Ultimate Guide: Ipoh Street Food

Ipoh Food

Ipoh is home to one of the most picturesque towns in Malaysia, encapsulated by its infamous limestone hills. Located in the state of Perak, Ipoh is famous for its colonial past, as well as its significance in the growth of Malaya. The home to some of the best local fare from the Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken Rice to the Sar Hor Fun, Ipoh food is known to locals as some of the cleanest and freshest there is. Recently named 6^th of Best in Asia by Lonely Planet, the melting pot of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European colonial cultures is apparent in the food that you hear about. From the arty revival of the Kong Heng block to the once famous Concubine Lane, we have a look at what they have to offer.

Due to its high Chinese population, most of Ipoh cuisine is based on Cantonese, Hakka and Hainanese influences, however, there is a very delectable Malay and Indian dish, the Nasi Ganja, which is itself worth a visit. Known for using its spring water laced with minerals from the lime mountains in its cooking, the food here generally offers a very crisp, flavourful and light finish. You should also not miss the chance of tasting one of their most famous exports, the Ipoh White Coffee. Here, we list a few of our favourite dishes, and since Ipoh is a predominantly Cantonese populated area, all Chinese explanations will be in Cantonese. As you will see, hor fun (河粉) a flat rice noodle, features quite prominently in Ipoh cuisine.

26 IPOH FOOD YOU HAVE TO TRY

Food For Thought’s selection

To see each item click on the + icon beside.

ASAM LAKSA 亞參叻沙 / IPOH LAKSA 怡保叻沙

If you’re familiar with Penang Asam Laksa (aa sam lak saa, 檳城亞參叻沙), this dish would definitely tickle your fancy. Ipoh, like most other cities in Malaysia, have their own variation of this unique dish. Asam Laksa is a soup noodle dish made from a fish broth with asam (tamarind) with ingredients such as ikan kembung (mackerel), cucumbers, shallots, chillies, shredded pineapple, lettuce, mint, daun kesum (laksa leaves / Vietnamese mint), bunga kantan (torch ginger), lemongrass, galangal, dried chillies, red chillies, turmeric and a fermented shrim paste called belachan (ma lai zaan, 馬來盞) and a fermented shrimp paste (har gou, 蝦羔). Other important ingredients in an Asam Laksa are lemongrass, galangal, dried chillies, red chillies, turmeric and belachan (a fermented shrimp paste). The key difference with Ipoh Asam Laksa is that it has a significantly more sour taste, due to more tamarind being used. A unique way that Ipoh Asam Laksa is eaten is that it is sometimes served with Yong Liew (yeung liu, 酿料).

I would say that the asam laksa that would stand out would be the one at Dai Shu Geok, with that slightly sour flavour. It is quite close to the kind you find around Penang island. They are also home to the famous yong liew (yong tau foo) which is sometimes dipped into the asam laksa broth itself. The other one would be the one in Falim that only opens on Sundays.

Asam Laksa is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Laksa in Ipoh at the following: –

BEAN SPROUT CHICKEN RICE / HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE 海南雞飯 / NGA CHOI KAI 怡保芽菜雞 / TAUGEH AYAM

If you ask any Malaysian to name an iconic Malaysia dish, you will hear the name of this dish being tossed into the ring, the Hainanese Chicken Rice (hoi lam gaai fan, 海南鸡饭). This dish has its heritage in the Hainanese dish called Wenchang Chicken (maan cheung gaai, 文昌雞), where the chicken is poached and sliced. Hainanese chicken rice usually uses Kampung chickens, similar to free range chickens where the birds are allowed to run freely on a compound. This ensures that the meat of the chicken is leaner in fat and more flavourful. The chicken is poached whole in water, ginger, garlic, pandan leaves and the stock is used to cook the rice. This imparts a fragrance that lingers on the rice. This rice is known as oily rice (yau faan, 油飯). Hainanese chicken rice is served with a side of dark soy sauce, minced ginger, and garlic chilli vinegar. There is also a variation from Cantonese Guangxi cuisine, the White Cut Chicken (baak chit gaai, 白切雞) which is steamed, then dipped into cold water, causing the layer of fat to become translucent. White Cut Chicken is normally served with soy sauce with bird’s eye chilli, known locally as chilli padi (zi tin ziu, 指天椒).

