Teochew Char Koay Teow @ Jalan Imbi Night Stalls

Anyone tried Teochew Char Koay Teow ? It must have been one of the weirdest thing I've seen, when I first saw this stall @ Jalan Imbi (opens only for dinner). After trying so many CKT's in Penang, I really am trying to find a subsitute for CKTs.. in KL.



To be frank , I have not been to these stalls for a few years now. But luckilly for me the Teochew Char Koay Teow stall is still around. I had a few words with the lady frying the good stuff, and she told me, that they have been there for 38 years. Needless to say, she must be the second generation frying Koay Teow in this same spot.

We also ordered Fishball Noodles from a stall in the same place.


We waited quite long for our CKT to come. Long ? Yes, considering the fact that most CKT's are cooked in within 2 - 3 minutes, depending on how hot they keep their WOK. We waited about ten minutes, and when it arrived , it looked pretty good.

When it arrived, it was just fresh off the WOK. The aroma filled the air, but I bet it came partly from the lady's wok. The cockles were large and prominently displayed on top of the plate. We were definitely looking forward to it.

Let me explain the difference in Teochew CKT as compared to the Penang Variant, which I think everyone is so used to. Teochew CKT is brown in color, because they use cili padi instead of sambal for their chili. Teochew CKT also has got a type of teochew pickled cabbage ( choi bou - said in cantonese) which is quite normally served as a side dish for Teochew Porridge.


Its definitely a different version of CKT as compared with the ones found in Penang. But I must admit, it wasn't the best CKT I have had. Definitely worth a try, to check out the Teochew version.


Next up, our Fishball Noodles (kon lou). If you are looking for something simple, and clear I think I'd recommend this. Nothing special in particular, even the fishball and stuff in the other bowl below is normal. For me it tasted , ok la only. Nothing much to shout about.


On a short note, as we were leaving the stalls, I bumped into a friend who was also eating there. I noticed he ordered some ikan bakar which looks enticingly good... Oh ya one more thing, there is a new Penang CKT stall recently opened in this area.. that makes two CKT stalls in one area. This one is Teochew, situated right in the middle of the area, next to the Yong Tau Foo stall.