In place of the now-defunct Ho Heng Kee, a new tze char/cooked food operator has taken over its location at Bee Hing Coffeeshop.
Tze char, also spelt zi char is called choo char here in Penang (it’s the Zhangzhou-Fujianese accent used here, in contrast to the Quanzhou-Fujianese used in Singapore) is often regarded as the heart-and-soul of cooked-food-upon-order dining culture prevalent in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Its origins are detailed here:
Meanwhile, over here at Bee Hing kopitiam, still managed by the same coffeeshop owner, the new choo char operator has a list of relative de rigeur dishes which customers expect from a choo char spot, albeit with some unique “house specials”. One of these specials is their tasty, aromatic Wild boar curry Kapitan, with fall-off-the-bone tender wild boar ribs dressed in a deeply-flavored, lemongrass-accented dry curry. Stuff of dreams - we’d come back just for this dish.
Another very well-executed dish here is the Kum heong prawns - a typically Chinese-Malaysian dish, and (much) more pungent counterpart of Chinese-Singaporean chili prawns. Unlike Singaporeans who prefer milder aromatics, Penangites love their lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves, which they’d finely-chop and add to their cooking.
Kangkung sambal belachan is another must-order at any tze char/choo char meal - water-spinach and shrimps stir-fried in copious amounts of sambal belachan (pureed chilis spiked with fermented shrimp paste).
Batter-fried chicken fillets with plum sauce - this is perhaps the dish which strayed least from its Chinese roots compared to the earlier dishes. Malaysia has a 7 million Chinese population (mainly Hokkiens/Fujianese, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew/Chaozhou and Hainanese) which are largely acculturated in terms of their diet - large infusions of South-east Asian-style extreme heat, wild herbs and fermented condiments like shrimp paste and fish sauce into the otherwise docile traditional Southern Chinese fare.
Even here, chopped chilis were added - the barest minimum used, so the dish does not detract from its traditional taste profile, but enough to deliver the barest shadow of a sting.
For the local Chinese here, two centuries of living in Malaysia and away from their old Chinese homeland, chili heat in cooking has become a necessity.
Foo yong tan - the classic Cantonese omelette. The way it’s cooked here is a bit stodgier, perhaps to cater to the Hokkien palate here.
Overall, a competent replacement for the previous operator, though we do miss some good dishes from the old one.
Address
Hatyai Zhong Hai Seafood at Bee Hing Coffeeshop
1, Jalan Padang Tembak (Rifle Range Road), 11400 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Operating hours: 6pm to 10pm, Mon-Tue, Thu-Sun. Closed on Wednesdays.