Ipoh is also home to the Nga Choi Kai, (yee bou nga choy gaai, 怡保芽菜雞) better known as the Bean Sprout Chicken in English and Taugeh Ayam in Malay. This dish is a bit of a misnomer, where in fact, it is actually just steamed chicken served with a side of bean sprouts. The chicken is normally served with soy sauce and sesame oil, and is famous for being delicate and light. This dish can be consumed on its own, or with hor fun, but is most commonly had with rice. Most places will also serve an assortment of chicken innards including liver, gizzard and intestines, and is also commonly found to be served with a side of pork balls. The main difference between Nga Choi Kai and Hainanese Chicken Rice is that Nga Choi Kai is served with bean sprouts, a product that Ipoh is famous for. This dish is served with soy sauce, sesame oil and salted fish. Ipoh is also famous for the type of chicken you can find there, called kampung chicken, also known as village chicken. These chickens are highly regarded because they are free range which meat is usually leaner, but more flavourful.

As one of Ipoh’s most infamous of dishes, there are many contenders to the best. We liked the one at Lou Wong (which has been said to be very touristy today), but there are also gems such as the one on Cowan Street. Essentially it boils down to these simple items, a fresh kampung chicken (village chickens that are low in fat), a not too greasy sauce and a nice piquant garlic chilli.

According to our taste, you can find the best Hainanese Chicken Rice in Ipoh at the following: –

Nasi Ayam, the Malay version, is a halal dish.

CARAMEL CUSTARD

At first thought, you wouldn’t expect the Caramel Custard to be must try dish, however, this sweet dessert is another influence of the Malaysian Colonial Cuisine. This dessert was first brought by the Portuguese in the 1500’s and has never left since. The dish made from sugar syrup and eggs, and has a sweet and sometimes bitter tinge to it. This dessert is sometimes prepared with gula Melaka (palm sugar).

The one at Thean Chun in the old town is one of the better, if not only identifyable place to get the dessert. Surprisingly smooth with a nice burnt umami flavour.

Caramel Custard is a Halal and Vegetarian dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Caramel Custard in Ipoh at the following: –

CHAR KWAY TEOW 炒粿條 / IPOH CHAR KWAY TEOW 怡保炒粿條

As most Malaysians would know, the Char Kway Teow is synonymous with good Malaysian street food. Although Penang Char Kway Teow is the most famous, the Ipoh Char Kway Teow version has one idiosyncrasy that is showing of Ipoh cuisine, the type of noodles used. This dish is made with flat rice noodles called kuay teow (条汤), and fried with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chilli paste, garlic, bean sprouts, blood cockles, prawns, Chinese chives, eggs, and pork lard. Although Penang Char Kway Teow is the most famous of the kway teows, the Ipoh version uses thicker, but more delicate, flat rice noodles. Unlike the Penang variety which uses thinner noodles, the ones in Ipoh use hor fun (河粉), which is used in most of Ipoh cooking. For more information, see our previous post on the history of the Char Kuay Teow.

The char kway teow used in Ipoh is different to the rest of Malaysia in that they use hor fun instead of the thinner counterparts found in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. The one at Sin Lean Lee is also known as the Ipoh Old Town Famous Char Kway Teow is not only famous for its char kway teow, but has a special order of the kam chau fun (金炒粉) which mixes yellow egg noodles with hor fun. A must try.

According to our taste, you can find the best Char Kway Teow in Ipoh at the following: –

CHEE CHEONG FUN 豬腸粉 / IPOH CHEE CHEONG FUN 怡保豬腸粉

Chu Cheong Fun (zyu cheung fun, 猪肠粉) is a rice noodle roll originally from Cantonese cuisine. This dish takes its name from its look, pig intestines, although tastes nothing like it. This dish is prominent in Malaysia due to the large Cantonese especially around towns with large Chinese populations like Ipoh. Chee Cheong Fun is normally served with a sweet sauce (tim zoeng, 甜酱) and sweetened chilli sauce (laat ziu zheong, 辣椒酱), and garnished with sesame seeds. Ipoh Chee Cheong Fun however is served with mushroom gravy or curry gravy, shredded chicken and deep fried shallots. There is also another variation named the Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun which is made with dried shrimps, preserved radish (choi pou, 菜脯)  and jicama. This dish is served with a side of pickled green chillies, which can be gotten from the town over.

