My daughter loves it more than many of the fried stuff sold at the shops here in Sibu but personally, I’m not really crazy about it…and if you’re wondering what I’m talking about, it’s char pek koi, literally translated as fried white cake.
This is the char pek koi (fried white cake) at this coffee shop in Rejang Park here in Sibu…
Pek koi is actually rice cake and you can buy them packed in plastic bags at the local supermarkets and grocery stores but you will have to soak the pieces in water overnight to soften them before cooking. My missus tried once but by the next day, they were still not soft and she stubbornly went ahead and fried them. Needless to say, the result was disastrous and she never tried cooking them again. They say that there is a particular brand now whereby you will not need to soak them so much to get them soft but unfortunately, I cannot remember which type or brand they were talking about.
After all, like I said, I don’t really like this dish as I find those thick pieces of pek koi…
…a bit too hard for my liking. Well, it’s not exactly hard but sort of springy or chewy…and given a choice, I would much rather have kway teow (flat rice noodles). In fact, I had their char kway teow once and it was pretty good but I think the ones that I had here were better.
As for the char pek koi…
…I would prefer those that I had here.
Whatever it is, they’re pretty good really and should be worth having if one happens to be in the vicinity instead of going all the way to the other places to have these same things…and if you’ve never heard of or seen pek koi before, perhaps you would like to give it a try? Who knows, like my daughter, you may like it…the way she loves it!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
The pictures look great.
This is the first time I’ve heard of a fried rice cake, I’m sure they have restaurants here in the USA that sells them. It wouldn’t surprise me if you could purchase the item to prepare yourself.
My daughter does like flat rice noodles, I’ve prepared various dishes with those.
They’re made in China, packed in plastic and sold in the shops here. Oops…how did you get into spam? LOL!!! No matter, I’ve retrieved you from there. 😉
Fried white cake made out of rice, that’s interesting.
It’s my first time learning about them, although I’m sure there are restaurants (here in the USA) that sells them.
My daughter loves flat rice noodles, I’ve used them in a variety of dishes — with great results.
The pictures look great.
Hah!!! Duplicate comment. You thought the 1st one didn’t come through, eh? Dunno what happened – Akismet delegated you to spam… Probably cos there’s something extra in your url.
Yeah, I was wondering what was going on with that… When I wrote my post, it had automatically autofilled name, email, url but it had the email from my work in progress Wednesday post. I’d been commenting on a few wordpress blogs that were participating in that, so it autofilled that link here. Anyway, I didn’t think to look, before sending, lol.
Sometime this spring/summer I’ll be sending you an email via FB, to ask for a mailing address so I can send you some things from where I live. I’m not a crazy vegan, dreadlock lady… I promise.
Maryland is known for crabs, not the nasty kind — but the type you eat. In fact that’s one of our slogans, “Maryland is for crabs” that can be found on all sorts of items, hee hee. Hmm, now that I think of it, not sure if I’ve seen you do a crab post… I’m going to have to hunt your site. Before I went vegan that was the last non-veggie item, I ate. I still remember how those tasted, lol. They were very good!
My neighbors go crabbing in our neighborhood. They’ve invited my daughter and me a few times, perhaps this summer I’ll take them up on their offer.
No worries, all’s well that ends well… Oh no! Please don;t send me anything – you’re so far away and the postage is killing – it really makes it not worthwhile to send anything as the postage would be many times more than the value of the contents. Yup…we have crabs here…but they’re VERY expensive, the good ones, that is, so we do not eat them very often and some say they’re not healthy – high cholesterol content. You can see one of the rare occasions here:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/three-times-a-lady/
Oh I send things all over the world, got into that practice at an early age.
yep, I saw that post… Immediatly after writing the above message, I searched your site, hee hee.
Ya, I had crabs on more than one occasion…but not very often.
sedap… if tambah some bits of deep fried pork lard…
We are more health conscious here – I think they draw the line at lard. They don’t have that in the char kway teow here as well…not like in Penang or elsewhere over at your side.
Pek koi has become quite a delicacy as not many shops serve it. There are a few “old” shops in KL, PJ and Klang that sells it as well as chee hoon kin (hokkein for tapioca flour noodles) which makes them a crowd-puller. Klang has a restaurant famous for it (featured in most local foodie shows). It is fried hokkein-style with lots of leeks, dried shrimp, and of course lard! Yumz betul
+Ant+
Oh. it is? It has always been around – a few shops/stalls here sell that but I think it’s not as popular as the usual favourites. The texture is something like those balls in the Taiwanese desserts such as the ones in Snowflake…and everybody knows I’m not a fan, not at all.
