Street Chef

Ginger Winner

ORIGINALLY A HOMELY DISH MEANT FOR NEW MOTHERS, THIS HUMBLE STALL’S MEE HALIA IS STILL DRAWING CROWDS.

When the Imbi Market in Kuala Lumpur closed down in 2016, it felt like the end of an era. The iconic 60-yearold institution was a popular breakfast haunt, where diners could grab traditional kaya toast, Hainanese coffee, egg tarts and Nyonya kuih after their morning shopping. But customers will always flock to places with good food — and when most of the hawkers relocated to the newly built ICC Pudu building four years ago — the people followed.

(top to bottom) A belly-warming bowl of mee halia; the dynamic mother-son duo who keeps the customers coming back for more

I find 70-year-old Wong Mee Lan sitting in front of her stall, peeling prawns into a large bowl. A matronly, bespectacled figure with curly black hair that belies her age, she greets her regular customers with gusto, then goes over to the stove to help her son, 38-year-old Lee Chee Wai, with orders. It’s clear that she still enjoys her work, despite having been at it for almost four decades.

Wong is the proprietor of Imbi Pasar Mee Halia, which offers a variety of stir-fried and soup noodle dishes. As the name implies, the star is the mee halia (ginger wine noodles). Her clientele is mixed and includes office workers and families, some of whom grew up eating Wong’s cooking.

Ginger wine noodles are rarely sold commercially. According to Wong, this Cantonese-style dish is usually served at home, especially to new mothers during the confinement period, to help them regain their strength and nourish their bodies. In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger is thought to have beneficial properties and it is often recommended to ‘expel wind’ from the body, improve digestion and reduce bloating.

Wong’s foray into business was coincidental. “There was a young mother in my neighbourhood who had just given birth. She asked if I could make her a dish, as she didn’t have money to eat the proper foods for nourishment,” she explains. “More women started coming to me after that, and then even men because they said it was tasty. That’s how I started.”

The proof is in the pudding (or in this case, the noodles), so I ordered a bowl. What I got was a large portion of bee hoon, nestled in a fragrant broth topped with egg fried with minced ginger, as well as tender pork slices and fresh prawns. You can also request to add fried fish or offal to the soup (both are subject to availability).

A sip of the ginger broth, which has been simmering for hours with ginger, rice wine and pork bones, and a comforting warmth blossoms in the belly and spreads to the entire body. It’s the perfect dish for cold and rainy days, but even in Malaysia’s tropical weather, it’s something worth sweating for.

While the rice noodles are not made inhouse, Wong has been getting them from the same local supplier for decades. “It has to be the ‘rough’ bee hoon. The texture goes well with this dish,” she points out. Another important thing is the wine, which has to be measured just right before adding to the dish. Preparations start as early as 5am, and Wong and her son start selling from 6am until they run out or close at 2pm. Nothing is left overnight, to ensure freshness.

Age has caught up to Wong, and she says she can’t stand for long hours due to joint pains and aches. Luckily she’s able to pass the reins on to Lee. Formerly a mechanic, Lee is the youngest among his siblings and took up the mantle four years ago despite having no knowledge of cooking.

“My sisters are not keen on doing it as it is difficult work, but I thought it would be good to run my own business, rather than just stay an employee,” Lee says. These days, he does most of the cooking, although Wong also pitches in during peak hours.

During the Movement Control Order phase in Malaysia, which was imposed last March, business suffered, but Lee says that it is slowly returning to normal. They’ve also had to change with the times and deliver dishes to offices nearby via LalaMove, a local delivery service.

As for future plans, Wong is determined to continue helping out at the stall for as long as she can. “There are customers who insist that I prepare their orders because they find that mine has a ‘familiar’ taste,” she says with a laugh. “I can’t disappoint them.” •

IMBI PASAR MEE HALIA (Non-Halal) G20, ICC Pudu, Jalan 1/77C, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur Opening hours: 6am – 2pm