3 AM Food Craving

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

Why do I do this to myself? I come home from work at 3 AM and what do I do? I sit in front of the computer, read food blogs and then look through my archives of Penang food pics and then suffer. I am craving this right now with a capital K!!!


For those of you who are unfamiliar with Penang cuisine ( well...probably not many.. because the 4 people who read my blog already are familiar with it), it's a dish called Chee Cheong Fun, Pig Intestine Noodles would be a direct translation. The moniker is derived from the rolled up appearance of the rice noodle which resembles intestine and not because it's made from pig parts. It's actually harmless white rice noodles, steamed in sheets and then rolled up after being oiled. The rolls of noodles are stacked up in a glass case, usually until a portion is ordered by a customer and then it is steamed and then cut into bite sized pieces.

Then the seller ladles on prawn paste, tee cheow (hoisin sauce), shallot oil, chili paste and then tops it with toasted sesame seeds (Bamming Emeril style optional) and serves it up with a flourish.

I always ask for the noodles to be unfurled prior to saucing because I like my noodles to have maximum surface exposure to the delicious sauce prior to stuffing my face. As children, my brother and I took utmost delight in unfurling each rolled up piece of noodles slowly and then stirring it into the sauce, to the dismay of our dining companions, the adults. Can you imagine how long it would take us to eat a plate?

A morsel in your mouth reveals a tangy, sweet and fiery taste, all at once from the amazing sauce. The soft chewy and silky noodles are an amazing canvas for the delicious finger and plate licking good sauce.


We like to eat this dish in the morning at MaCallister Lane in Penang. Can anyone help with the exact location of this stall? Update: Thanks to Tine who says this stall is very hard to miss because it's located near the junction as you turn into MaCallister Lane.


Now going to bed, very frustrated.