If you manage to visit Perth in near future; maybe after Co-vid restrictions are over; then you must embark on a South East Asian hawker food adventure around Perth and its suburbs.
Kidding right?
Well, not kidding at all.
There are lots and lots of little cafes dotted all over suburbia Perth promoting South East Asian hawker style food; all tailored to tantalize your taste buds and make you crave for more!
South East Asia consists of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and South East Asian cuisines are mainly local street food or hawker style food served along roadside, or little coffee shops called ‘kopi-tiam’ where shopkeepers rent out shop space to reputable cooks, cooking up amazing noodle and rice dishes for all to savour – if you know where to find them.
Imagine fresh local Australian ingredients, prawns, fish, calamari, chicken, beef, pork, or lamb combined with local veggies and unique cooking styles inherited from generations of cooking. What you get is a blend of fresh seafood, sliced meats, wholesome greens and hot-wok stir fry, searing and sealing juicy meats, seafoods, mixed with veggies, noodles, or rice.
Result?
Mouth-watering combination rice noodles or egg noodles, to be eaten piping hot, straight out of the stove!
Nasi Lemak or coconut rice with crispy-spicy Chicken Maryland topped with sambal sauce, fried egg, fried anchovies, and peanuts served with sliced cucumbers …
Or Pad Kee Mao, Thai style flat noodles, sliced meats stir-fried with fresh basil, greens, topped with lemon juice … tangy, spicy, just delicious!
Spicy Indonesian Mee Soto, Hokkien noodles with shredded chicken, bean sprouts, sprinkled with roasted shallots, fresh chopped coriander, and dash of cut chillies – for those who fancy a spicier noodle soup – simply to die for!
Sample all-time favourite, wonton soup with ginger-shallot vegetable-tossed noodles – served ‘el dente’ with soy chilli sauce base. Only a very experienced cook can make thin egg noodles ‘el dente’ Chinese style, otherwise noodles will be soft and soggy, sticking to your mouth …
Lots of vegetarian dishes too – BBQ tofu atop mixed salad with spicy sauce, though a non-spicy version is also available, you just state your request !
Don’t forget to try slow-cooked stewed beef brisket in dark soy, served over egg noodles or flat rice noodles – melt in your mouth chucks of beef brisket with noodles and veggies …
Yet another unforgettable experience for your taste buds !
Do you know that ‘Combination Hor Fun with egg sauce’, a Malaysian dish, originated from mining town of Ipoh, famous for their ‘Hor Fun?’
Nowadays, almost everyone claims it as their speciality – because it is just so yummy !
What is ‘Hor Fun?’
Flat rice noodle, similar to Italian fettuccine, slightly broader width, made with rice flour. The noodles have little taste in itself, but combine with fresh cooked ingredients, it transforms into an amazing stir fry dish topped with the unmistakable egg sauce – giving a firm crunch, complete with saucy finish in every mouthful.
Then there is Malaysian Mee Goreng – semi-moist, spicy soy fried noodles with chicken slices, prawns and vegetables cooked in high-heat wok, served immediately. There is just no substitute for this dish !
Being awfully close to Singapore and Malaysia; about 4 hours flight from Singapore, it is easy to understand the migration of cuisines to Perth. Locals are incredibly lucky to be able to enjoy and sample a variety of South-East Asian hawker foods in suburbia Perth.
Coupled with fresh Australian ingredients, Asian hawker foods take on a unique style – uniquely Asian-Australian hawker style cuisine.
Fun is to locate the numerous cafes serving Asian-Australian hawker foods around Perth to find your favourite dish from your favourite café.
What an adventure !
