Bangkok Lane Koay Teow Goreng

Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng

80-year-old mee goreng recipe is part of Penang’s history PULAU TIKUS: With the metal clashing of a spinning wok and a loud voice that converses fluently in Hokkien, 69-year-old Mahboob bin Zakaria is the man behind this famous mee goreng stall in Bangkok Lane – still frying noodles the way his father did in 1941. Mahboob took over the stall in 1970, which has been frying up noodles at the stall since the tender age of 15. Older than Merdeka and dating back to a time when the Japanese still roamed Penang, Mahboob father 80-year-old mee goreng recipe is as rich in flavour as it is in history. Many years ago, Mahboob's father started selling his first plates of mee goreng off a roadside cart in Bangkok Lane. But when the British returned after the war, he had to move the business. Eventually, Mahboob's father found a permanent spot at the junction of Burma Road and Bangkok Lane, close to where he first parked his roadside cart. And with a legacy of three generations, the stall has been passed on from father to grandson. “All the sauces are made fresh every morning between 4am and 5am, adding that he personally tastes each sauce to make sure the flavours remain true to how they were 80 years ago. With the blend of sauces complementing each other, every bite is infused with spicy kicks of sweet and savoury goodness. Generous helpings of fresh potatoes, tofu, squid and bean sprouts are also thrown into the blazing wok. Then, with a few more MasterChef-worthy spins, piping hot mee goreng in all its glory is scooped onto a plate and ready to serve. The steaming hot dish is then crowned with freshly cut lettuce and half a lime for customers to squeeze over the top if they so prefer.