One of the better Ipoh chee cheong fun is located at Pasir Pinji, and is best had with a dollop of everything including soy sauce, chilli sauce, sweet sauce, chilli sauce and shallot oil. You can also head over to the other famous chee cheong fun located at Canning Garden, who does a good mushroom sauce as well.

Chee Cheong Fun is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Chee Cheong Fun in Ipoh at the following: –

CURRY MEE 咖喱麵 / IPOH CURRY LAKSA 怡保咖喱叻沙

There are few dishes more iconic in Malaysia than the Curry Mee (gaa lei meen, 咖喱麵) or Curry Laksa (gaa lei lak sha, 咖喱叻沙). This dish is the perfect summation of the cultural melting pot that is Malaysian cuisine, taking from Chinese cuisine the egg noodles (daan meen, 蛋麵) or rice vermicelli (mai fun, 米粉), from Indian cuisine the curry leaves, and Malay cuisine, the use of coconut milk and sambal. The dish is commonly made with a curry and coconut broth, served with a side of dried tofu puffs, long beans and cockles with sambal or chilli paste to add to taste. The main difference between regional curry mee is the garnishing. Ipoh Curry Mee (yee bou gaa lei meen, 怡保咖喱麵) is usually served with what Ipoh is iconic for, its chicken, usually in the form of sliced steam chicken (baak chit gaai, 白切雞) or shredded chicken (gaai see, 雞絲). Most places would also gladly serve this dish with slices of roast pork (siu yuk, 燒肉) and barbecue pork (char siu, 叉燒). Penang Curry Mee (ban sing gaa lei meen, 檳城咖喱麵) on the other hand focuses more on seafood, where prawns and squid are the star.

Personally, we like the one at Xin Quan Fang with its nice variety and piquant sambal. We caution with being impatient as the owner is known to have a bit of a nerve. The other famous one would be the one at Nam Chau Coffee Shop which we find a little too greasy, but definitely up there as one of the better ones and that’s saying a lot of Ipoh.

According to our taste, you can find the best Curry Mee in Ipoh at the following: –

DIM SUM 點心

When it comes to Cantonese cuisine, there are few which are more popular than the Dim Sum, which comes from the meaning to touch (dim, 點) the heart (sum, 心). These style of food is usually served in bamboo baskets of various sizes, but is generally divided into 5 categories: steamed (zing, 蒸), stir-fried (chau, 炒), pan-fried (zin, 煎), deep-fried (zaa, 炸), congee (juk, 粥) and desserts (tim baan, 甜品). A chef’s proficiency is usually tested with the four basic dim sum, the Prawn Dumpling (har gau, 蝦餃), Pork Dumpling (siu mai, 燒賣), Steamed Pork Buns (char siu bao, 叉燒包) and Glutinous Chicken Rice (lor mai gaai, 糯米雞). One thing you will note about dim sum in Malaysia is that it has evolved differently from that of Guangzhou (original Cantonese) and Hong Kong dim sum. For example, the Lor Mai Gaai in Malaysia is quite different from those you’d find in Hong Kong. Lor Mai Gaai in Hong Kong is what Malaysians would recognise as Glutinous Lotus Rice (hor yip faan, 荷葉飯), whereas what Malaysians know as Lor Mai Gaai is known as Pearl Chicken Rice (jan jyu gaai, 珍珠雞). Due to Ipoh having a higher concentration of Cantonese people, dim sum in general has become one of their specialities. One big difference about Malaysian dim sum is that condiments used are usually a sweetened chilli sauce (laat ziu zoeng, 辣椒酱) and sweet sauce (tim zoeng, 甜酱), with also chilli oil (laat jiu yau, 辣椒油) being one of the common condiments.

Try the stuffed chee cheong fun at Zui Le Xuan for a unique dim sum, along with its massive fried fish balls. The one at Dynasty Palace also does a decent selection with its signature Bean Skin Chee Cheong Fun (fu pei chu zheong fun,豆腐皮豬腸粉). However, most places will do a decent salted egg custard bun (lau sar bau, 流沙包) these days, where its filled with salted egg yolk and steamed. A key to a good dimsum today however, is really variety.

