By CK Lam

Penang is truly a food haven with huge varieties of street food, however there is a particular dish that has remain popular with the locals over the decades and is known as simply Penang Koay Chiap!

Koay Chiap is flat sheets of rice noodle served in a appetizing soup which is flavored with herbs, spices and soy sauce served together with different parts of the duck and pork. The noodle or the  koay  itself is semi translucency and is slightly thicker than the koay teow and usually cut into rectangular pieces.

The popular location for this dish in Penang in down town Lebuh Kimberley, Lebuh Melayu, Jalan Macalister, and also the Pulau Tikus area and Jalan Air Itam.

One of the stall that I frequently patronize and keep returning is the famous night-time Duck Koay Chiap at Kimberley Street, Penang who not only sells it but  also specializes in making the noodle itself.

Each bowl of Koay Chiap is topped with slices of duck meat, different type of innards (optional), bean curd and braised egg and drench with the soup. The flavorful rich soup has a subtle aromatic smell of the star anise and cinnamon sticks.

The proprietor, Mr Por has been in this business for nearly twenty-nine years at the very same spot which he is now selling.

Throughout the span of over three decades, he has not only stick to the use of  local ingredients but also insisting on preparing everything within family members, ranging from the noodle to the stewed ingredients and the interesting garlicky sour based chili sauce. This is to make sure that he maintains consistency in taste and the recipes remain close to his chest.

The noodle is still has to be handmade as he find the mechanical is still unable to churn out the same quality and texture compare to the human hand. In the pre war shop house, he and his family painstakingly and slowly make the noodle, stew the duck and eggs, prepare the appetizing chili sauce and cut the garnishing vegetables.

The proprietor’s son, who is being groomed up to assist his father with the daily operations, has mastered the techniques of making the Koay.

Kimberley Street Duck Koay Chiap 
Lebuh Kimberley 
Penang
Business Hours : around 6.45pm, sells right through 11pm
Closed on Thursday
GPS Coordinates: N05°24′58.4″   E100°19′58.4″
For further information on eating in Penang, as well on its culture and heritage, log on to C.K. Lam’s blog at http://www.what2seeonline.com