Aromatics boost to curry noodles

Goh sells various noodle dishes at his stall in Restoran Miki Ipoh Beansprout Chicken Rice, Taman Midah, Cheras. —Photos: LOW LAY PHON/The Star

FROM managing a whole team of cooks in a busy restaurant to single-handedly running a hawker stall, Ricky Goh is not one to retire contentedly.

The 71-year-old former head chef of a Chinese banquet hall in Kuala Lumpur has opened a noodle stall at Restoran Miki Ipoh Beansprout Chicken Rice in Taman Midah, Cheras.

“I retired two years ago but quickly got bored. I would not be able to work full time in a restaurant kitchen but thought that a hawker stall would be a better fit instead, ” he said.

Goh specialises in curry noodles (RM8) and fish head noodles soup (RM9), using his tried and tested recipes.

The thick curry base in the curry mee is fragrant with mint, lemongrass and an interesting addition of thyme.

“Everyone has their own interpretation of what constitutes a great bowl of curry noodles. For me, eating starts even before you take a bite.

“Here, I have added more aromatics to make the curry more fragrant, ” he said.

The thick curry base is fragrant with mint and lemongrass and a surprising addition of thyme.

Filled with chicken pieces, spongy taufu pok and beancurd sheets, this particular version goes well with any type of noodles.

Choose your favourite noodles or go for the combination of mee hoon and mee, which is my personal choice.

The soup base of the fish head noodle soup is enhanced with ginger, pickled vegetables, sour plum and tomatoes.

The soup is not as santan-laden as others but still packs flavour. It is spicy enough on its own or add some of the homemade belacan paste to make it spicier.

My favourite though was the fish head noodles soup with its milky broth.

As the fish fillets are fried, it does not have a strong fishy taste. The fish bone stock is simmered with ginger, pickled vegetables, sour plum and tomatoes.

Pieces of soft tofu and coriander complete the dish, while sliced chillies are served alongside. The chillies are a bonus as they add depth to the dish.

The broth was a good balance of sour and sweet with a hint of spiciness. The sweet evaporated milk is tempered by the other savoury ingredients.

Thin rice noodles go really well with this dish as they help soak up the broth.

The restaurant, located at Jalan Medan Midah in Taman Midah, Kuala Lumpur, is closed for the duration of the movement control order.

Service starts from 7am to noon when it reopens for business after the MCO is lifted.