According to our taste, you can find the best Dim Sum in Ipoh at the following: –

DRY CURRY MEE 幹撈咖哩麵 / DRY CURRY NOODLES

Dry Curry Mee (gon lou gaa lei meen, 幹撈咖哩麵) is a variation of the traditional Curry Mee, a coconut curry based noodle soup that is common throughout Malaysia, using yellow egg noodles in its preparation, although you do sometimes get wanton noodles being used. The Dry Curry Mee is different from the soup variety in the way it is prepared. As the name suggests, this noodle is served dry, with some sauce to accompany. The noodles are blanched, then tossed with soy and curry sauce. This dish is usually garnished with shredded chicken, barbecue pork and cockles. At some places, you might even be able to add roast pork and stuffed tofu (yeung liu, 酿料).

Yee Fatt has one of the better curry mee, and once tasted you can tell why. The sauce is just the right viscosity and decent spice levels. The balance of the curry sauce is also that it’s not overtly sweet. 

According to our taste, you can find the best Dry Curry Mee in Ipoh at the following: –

HAKKA MEE 客家麵

Although most Chinese food in Ipoh is predominantly Cantonese cuisine, there is also a sizable Hakka diaspora, whose cuisine has influenced a lot of what we know as Malaysian Chinese cuisine. One such dish is the Hakka Mee (haak gaa meen, 客家面). This dish has its roots in the Hakka dish called Dabu Mian (tai bou meen, 大埔面), and is a simple egg noodle served with a rich dollop of mince pork gravy. The Hakka Mee in Ipoh is commonly served with a side of Yong Liew (yeung liu, 酿料) and fish balls. A simple and humble dish, it packs a flavourful savoury punch.

We quite liked the one at Paris Restaurant due to its springy meatballs adding to the lighter styled noodles. However, if you prefer something a little thicker, head on to

According to our taste, you can find the best Hakka Mee in Ipoh at the following: –

HAINANESE BUN / HAINAN PAU 海南包

Hainanese cuisine has been part of Malaysian cuisine due to the culture introduced by the caretakers known fondly as the Amahs. The Hainanese Bun (hoi lam bao, 海南包) is one such food that is commonly found throughout Malaysia, expect its simply just called pau. This term itself has quite a hazy past, some claiming that it originates from the Chinese word for bun (bao, 包), while others claim it comes from Portuguese, where buns are also called pao. Hainan pau is normally steamed in bamboo baskets and can come in sweet or savoury fillings, sweet fillings such as red bean paste, and savoury ones like barbeque pork (char siu, 叉燒).

We enjoyed the ones at Yei Lock with its fluffy bread and pork fillings, with the right amount of meat to bun ratio. The one at Toong Hai Coffee Shop also has a decent wide selection.

According to our taste, you can find the best Hainanese Bun in Ipoh at the following: –

HAINANESE CHICKEN CHOP 海南雞扒

The Hainanese cuisine has made quite a sizable and impactful effect on Malaysian cuisine, and most of this was due to its colonial history. In days of past, British officers would hire Amahs, caretakers from China, who would manage the household. Most of them were from the Hainan province and brought with them their cooking style. What was more important was the legacy left behind, in which they would cook with their cooking styles, but adjusting to the palate of their British employers. This form of cuisine came to be called Malaysian Colonial cuisine (although Singaporean Colonial cuisine is prevalent in neighbouring Singapore as well), and you can easily recognise some of these dishes with the name “Hainanese” in Malaysia.

The Hainanese Chicken Chop (hoi lam gaai paa, 海南雞扒) is one such dish, a deboned chicken thigh seasoned, coated in batter and deep fried. This dish is served with a side of French fries or potato wedges. What makes this dish uniquely Malaysian is the gravy used, an onion Worcestershire sauce served with peas and carrots. A good Hainanese Chicken Chop strongly depends on the gravy, where each chef has their own. Some tend to lean too much towards a tomato based sauce, while others prefer a more onion based gravy. Although not solely an Ipoh dish, Ipoh is home to some of the best chicken chops you can find in Malaysia.

