is now run by her nephew, Simon.
Lou Wong uses the "bearded chicken" 鬍鬚雞 breed of free range birds (which are leaner and more muscular than standard plump American broilers raised in batteries).
The birds are poached and then dunked in water and ice in the Cantonese way.
Only 3 or 4 chicken hang in the window while the rest chill in the icy tubs 😄
Let's eat!
The bird is chopped into large meaty chunks with bone in which I like. The heap is then splashed with a rather robust soy sauce blend and copious amount of proprietary aromatic oil which greased the bird, making it smoother outside. The oil also gave it aroma and flavour.
Only male birds are used, so there is relatively little fat under the thin skin. The bird is cooked through, so the quite lean tender flesh have a slight firmness to the bite. The chicky taste is very subtle as there was not much fat and little juice in the fibres. This is very good if you like your chicken lean, tenderly firm and not too chicky.
Eating chicken rice in Ipoh must always pair with a serving of blanched bean sprouts splashed with light soy sauce and a light dusting of white pepper.
The lightly blanched bean sprouts were juicy and crunchy (though not the most stubby pregnant or seahorse shaped type).
Ipoh beansprouts are grown from black beans (not mung beans) and with local spring water, so it is unique to the area.
The rice was done nicely, though it has a mix of whole and chipped grains. The tender rice cooked with chicken stock, fat, ginger, pandan leaves etc is mildly flavoured and aromatic.
I love this slurpy smooth, tender hor fun in savoury sweet simple chicken broth. Humble Ipoh sar hor fun lives up to its reputation - simply awesome.
👉 Ipoh has lots of chicken rice shops and Lou Wong 老黄芽菜鸡沙河粉 is the most famous one, almost synonymous with the beansprout chicken hor fun dish.
Another popular Ipoh bean sprout chicken shop highly recommended by Ipohites is at Cowan Street. I came to Ipoh a few times before finally getting a chance to try the chicken here. No rice served, just chicken, bean sprouts and kway teow. Oh... their crunchy juicy bean sprouts are unforgettable 👈 click
👏 What other chicken stalls do you suggest in Ipoh? I love to try them.
Restaurant name: Restoran Tauge Ayam Lou Wong 老黄芽菜鸡沙河粉
Address: 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
GPS: 4°35'38.2"N 101°05'02.7"E | 4.593946, 101.084087
Tel: +605 254 4199
Hours: 11:00am to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal
Date visited: 5 Sep 2017
Indulge me in a little digression.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Twenty years ago, there were street side CD stalls outside Lou Wong. They are still nearby now.
My son, a fan of the singer 50 Cent, wanted to buy his music CD from the young lady at the stall.
"Do you have 50 Cent?" he asked.
The young lady promptly pulled a 50 sen coin from her pocket and gave it to my son. No questions asked.
Of course, we returned the money but people are just so nice lor.... 😄 We still remember the small incident to this day.
Now back to Lou Wong chicken rice 😄
Lou Wong was founded by Yung Jie 蓉姐 and her husband Lou Wong 老黄 over 60 years ago - Yung Jie cannot remember exactly. Lou Wong is now run by her nephew, Simon.
Lou Wong uses the "bearded chicken" 鬍鬚雞 breed of free range birds (which are leaner and more muscular than standard plump American broilers raised in batteries).
The birds are poached and then dunked in water and ice in the Cantonese way.
Only 3 or 4 chicken hang in the window while the rest chill in the icy tubs 😄
Let's eat!
The bird is chopped into large meaty chunks with bone in which I like. The heap is then splashed with a rather robust soy sauce blend and copious amount of proprietary aromatic oil which greased the bird, making it smoother outside. The oil also gave it aroma and flavour.
Only male birds are used, so there is relatively little fat under the thin skin. The bird is cooked through, so the quite lean tender flesh have a slight firmness to the bite. The chicky taste is very subtle as there was not much fat and little juice in the fibres. This is very good if you like your chicken lean, tenderly firm and not too chicky.
Eating chicken rice in Ipoh must always pair with a serving of blanched bean sprouts splashed with light soy sauce and a light dusting of white pepper.
The lightly blanched bean sprouts were juicy and crunchy (though not the most stubby pregnant or seahorse shaped type).
Ipoh beansprouts are grown from black beans (not mung beans) and with local spring water, so it is unique to the area.
The rice was done nicely, though it has a mix of whole and chipped grains. The tender rice cooked with chicken stock, fat, ginger, pandan leaves etc is mildly flavoured and aromatic.
I love this slurpy smooth, tender hor fun in savoury sweet simple chicken broth. Humble Ipoh sar hor fun lives up to its reputation - simply awesome.
👉 Ipoh has lots of chicken rice shops and Lou Wong 老黄芽菜鸡沙河粉 is the most famous one, almost synonymous with the beansprout chicken hor fun dish.
Another popular Ipoh bean sprout chicken shop highly recommended by Ipohites is at Cowan Street. I came to Ipoh a few times before finally getting a chance to try the chicken here. No rice served, just chicken, bean sprouts and kway teow. Oh... their crunchy juicy bean sprouts are unforgettable 👈 click
👏 What other chicken stalls do you suggest in Ipoh? I love to try them.
Restaurant name: Restoran Tauge Ayam Lou Wong 老黄芽菜鸡沙河粉
Address: 49, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
GPS: 4°35'38.2"N 101°05'02.7"E | 4.593946, 101.084087
Tel: +605 254 4199
Hours: 11:00am to 12:00 midnight
Non Halal
Date visited: 5 Sep 2017
Written by Tony Boey on 11 Sep 2017
🎗 Opinions in this blog are all my own as no restaurant paid money to be featured.
To ensure neutrality, this blog is powered by voluntary contributions from appreciative readers to Tony Boey Johor Kaki PAYNOW 96888768 in Singapore $.
It has lost its authenticity. The better one is just across the road.
ReplyDeleteHi Tony, I recommend Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau. Smaller, more for locals. You'll love their braised chicken feet!
ReplyDeleteThink they're open for dinner only and supposed to be closed on Mon & Tues, but sometimes they're closed on other days (kena before). Best to check with Ah Meng at +6012-520 3322 first.
Joe
OK Noted for my next trip. Thank you!
DeleteCowan Street Bean Sprout Chicken. I think it's only open at night, and its operation "nights" are quite erratic. I had on several occasions (mostly Saturday nights) gone and found it close for no apparent reason.And the wait could be quite discouraging, sometimes as long as 45 minutes before one's order is served. It used to be operated by an old couple, assisted by a couple of Indonesian workers. Not sure whether the younger generation has taken over the operation now and service improved. If you do have the luck and patience to try it, be sure not to miss its braised chicken feet. It is, in my personal opinion, the dish that distinguishes this shop from the rest of the Bean Sprout Chicken shops in Ipoh.
ReplyDeleteOK Noted for my next trip. Appreciate much.
Delete