Oh tQ +Ant+ didn’t know its from tapioca flour. First time I had this in Kajang when my friend ordered ‘pak kor’ (in Canto) was waiting with excitement how a fried ginko would taste like. What a surprise could not find any ginko after searching high and low, ooopsss! haha. Whoa it was love at first bite and has been my favorite ever since. Yummy.
Oh? So they have it in Kajang? Do they still sell it there? [SK]’s looking for a place that sells this…
Hahaha the name is indeed misleading ya Bananaz. Some friends I know also thought it had gingko. There’s a famous eatery in Kuchai Lama that serves it. It is at the new shops on the left as you turn in to Jln Kuchai Lama from Jln Klang Lama.
+Ant+
Ok, [SK], you know where that is? Jalan Klang Lama would be where Pearl International Hotel and Pearl Point are located. Eeee…I’m so clever. Hehehehehehe!!!! 😉
OMG I love pek koi! It’s called “pa wei” or something to that effect in Foochow.
My favorite place is the coffee shop at the very end opposite Sibu Public Library. That was the place I first had the dish when I was 16 when my first “real” girlfriend brought me there.
The public library was a huge dating place back then. 😉
I went back to try it last year and it was just as good.
I wonder if the shop is still open. They have the best pek kueh in town!
You like? Hmmmm!!! I wonder which shop you’re talking about. If it’s opposite, that should be Aloha. Still going strong, always very crowded…so chances are the stall is still in business. We can check it out the next time you come home…or perhaps I’ll drop by one of these days to check it out first. 😉
I don’t really like to eat this dish….according to my MIL, has to soak it overnight before cooking.
Yup…that’s exactly what I said in the post.
Like you, I prefer Kueh Tiaw. My grandma loves Pek Kueh. Maybe it’s a woman thing.
Nah!!! That’s a broad generalisation. Judging from the comments, some of the guys love it…and some of the ladies don’t. Maybe they do not like things hard…??? Oops!!! Muahahahaha!!!! 😀
This char pek kueh is very Q and yummy. I once made this pek kueh, but somehow i forgot the recipe dy. Actually can buy from any supermarkets too. This is more healthy than yellow noodle and keow teow which is too oily
Oh? You make the pek koi yourself. Wowwww!!!!! I’m impressed. Yes, uncooked yellow noodles and kway teow are usually oily, probably to prevent the strands from sticking together. But it’s ok…just don’t use so much oil when frying and it will boil down to the same thing then.
Would this rice kek be the same as the Pg Kuek Kak? I like Pg Char Kueh Kak where it’s dry and not slopped over with all that gooey gravy. It’s such a chore to make those rice cakes. If this is the same, I’d go look for it soon and make my beloved kueh kak.
No, no, no…koey kak is fried bits of Chinese steamed white carrot/radish cake – absolutely different.
What is this char pek koi? Though you have posted before, I am still blur about it. Does char pek koi and char kway teow similiar in taste?
Try asking at Me Kong, the coffee shop opposite Heritage or other places in town that sell Foochow specialties – I’m sure they have these there. Otherwise, you can come over to Sibu…and I’ll take to to try. Very hard to explain…Hehehehehe!!!!
instead of soft and soggy, i just love that springiness and chewiness of pek koi actually.. but it’s been so rare and hardly can find this dish out there in stalls and restaurants already..
Ah!!! You like it springy and chewy, eh? Wink! Wink! LOL!!! 😀 You’ll have top ask Gratitude or Bananaz – they seem to know where to get this over there…
I am also blur about this char pek koi.. looks like rojak to me :p
Looks like you have to come to Sibu again…and then, I can take you to try this. Hehehehehehe!!!! 😉
Hey here wishing you a great weekend bro
Same to you and your missus and the boys! A Blessed and very Happy Easter!
I thought every foochow family like mine loves it. I am a guy and I love making them from scratch.
As for those bought from supermarkets, you should soak them for dayssss. 🙂
LOL!!! That ahkamkoko was only joking – don’t take him seriously.
You can make them from scratch? Hmmm…interesting. Maybe if I try googling, perhaps I can find the recipe…but my friend, Yan, says that I can buy them already soaked till soft at the tofu stalls at the market – I think that would be a lot easier than soaking those commercially-sold ones for days. I would like to try cooking them in a different way from those sold in the town – I am pretty sure that with nicer/more ingredients, they will taste really great. Will certainly blog about it when I get round to doing that.