We found the one at Restaurant Cathay to be quite traditional, served with peas and wedges in a sweet savoury tomato based sauce. The meat was flavoured well, with pronounced hints of spices, and cooked in a thin batter.

Hainanese Chicken Chop is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Hainanese Chicken Chop in Ipoh at the following: –

HEONG PENG 香餅 / BEH TEH SAW 馬蹄酥

The Heong Peng (heung beng, 香餅) is a semi hollow biscuit filled with a sweet malt and shallots sticky filling, baked till golden with a crusty sesame covered shell. This simply pastry is a Ipoh speciality, and is also known as Beh Teh Saw (maa tai sou, 馬蹄酥) in the Hokkien dialect, due to its shape akin to a horse shoe. This pastry is famous throughout Ipoh and is commonly brought home as souvenirs by tourists.

There are many really good stalls that provide this pastry, and even commercial ones are pretty good. We like Sin Eng Heong’s fluffy oven baked goodness, however, the filling can sometimes be a little on the small side. We also recommend 198, which doesn’t look like much from the outside, but does quite a tasty treat. We found it to also have more filling.

Heong Peng is a Halal and Vegetarian dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Heong Peng in Ipoh at the following: –

HOR HEE 河嘻 / TEOCHEW FISHBALL SOUP 潮州魚蛋粿條湯

As the Chinese melting pot that Ipoh is, you will find a variation of different Chinese cultures there, and such an example is the Hor Hee (hor hei, 河嘻) which in the Teochew dialect means fish ball (yu daan, 魚蛋), is actually a clear broth noodle soup. This dish is more commonly known outside of Ipoh as Teochew Fish Ball Koay Teow Soup (chiu zau yu daan gwai diu tong, 潮州魚蛋粿條湯). This dish consists of fish balls, fish cakes, fish dumplings, pickled vegetables and fried shallots. This soup can be served with different types of noodles, but most commonly flat rice noodles (sar hor fun, 沙河粉 or gwai diu, 粿條) or glass noodles (dung fan, 冬粉 or fan si, 粉絲). This soup is normally light and savoury, and served with a side of soy sauce with sliced chili. This dish is known in Kuala Lumpur as Saito Fish Ball Kway Teow Soup (sai tou yu daan fun, 西刀魚蛋粉).

We preferred the one at Li Hing Fatt more delicate and the broth light, whereas the one at Loke Wooi Kee isn’t bad either, although it has a heavier broth. It’s overall quite a simple dish that can’t go wrong, especially when the fishballs are done right using the right kind of fish.

Hor Hee is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Hor Hee in Ipoh at the following: –

ICE BALL 冰球 / AIS KEPAL

Although not generically an Ipoh dessert, the Ice Ball (bing kau, 冰球) is a very traditional and simple dessert that has been common in Malaysia’s past. This dessert consists of shaven ice drenched in syrup, and is usually served as a sizable snowball. The dessert usually comes in a few simple syrup flavours, popular ones being asam boi (suen muui, 酸梅) which is made from the syrup of preserved plums, as well as  sarsaparilla (Sarsi), grape and orange (Fanta). For first timers, definitely try out the asam boi flavour.

The one from Bits and Bobs at Kong Heng Square can be rather nice.

According to our taste, you can find the best Ice Ball in Ipoh at the following: –

IPOH WHITE COFFEE 怡保白咖啡

One of Ipoh’s most famous exports is also one of their best drinks, the Ipoh White Coffee (yee bou baak gaa feh, 怡保白咖啡). This type of coffee is called white coffee, not because it produces a white colour, but because when roasted, it is lighter in colour than other types of roasted coffee. Ipoh white coffee is roasted with margarine, giving it a distinctive flavour. Coffee is Malaysia is normally referred with its multilingual and multidialectal name, kopi. Kopi comes from Malay, which was derived from the Hokkien /Fujian (fuk kien, 福建) dialect. When served with condensed milk and hot, it’s simply called Baak Kopi (baak gaa feh, 白咖啡). When served with condensed milk and cold, it’s called Kopi Ping (gaa feh bing, 咖啡冰). When served without milk and sugar, it’s called Kopi-O (gaa feh O, 咖啡O).

