“What do you eat in Batu Pahat?”
Batu Pahat fish ball noodles, of course! Also known as “Penggaram Mee”. Why the name? Because back in the days, a Mr. Lee operated a roadside stall along Jalan Penggaram (Hakka street), selling handmade noodles served with fresh fish balls.
Batu Pahat fish ball noodle aka Penggaram Mee
Today, his children continue the family business, albeit in different locations in town. The eldest son sells it near the bus station. There’s a brother selling near “Tam Chiak Kuey” aka Glutton Street (Jalan Peng Kai). Another plies his noodles at the riverside hawker centre.
Our family favourite is the brother operating at Taman Bukit Pasir, at a coffee shop named “Eng Kok”.
What’s the difference if the siblings learned the same skills from their father? Oh yes, if you’ve been eating it for as long as we have, you can easily tell which version belongs to which sibling.
Maybe it’s the individual human touch that sets them apart.
Ah Hee (Mr Lee) working non-stop churning out bowls of fish ball noodles
What is special about Penggaram Mee? The handmade egg noodles has a slight coarse texture. It is al dente – chewy, comes with a bite, and is well seasoned by the mixing sauce.
The soft, springy fish balls always seem to be so fresh! Add some slices of signature Batu Pahat fish cakes (salty skin), lean pork and fried lard, and you have a bowl of my childhood deliciousness.
The stuff of childhood glutton happiness
The standard order is for thin noodles. Some prefer mee pok, a flat type of noodles, not unlike linguine.
I find that the thin noodles (mee kia) is more suitable for Penggaram Mee, as it holds the sauce better.
The last I checked (December 2014), a small bowl costs RM3.70. A big bowl (with more noodles) sets you back RM4.20. Prices could have well increased by now.
But it wouldn’t bother Mr. Lee. He’s a busy man, there’s no shortage of customers happy to wait for a bowl of his fish ball noodles. He operates his stall no more than 3 hours in the morning before everything is sold out.
Sometimes you can see him at the riverside hawker centre at night, helping out his brother. I think that the two of them look very much alike!
Ah Hee Fish Ball Noodle (Penggaram Mee)
Eng Kok Kopitiam,
No. 30, Jalan Kundang 2,
Taman Bukit Pasir,
83000 Batu Pahat, JOHOR.
Opens Mon-Sat, 8am to 11am (usually earlier ‘cos everything’s sold out)
The previous stall was Ah See. This one is Ah Hee. Reviewed by Suanie. Am I seeing a pattern here??
You caught me.
I wonder if anyone from Eng Kok has tried this before!
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