KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — “Hot or cold?”
That is the question presented to me when I couldn’t make up my mind between a hot tong sui or a cold one.
The sweltering weather seems to call for the latter but the red bean soup (served hot, of course) seems to be calling my name.
Fortunately the proprietor of the tong sui shop seems to have read my mind and tells me he will get me a chilled red bean “surprise”, which I agree to. Who wouldn’t want a surprise, right?
The shop in question is Wang Tong Shui Station, a hole-in-the-wall eatery in Taman United, KL (fondly known by residents as Taman OUG).
They might look under-the-radar but regulars make a beeline for the shop once it opens at noon as they make tong sui, kuih and other Malaysian delicacies from scratch.
Back at the counter, I am still marvelling over today’s choices of tong sui. These are boiled fresh daily, aside from Mondays when they are closed, and the menu is rotated so customers won’t ever get bored.
On the hot tong sui side, there are bubur cha cha, ginkgo beancurd barley, wheat porridge (mak chuk), green bean soup, black glutinous rice (hak loh mai), black sesame paste (zi ma wu), peanut paste (fah sang wu) and naturally, red bean soup too.
For something cooler, chilled tong sui options include guai ling gou (“turtle jelly” in Cantonese), peach gum with snow fungus longan, homemade lor hon kor herbal tea, and sweet potato soup (or fan syu tong sui in Cantonese).
We order a bowl of the last one to share as well. The clear soup is not too cloying yet spicy enough with the use of crushed ginger, balancing the natural sugars of the sweet potato cubes.
But the true revelation is the chilled red bean “surprise” the proprietor had promised. When my bowl arrives, I am greeted by quite a sight. A cross between an ais kacang and a tong sui, if you will.
There is crushed ice, not so finely shaved that it would melt almost instantaneously the way a bingsu might, and there is aromatic santan (coconut cream).
Morsels of collagen-rich peach gum (this resin from peach trees is also known as “peach blossom tears”) add a bouncy bite.
And to top it all, a heaping mound of large red beans, more like Japanese adzuki beans than the smaller varieties more commonly used in red bean soup. It’s a feast in a bowl!
Consider us very surprised.. and thrilled.
Besides tong sui, expect classic Chinese teatime treats such as chai tau kue (pan-fried slices of radish cake); shā gé dumplings filled with shredded jicama and wrapped in a glistening, translucent skin (some also call these Teochew dumplings); and crunchy, deep-fried spring rolls, beloved by young and old.
Our bet for the most rewarding goes to their yam cake (wutáu gōu in Cantonese), which is served with homemade sambal and molasses-dark tim cheong on the side.
Savoury, sweet and spicy — it’s everything you’d desire in a single bite (or many bites, to be honest).
Wang Tong Shui Station also sells a variety of Nyonya kuih such as ondeh-ondeh dusted with shredded coconut; seri muka that is half pandan custard, half glutinous rice tinged with butterfly pea flower extract; golden bingka ubi with a caramelised crown; springy and multi-layered kuih lapis.
Possibly the most popular kuih is their chewy ang koo kuih (literally “red tortoise cake” in Hokkien), with a heart of satisfying mung bean paste (though our preferred filling is one of crushed peanuts).
My favourite is their rolled up pandan crêpe — the inimitable kuih ketayap. Also known as dadar gulung, Wang Tong Shui Station’s rendition is fragrant, thanks to the aforementioned pandan juice suffusing the moist crêpe but also the freshly grated coconut saturated with a generous quantity of gula Melaka.
Even as we are about to leave, there is no end to the red bean rapture here at Wang Tong Shui Station. Beyond the basic red bean soup and the chilled red bean “surprise”, we spot another version amongst the rows of Nyonya kuih.
We decide to get some kuih kacang merah for takeaway. The slabs of jellied red bean ambrosia are fuchsia in colour, reminding me of ais krim potong I had as a schoolkid.
The best part of that very Malaysian popsicle is the cap of mashed up red beans; here, the red beans are evenly spread throughout the kuih kacang merah; you get a little nugget with every bite.
That, to me, is the draw of a good tong sui or kuih — that unexpected delight with every sip or slurp, that nostalgia trip as you chew and savour the flavour of yesteryear. A taste of yesteryear that is here to stay.
Wang Tong Shui Station 糖水旺
103A, Jalan Sepadu, Taman United (Taman OUG), KL
Open daily (except Mon closed) 12pm–10 pm
Phone: 011-1861 8686
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