With 40 years worth of history and notable long queues, it’s not difficult to spot Tuck Kee Ipoh Sah Hor Fun at Hong Lim Food Centre.
Although the stall has had many awards and articles over the years, the modest Mr and Mrs Tan have kept the prices of Tuck Kee’s Ipoh hor fun reasonable for the lunch-time crowd.
One would wonder about the success of this stall and the secret recipe used, but if you take a look at the kitchen, only fresh and simple ingredients were used for the preparation of each dish. No gimmicks, no nonsense.
Say hello to the generous portion of CrayFish Prawn Hor Fun ($8) that took me by surprise. I thought that I’ll be getting just half a piece of crayfish and some tiny prawns for that price, but I was very wrong.
The vibrant-coloured crayfish roe was a pleasant bonus as it managed to elevate the texture of the entire dish.
Similar to the classic Hong Kong dish Shrimp Roe Noodles, mix the roe into the hor fun for an added crunch. The oyster sauce struck the right balance for seasoning the dish and complemented the seafood pretty well.
Without much effort, I managed to pull out the meat from its shell, signifying the freshness of the crayfish since it’s a lot easier to shell a crustacean when it’s fresh, and evidently tougher if it’s the opposite.
The prawns at Tuck Kee were quite juicy and big, similar to those that you would find in the famous prawn noodles stalls. I really enjoyed them as they were already shelled (yay for the lazy people, including me) and were glistening with a coating of the noodle gravy on its surface.
Not a fan of crayfish? Try the Chicken Prawn Hor Fun ($5) with the same carbohydrate base, vegetables, sauce and prawns, sans the crayfish.
The poached chicken used were Ipoh style Nga Choy Kai (chicken served with bean sprouts, but no bean sprouts for this one). When paired with the subpar chilli sauce, I felt that the poultry was better on its own.
The Hor Fun was silky, smooth and it combined well with the aromatic fried shallots.
Made from rice flour, these type of noodles will overcook easily if handled by an inexperienced cook, which wasn’t the case for Tuck Kee.
If you’re hungry for more, order the Fresh Prawn Wanton ($3 – $6) filled with sesame oil infused succulent prawn meat and smooth wanton skin.
Since this place gets really crowded during lunch because of its short operating hours, it would be best if you head down slightly before 11 am to avoid waiting for too long.
If you’re not allergic to seafood, definitely opt for the crayfish version, which was extremely affordable and tasty (and the main reason why I went to Tuck Kee).
Expected Damage: $5 – $10 per pax
