IU Win Pan Mee Cabin ( NH ), Sungai Nibong

Had the opportunity to learn how to make this noodle , from scratch, from a Hakka family when I was around 15. 
It was a real family affair, which all the ladies in the house happily took part in together before sitting down for a great Sunday feast. 

Today, most hawkers tend to detract from the original recipe and spoil it by overflavouring this dish with things like msg and sugar, which are big no, nos. 

Therefore kudos to this restaurant for keeping to the authentic home made tradition, the way this noodle was meant to be....plain and simple, with minimal flavour.

Before you continue reading : bear in mind, that if you have never tasted this Malaysian Hakka noodle before, you probably will not appreciate it as the flavours are meant to be as plain as possible, so that the dish would be a healthy one for all to enjoy . Also if you grew up eating the richer Hokkien version you might not take a fancy to this either.

 

IU Win's noodles puts the focus on the natural sweetness of the star gooseberry vegetables (pucuk manis ) and deep fried shallots , balanced by salt dried anchovies and white pepper powder. You might think the black wood fungus ( practically tasteless ) serves no purpose, but it's good for clearing up the arteries, so lap it up !

The noodles are 100percent self produced in the shop . Smooth with a faint whiff of flour. 
Definitely scores high marks with Pan Mee traditionalists !

Dried version, not my favourite...some people like it this way....just that I'm not used to this version, so I'm not qualified to comment when it comes to this.

On the left hand side of the picture below, is a bowl of plain boiled star gooseberry vegetables with egg.

Lots of greens for $2.50.

Again, this is basically, a hot water with a dash of sesame oil, some deep fried shallots, and egg , quick boiled soup.

Don't say I didn't warn you, but salt is kept to the barest minimum, which is the correct way to enjoy this.
 I want to kiss the lady chef at the back but she looks like she's not into hugs.

Curry chicken.

Lovingly slaved over for hours, bursting with robust richness from both the coconut milk and tons of fragrant potatoes.

We pushed this aside so that we could later pack it home, reheat it and enjoy this with a packet of white bread !

Deep fried nam yee belly pork.

Superb ! 
Crispy yet tender on the inside with full flavour from the fermented nam yee marinade and some other secret ingredient which I can't quite put my finger on ( maybe it's belacan powder or cincaluk ) .
Only Hakka ladies know how to cook this correctly .

Another awesome thing about this place is this sambal...it is to die for ! This is the type they put in the fridge to keep it from decomposing too quick. 

Address : 74, Jalan Aziz Ibrahim, Sungai Nibong, Penang

Directions : from Eastin Hotel, head towards the roundabout nearer to the Sungai Nibong express bus terminal. Go up the ramp. Immediately turn left when you see a row of shophouses. The shop is somewhere towards the end.