Ipoh is famous for its white coffee beans generally, and we recommend the white coffee at Ah Chow’s as well as Nam Chau as it has quite a number of food offerings.

Ipoh White Coffee is a Halal drink.

According to our taste, you can find the best Ipoh White Coffee in Ipoh at the following: –

KAI SEE HOR FUN 雞絲河粉 / SAR HOR FUN 沙河粉 / CHICKEN HOR FUN

If there is one dish you have to try when visiting Ipoh, it would have to be their delicate and light Kai See Hor Fun (gaai see hor fun, 雞絲河粉). This dish is also called Sar Hor Fun (sar hor fun, 沙河粉), which is believed to have originated from Shahe (sar hor, 沙河), a town in Guangzhou. Kai See Hor Fun is usually served with a chicken and prawn stock, shredded chicken, prawns, chives and prawn oil. However, most places will also serve a nice helping of steamed chicken to go with your noodles, if you prefer. The dish is usually served with a side condiment of chopped birds eye chili in soy sauce.

There is a big difference between hor fun (hor fun, 河粉) and kway teow (gwaai diu, 粿條), although they may seem to be used interchangeably. Hor fun is of Cantonese origin, and is considered a more refined type of rice noodle, which is less starchy, oilier, and able to absorb soups better. Kway teow, on the other, is created from long and thinly sliced rice cakes, therefore has a hardier consistency. Ipoh is also famous for its mineral rich lime hills which water is believe to be the cause for the hor fun produced here to be extra silky.

We highly recommend the one at Thean Chun, with its silky hor fun, light and aromatic soup and extremely tender chicken, a side order. The one at Tuck Kee is pretty good as well with a strong prawn stock.

Kai See Hor Fun is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Kai See Hor Fun in Ipoh at the following: –

KAYA PUFF 咖椰角 / 咖椰酥 / COCONUT JAM PASTRY

A traditional Malaysian snack that is commonly found in Ipoh is the Kaya Puff (gaa yaa gok, 咖椰角, also known as gaa yaa sou, 咖椰酥), which is a coconut jam pastry. Kaya is made from coconut and sugars into a jam, and comes from the Malay word kaya, to mean rich. This snack is made by filling kaya into a flaky pastry, then baked. The snack has a pronounced sweetness and richness to it, and is a common tea time snack.

The trustworthy Sin Eng Heong is one of the better ones, with a good filling to pastry ratio, but can be quite sweet. The one from Guan Heong fairs well too with the nice thicker pastry.ya

According to our taste, you can find the best Kaya Puff in Ipoh at the following: –

NASI GANJA / NASI KANDAR / NASI VANGGEY

Nasi Ganja is an Indian Muslim / Mamak cuisine mixed rice dish from, which is also known as Nasi Vanggey and Nasi Kandar (in Penang). This dish is named Nasi Ganja from the belief that it’s flavour is so tasty that you will be addicted to it. This dish is also called Nasi Vanggey, which comes from the Indian Tamil dialect to mean “come”, as a dish that is inviting you to taste it. This dish is also called Nasi Kandar in Penang, and is also a result of the prevalent Mamak communities in Malaysia. This mixed rice dish consists of rice served with curries, chicken, beef, fish and a variety of other dishes. The key to a good Nasi Ganja is the mix of all curries drenched all over the rice, giving it a good punch of flavours. Favourite side dishes include ayam merah (a spicy red cooked chicken) and squid curry. Other famous side dishes include rendang, and lamb curry.

I really enjoyed the ayam merah at Yong Suan, but the queue can be a bit hectic during lunch. They offer quite nice spread as well. If you happen to be on the other side of Ipoh near Station 18, Nasi Vanggey is pretty decent too.

