Gulping Down Desserts At The Roadside

     The mention of “tong sui” (sweet soup, usually taken for dessert) never stirs any excitement in me unless it is referring to the “fah sang wu” (peanut soup). However, in Ipoh, most “tong sui” establishments either stick to peddling the more famous red bean soup and the likes or serve a watery rendition of the peanut soup. Thus, I could only get my fill of the peanut soup at restaurant dinners, after praying fervently that the “fah sang wu” would be included in the dessert course. I remember insisting on that as the dessert for my own wedding reception, but being the busy bride that I was on that day, I failed to even enjoy a sip.

     Therefore, when I learned of the existence of a “fah sang wu” stall in Pasir Pinji, I excitedly made my way there.  This stall has been in operation for more than 30 years, having been started by the current lady boss’ father. It is actually more famous for its “mah chee” (sticky balls of glutinous rice flour coated with peanut and sugar). In fact, the name of the stall reads Hong Kee Mah Chee. Reading the Chinese characters, I discovered that it’s actually called “Fong” and not “Hong”.

Park your car by the roadside and grab a seat inside this wooden stall.

       Those tempting balls were also another carrot for this rabbit as they have been another firm favourite where desserts are concerned. I remember roaming the streets of Georgetown, hunting for their famous street art and enjoying a tub of hot “mah chee” at the same time. You can read that post here : http://irenechanal.blogspot.my/2014/12/re-discovering-penang.html 
     Together with my equally adventurous partner-in-crime (my mother), we went in search of this stall on a hot Sunday afternoon (business starts after 1 p.m.). We had earlier enjoyed a Japanese lunch at Mokuren but were disappointed to find that they did not have our favourite black sesame ice cream that day. So we decided to look elsewhere for desserts. We managed to locate Hong Kee without difficulty as I had been provided with clear directions from my helpful colleagues. If you are travelling from the direction of the town centre, drive past the Pasir Pinji market and look out for the light blue wooden stall on the left. Both the “fah sang wu” and “mah chee” are sold at RM3.00 per portion, which is quite a hefty price for Ipoh standards. But I suppose we are also paying for the name “Hong Kee”, which has shot to stardom after it was featured in “Ho Chiak”, a local food programme. Since then, it has been drawing steady crowds of tourists.

This picture of Hong Kee's "mah chee" is taken from another blogger's collection.

Looking at this photo of Hong Kee's "fah sang wu" taken from another blogger's collection, I'm salivating again.

       

Lady boss and her son at their stall situated along Jalan Queen, Pasir Pinji

     Tucking into the warm bowl of sweet and fragrant soup and occasionally pausing to pop in those delightful chewy balls, I was in seventh heaven. I was so caught up in eating and slurping that I even forgot to take pictures of the “fah sang wu” and “mah chee”. So were they really that good and worth the price? I would say that the peanut soup is indeed one of the better ones that I have tasted as it’s not sickly sweet and it had the right consistency. As for the “mah chee”, I would order that again if I am at the stall. But I wouldn’t drive all the way there just for that. There is a stall that sells equally good “mah chee” at the Aneka Selera Food Paradise, Ipoh Garden.