SEREMBAN, July 16 — When visiting Seremban, most day trippers will opt for the town’s famous beef noodles located at the Pasar Besar. A close second might be the spinach noodles with sliced wat gai (poached chicken) at Shiang Kang Noodles in the Lobak neighbourhood.
Good things come in threes, they say, so to complete my trinity of iconic Seremban noodle dishes, we headed to a quiet corner of the bustling Taman Union (its main street appears populated largely by siu bao purveyors).
We are here for what has been described to us as mouthwatering curry laksa loaded with seehum (blood cockles). A local favourite, the shop we’re looking for — Kow Kee — apparently started as a stall before moving into its present premises.
At first we wondered if we had gotten our directions wrong; we spotted nothing more than a row of terrace houses. Fortunately, we had been advised to look out for a cute pink logo at the entrance of the shop.
The illustration on the signage leaves no doubt that this is truly a mom-and-pop establishment. The best sort to patronise, really, if only to ensure small family businesses survive in a challenging economy and that long-held recipes get passed down from generation to generation.
Walking in, we wonder if part of that heritage and family recipe vault involves a great amount of sambal. For one of the tables was reserved for nothing else but bowls upon bowls of thick, spicy sambal.
We learn later that this precious sambal is employed both as the crucial condiment for their iconic curry laksa but also their nasi lemak, the only rice dish on their menu.
To quench our thirst, we opt for the unusual and refreshing Pineapple Grass Jelly (huáng lí liángfen) as well as an ever reliable cup of kopi O. (The latter is as assured an order as an Americano at a café.)
Other interesting drinks include sweet Teh O Lychee and the citrusy Aiyu Passion Jelly, ensuring customers stay caffeinated but also reinvigorated.
Our order of curry laksa soon arrives, piping hot in a metal bowl; a nice, retro touch. The curry broth is clearly infused with rich santan (coconut cream), yet doesn’t feel too cloying or thick.
The toppings are what you would expect for this dish — fish balls, pork meatballs, bean sprouts, taufu pok (fried bean curd pouches) and fu chuk (fried bean curd skin) — but also a nice addition of fried pork skin.
The seehum, as expected, is the highlight. The portion given is decent but hardcore fans of these molluscs can order an extra helping for a true blood cockle feast.
Another firm favourite with regulars is Kow Kee’s Hakka mee. You can order this "plain”, i.e. with the rudimentary topping of minced pork and chopped green onion, or you can succumb to decadence and ask for fried pork with yours.
I would definitely argue for the second option: their sliced fried pork is moist, unlike the drier varieties found elsewhere, and more importantly, deeply savoury. For my Malaccan appetite, meat needs to be seasoned generously with salt and Kow Kee has delivered in this aspect.
For sharing, select from an array of yong tau foo: from deep-fried wantan dumplings and fu chuk to stuffed eggplant and bitter gourd.
Catering to the unapologetic fan tong ("rice bin” in Cantonese), Kow Kee also offers nasi lemak, as mentioned earlier. Beyond a basic nasi lemak biasa, they have one with fried chicken and, most interestingly, another with minced pork.
We will definitely be back to try that version. And be back early, for there is a steady stream of customers at the shop. Even as we take our leave, others are waiting for empty tables.
A good sign, surely, for small F&B businesses like Kow Kee to continue and perhaps more than simply survive, but also thrive in trying times.
Kow Kee Laksa
329, Jalan Seng Meng Lee, Taman Union, Seremban
Open daily (except Tue closed) 8am-3pm
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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