Nasi Ganja is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Kaya Puff in Ipoh at the following: –

NGA POU KAI FAN 瓦煲雞飯 SAR POU KAI FAN 砂煲鷄飯 / CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE

Claypot Chicken Rice (nga pou gaai fan,砂煲鷄飯) is a dish served in a claypot, consisting of rice cooked in a pot, with layers of seasoned chicken, Chinese sausages (laap cheung, 臘腸) and salted fish served with a side of birds eye chilli and soy sauce. In Ipoh, this dish is known locally as Sar Pou Kai Fan, (sar pou gaai fan, 砂煲鷄飯) referring to the claypot as sar pou. The chicken is normally seasoned with dark soy sauce, soy sauce, white vinegar and sugar, and has a distinct caramelised taste. As salted fish is an acquired flavour, this ingredient can be seen to greatly enhance the dish, or if you prefer, can be excluded upon request. The reason is the salted fish is believed to enhance the flavour of the dish. The rice is presented in a claypot where diners will mix the rice themselves. This dish is also known as Pou Jai Farn (pou jai fan, 煲仔飯) in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and would additionally be served with other preserve Chinese meats like liver sausage, preserved duck, preserved pork belly and bok choy.

Although by popular opinion this K10’s standards have dropped, we still found it palatable. The chicken was seasoned well and tender. However, it can be a hit and miss as sometimes you get the charred rice at the bottom while other times you don’t.

According to our taste, you can find the best Claypot Chicken Rice in Ipoh at the following: – 

PORK BALL / CHU YOKE YUEN 豬肉丸

Although not a dish on its own per se, the Pork Ball (zyu yuk yuen, 豬肉丸) is a common side dish to be found at most chicken rice places in Ipoh. This dish usually comes in a clear broth made with a light spring onion flavour. The pork ball itself is made from minced pork, fish sauce and cornflour, with many places adding squid into the mix to give it a more pronounced flavour. This simple dish is almost always sold at chicken rice stores and is usually an accompaniment as a soup to the dry chicken rice.

Most places that serve pork balls will usually serve chicken rice, so we highly recommend choosing based on the chicken rice as the predominant factor. However, we do like the ones at Tuck Kee for its dried squid and garlic flavour. Lou Wong is not bad either.

According to our taste, you can find the best Pork Ball in Ipoh at the following: –

PORK SATAY 豬肉沙爹

Satay comes from Malay cuisine that has been widely adapted into Malaysian culture as a whole, and here, adapted by the Chinese community into the form of the Pork Satay (zyu yuk saa dei, 豬肉沙爹). Pork satay is seasoned with lemongrass, chilli and amongst other spices, is skewered with bamboo reeds and cooked over a charcoal flame. The dipping sauces however, can differ where some places will serve you the traditional Malay peanut sauce, or with the more common sauce for Pork Satay, a pineapple sauce with is sweet and tangy. Most places that serve Pork Satay will also serve an assortment of chicken, beef or lamb satay, with other offal on offer such as pork intestine, stomach and liver.

Perhaps Ipoh’s most famous pork satay would be the one at Thean Chun near Kong Heng Square with its hearty selections of pork meat, liver and intestines (a must try). However, some would also suggest the one at Sri Mahkota.

According to our taste, you can find the best Pork Satay in Ipoh at the following: –

ROASTED CHICKEN RICE 燒雞飯 / NASI AYAM

Although famous for its steamed chicken rice, a variation that can be found equally as common is the Roasted Chicken Rice (siu gaai faan, 燒雞飯). The chicken in this dish is seasoned in spices and soy sauce before being roasted, giving the skin a nice crispy and savoury bite. This dish taste completely different from the steamed variety, and is usually served with chilli vinegar on the side.

There is also a Malay version of this dish called Nasi Ayam which is the Malay name for chicken rice. This is usually halal, with a slight difference in the way its cooked. Nasi Ayam usually involved a further step, where the after poaching, the chicken is fried, leaving the meat somewhat dryer, which is similar to the Malay style ayam goreng (fried chicken). Nasi Ayam is also served with a sweetened chilli sauce, usually with a tamarind added for a tangy taste.

We found the one at Pak Kong to have a nice crispy skin, which is important for roasted chicken rice. The next thing would be the chilli sauce. There’s also a halal version that serves the Malay style Nasi Ayam at Fuziahs. It sounds like it’s the same but its actually served more dried.