Btw, thanks for dropping by and thanks for commenting. I don’t think that’s a genuine email address. Would have loved to make the acquaintance…and perhaps you can teach me how to go about making my own pek koi? 😉
Oops I wasnt being serious that time, forgot to put an emoticon or a ‘lol’ behind. :p
my email address is real. 🙂
I’m currently studying in india and the workload made me forgot the measurements for the ingredients, so probably next time when I get the ‘feel’ back. Haha
Ok, very strange email address, I must say. Wah! India – living like a king, they say…big mansion, several servants. Still like that these days? I’ll try those already soaked and softened ones at the tofu stalls first – let’s see how that works out. If no good, maybe I would have to try and make my own – will need your guidance then. 😉
Haha I know, it’s a direct translation of my name from Chinese characters, that’s why it makes no sense. Lol
India…of course, those living in big mansions are filthy rich, hired servants, chefs, chauffeurs and guards while slums are still seen everywhere. It’s kind of an experience being chased by a big group of beggars. 😛
I guess it’s an eye-opener – makes you feel that no matter what, there’s no place like home… Direct translation of a Chinese (Hokkien) saying : smelly, smelly, also your own house – meaning no matter how bad, it is still the best in your own home.
he he he, I am not into pek koi also……too thick and hard for it to absorb the gravy……
True, true. Well, I was trying to think of how to get the gravy to soak into it – maybe use the clams in soy sauce to fry…and soak the pek koi overnight in the sauce. Otherwise it will need very strong tasting gravy to eat together with it to be nice.
Just like you, I prefer char kuey teow instead of Pek koi…
I only ate Pek koi when I go to Penang 😀
They have pek koi in Penang. So far, I never got to see it…or else my daughter would surely want to try.
You call it char pek koi. I call it char ba wei 🙂 like you, I prefer char kueh tiaw but overall hung ang is the best for me
Ya…I quite like fried hung ngang – something like a bigger version of mihun.
We foo chow call it “pa wei” , but i am not into it, my grandma love it a lot! When she was still around, she will cook this quite often, but i will not touch. hehehehhe
I had once in KL, behind Tawakal hospital Setapak, it was quite good. Not sure the stall still there or not, i was there like more than 10 years ago. ahhahahaha
LOL!!! Did somebody say every Foochow family loves it? Well, you’re an exception…and me too! My daughter loves it though. I guess it boils down to individual preferences and not a matter of race or dialect. For instance, I don’t like zhaq chai hung ngang…but many love it a lot.
Here, they put lot of lards….so I don’t really go for it.
You can give the ones here a try and see if you like it or not – not the same, I’m sure. 😉
Hmm.. looks yummy and this is so different from fried white cake in KL.
From the descriptions, they certainly sound different. Maybe with the way it’s cooked over there, it will be nicer – with dried prawns, somebody said! Yummm!!!!
I had this in KL once and never like it either. Same with the ‘orr eii’ (made with yam), I don’t like that either.
Never had that. Are those like the rubbery balls in the Taiwanese desserts. Eyewwwww!!!! No, thank you! 😦
So that is what the thingy I saw in Asian supermarkets here selling. I was very curious what it was and always thought that it’s the dry up form of bee noon kueh.. Lol! Lucky I didn’t buy and buta-buta cook.i have never tasted this before and now I’m intrigued! Can you tell me the method to prepare the pek koi and also the ingredients used to goreng it, please?
Don’t bother. When you come to Sibu, I will let you try. I don’t think you will want to cook your own after that. Muahahahahaha!!!! Unless you’re like Melissa… For some reason or other, she loves it!!!
in kl we have a quite similar dish..
it is hokkien style… with prawn, pork ….
urs also looks good…
I think it will taste better with some extra ingredients…
No lah, don’t want lah. I’d rather have your fried mee daddy, with prawns and egg. Nice!
Ok…that, you shall have WHEN you come to Sibu! 😉
This looks good. I don’t think we have this preparation in KL. Its normally just plain with some preserved radish toppings. How many days do I need to spend in Sibu to makan all the goodies in Sibu?
If you don’t go back to the same places for repeats (like those who came – they kept going back to eat what they liked and they kept ordering the same things…so they did not manage to eat EVERYTHING), around 4-5 days, at least….
I am not a big fan of fried rice cake but I like “chwee kueh” better.
I wonder what that is…