[Penang] Sisters Yao's Char Koay Kak, MacAlister Lane

One of the stops we took during our weekly walkabout last Saturday was the Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗮𝗼’𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗮𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝗸 near Seow Fong Lye kopitiam on MacAlister Lane, near Burmah Road.

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Koay kak are steamed rice pudding with the consistency of firm polenta. It’ll be cut into large pieces and pan-fried in pork lard, preserved copped radish, eggs, garlic, egg, scallions and beansprouts, seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and other “secret condiments”.

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𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘰𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘢𝘬 is a popular Teochew street food, and the three Yao sisters, Guat Cheng, Guat Hoon and Guat Lan, are proud to carry on the business started by their Swatow-Teochew father, Yao Joo Seng, back in 1963.

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61 years later, and still one of the best-tasting in town!

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Personally, I prefer my 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘰𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘢𝘬 without beansprouts, like those in Singapore, where it’s called fried 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘵𝘰𝘸 𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘺.

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The Yao sisters fry up the tastiest renditions, with or without beansprouts!

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Address
Yao Sisters’ Char Koay Kak
96, Lorong Macalister, 11400 George Town, Penang (near Sin Seow Fong Lye coffeeshop)
Opening hours: 7am to 12 noon, Mon, Tue, Fri to Sun. Closed on Wed & Thu.

Looks delicious, would like to try. Where is your favorite version in Singapore?

We leave for Bangkok tomorrow for a week, then back to Singapore for another week’s stay. Will be staying in Robertson Quay. Welcome your good suggestions.

There are so many places in Singapore which I go to for fried chai tow kway, but my personal favorite - if I have to choose only one - just has to be Bib Gourmand-listed Chey Sua in Toa Payoh.

Pardon my ignorance. Is that Carrot Cake or similar?

If yes, just had a great version at Maxwell hawker centre the other day. Early in the day, the dark and the light had a good fry and very delicious.

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Must try Chey Sua when I get a chance.

Yes, exactly the same thing. We called it “carrot cake” as the Chinese word for radish translates as “white carrot”.

But fried “carrot cake” or “chai tow kway” traditionally has so little radish in them, in proportion to the rice flour content, you can hardly taste the radish after all the heavy frying process.

Thanks again. I’d had Carrot Cake a few times before and didn’t quite get it.

I think I was expecting Lo Bak Goh, so didn’t know what to make of this. I am now a convert.

Breakfast of champions! Looks delicious.

That’s the weird thing - we also have “proper” lo bak go in Singapore, where the taste of radish is pretty distinct. But for fried carrot cake, it might as well be rice cakes as in Penang’s char koay kak.

I think the Cantonese like their traditional lo bak go/radish cakes with a strong, distinct taste of radish, whereas the fried carrot cake is of Teochew origins, and Teochews prefer subtler, “blander” flavors.

The prolific Yao sisters earned a Bib Gourmand listing in the 2024 MICHELIN Guide to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.