Nasi Ayam is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Nasi Ayam in Ipoh at the following: –

SOFT BOILED EGGS ON TOAST / TELUR GOYANG / DAN CHI 蛋氣

In Malaysian food culture, soft boiled eggs have always been a common breakfast item left over from Malaysian Hainanese cuisine. The eggs are cooked soft boiled and runny; and is served with soy sauce and white pepper. This breakfast item is usually had on its own or dipped with toast. Telur Goyang, which comes from the Malay language to mean ‘shaking eggs’ is taken from the movement of the soft-boiled egg set on top of the toast, as it is taken by the waiter to your table. This dish is also known in mix of Cantonese and Mandarin as Dan Chi (daan hei, 蛋氣), which comes from the meaning of how the eggs vibrate giving off the illusion of chi energy. This simple dish counts on the bread being cooked just right, which is normally toasted over charcoal.

Some swear by the one at Suhaimi Café, but in all honesty, this dish can be found at most good coffee shops, where the white coffee pairing is more important. The one at New Hollywood also comes highly recommended.

Telur Goyang is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Telur Goyang in Ipoh at the following: –

TAU FU FAH 豆腐花 / DOU HUA 豆花 / TOFU PUDDING

Tau Fu Fah (dau fu faa, 豆腐花) is a type of Chinese dessert coming from multiple Chinese origins, but the predominant version served in Malaysia is from Cantonese cuisine. There are many variations of spelling including tofu fah, tofu fa and tau foo fah. This dessert is made from sliken tofu, normally produced in a big bucket, and is scooped gently into bowls. The tofu is then drizzled with ginger syrup (of Cantonese origin) but with a hint of pandan leaf essence, or Gula Melaka (coconut palm sugar syrup).

The one at Funny Mountain is perhaps the most famous, with its silky texture and simple ginger syrup. They also serve it with gula melaka. A definite must try when visiting Ipoh.

Tau Fu Fah is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Tau Fu Fah in Ipoh at the following: –

Yim Kok Kai 鹽鋦雞 / Salt Baked Chicken / Ayam Garam

The Salt Baked Chicken, also known as Yim Kok Kai (盐锔鸡) in Cantonese and Ayam Garam in Malay, is a staple of Ipoh. The dish of Hakka origin is cooked in salt, herbs, ginger powder (sha jing fun, 沙姜粉) and Shaoxing wine, wrapped in grease paper so that the meat doesn’t lose moisture from its slow cooking. The result is a very tender and lean chicken, with an intense sweet, salty and aromatic flavour. The herbs impart a distinct flavour of anjelica root (dong gwai, 當歸) giving it a pronounced sweetness.

The most commercially famous salt baked chicken would be at Aun Kheng Lim, but we liked the one from Zun Seng Fatt as we preferred the herbal flavour of the chicken. Both places offered very tender meat, it just boiled down to the amount of spices that we preferred in Zun Seng Fatt’s.

According to our taste, you can find the best Salt Baked Chicken in Ipoh at the following: –

Yong Liew 酿料 / Yong Tau Foo 酿豆腐

Yong Liew (yeung liu, 酿料), also known as Yong Tau Foo (yeung dau fu, 酿豆腐), is a dish of Hakka cuisine. This dish is predominantly made with fish paste which is normally stuffed into vegetables. There are a number of varieties including fish balls (yu daan, 魚蛋), stuffed aubergine, okra, chillies, bitter gourd, white bean curd (baak dau fu, 白豆腐), fried bean curd (fu zhuk, 腐竹) and amongst others. Ipoh however, is famous for their unique offering which is the stuffed yam bean (sar kok liu, 沙葛料). Yong liew is usually served with a side of chilli sauce (laat ziu zheong, 辣椒酱), and sweet sauce (tim zoeng, 甜酱). It is also common for yong liew to be had with rice rolls (zyu cheung fun, 猪肠粉).

We took a liking to the yong liew at Dai Shu Geok, not only because it was famous, but also the variety provided with other dishes. The sar kok liew is one of the better ones, and is best had piping hot.

Yong Tau Foo is a Halal dish.

According to our taste, you can find the best Yong Liew in Ipoh at the following: –

This Ultimate Ipoh Food Guide took us a while to compile so we hope that it will bring you the same happiness it brought us. If you find that there are any corrections that need to be made, do not hesitate to contact us so we can update this guide with more accurate information. Happy hunting and may the odds ever be in your flavour.

If you're interested, you can also see our Ultimate Guide: Penang Street Food.