The Cantonese Ho family are specialists in ๐๐๐ข ๐จ๐ช๐ข-making in Penang for more than four decades, and are particularly renowned for their char-siew bao (Cantonese BBQ pork buns).
Back in the 1980s, they used to ply their trade at ๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐๐ kopitiam on the intersection of Burmah Road and Transfer Road, but has decided to move to ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ to be closer to home. Rifle Range is home to a mainly working-class, blue collar community, sort of George Townโs answer to Hellโs Kitchen in New York City.
Mrs Ho currently manages their busy stall here, with a steady stream of customers throughout the morning. They start early, at 6.30am, and the more popular items like the ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ค (large chicken bun) usually sells out by late-morning.
Mrs Hoโs two sons make their ๐๐๐ข ๐จ๐ช๐ข items and the different types of ๐๐๐ค on the spot. Their minced pork-shrimp forcemeat used as a base for their selection of ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐๐ with different types of toppings (crabmeat, peas, mushroom, etc.) were spot-on in textures and flavours.
Their ๐๐๐ค dough was perfect: soft and fluffy, which they used to contain ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ-๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ (Cantonese BBQ pork), ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ-๐๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ (minced pork), ๐๐ฎ๐-๐๐ฎ๐ฟ (red bean paste), ๐ณ๐ฎ-๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด (peanut paste) and ๐น๐ถ๐ป-๐๐๐ป๐ด (lotus seed paste).
Dai bao - with chicken, pork, hard-boiled egg, Chinese sausage and mushroom filling
Char-siew bao - with Cantonese-style caramelized BBQ pork filling
Tau-sar bao - with sweet red bean paste filling
We also tried their ๐ก๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ (steamed glutinous rice with chicken & mushrooms).
Their ๐๐๐ข ๐จ๐ช๐ข items are large, golf-ball-sized, with a rustic & robust feel about them. None of the finesse of a HK-style teahouse, but more like a dim sum eating house catering to the working-class, blue collar workers, who drop by for their breakfast & cups of tea before they start a long hard dayโs work.
Any place thatโs been around for nearly half a century ๐ต๐ฎ๐ to be doing something right.
Address
Stall #32/33 Kompleks Gerai Padang Tembak (Rifle Range Market Hawker Centre)
147, Taman Padang Tembak, Taman Ayer Itam, 11400 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Operating hours: 7am to 2pm, daily
