Fresh Riverfish at Restoran Keng Ping, Puchong

Tucked in the middle of a row of similar-looking shop lots in Bandar Puteri Puchong is Restoran Keng Ping, a rather nondescript looking shop from the outside. Its blue and white signboard is just plain informative (with Chinese characters outlined in red) and when you step into the interior, it looks like a hundred other basic-looking “tai chow” restaurants. Well, the focus is certainly not in the décor but the food served here is something else.

The owner and chef here are from the small town of Lenggong, Perak and specialises in simple “Kwangsi” cuisine. We have eaten at this place several times and each time we never fail to order their “sai to” (ikan parang) fishballs. Priced at RM0.70 a piece, the balls are not very big but the texture is light and bouncy. The balls are dotted with specks of chopped chillies and the surface look uneven but they are full of the natural sweetness of the ikan parang. These should be eaten dipped with their special Lenggong chilli sauce.

Restoran Keng Ping gets a good supply of river fish from Lenggong and these are delivered almost every day. Their Claypot Fish should not be skipped. We have tried this style a couple of times and you get to choose your fish, depending on what was delivered for the day. We have tried their catfish which was smooth and sweet. On another occasion we tried a different river fish and it didn’t disappoint. Price of fish varies, depending on stock and market rates.

Quite often Restoran Keng Ping would get supply of fresh wild boar. We have tried their Curry Wild Boar and Braised Wild Boar on different occasions. The wild boar supplied was pretty tender (signifying meat from a young boar) and the intact slightly chewy skin actually tasted good. I prefer the curry as the spices were a good camouflage for the gamey meat.

Stuffed Tofu Puffs

Steamed Pork Belly with Yam (RM16) and Steamed Village Chicken (RM25) are two easy-to-love comfort dishes. The yam slices were soft, powdery and have totally absorbed all the flavours from the pork and sauce, making this a lovely accompaniment to white rice. The steamed chicken had added chopped garlic crisps sprinkled on top – such heavenly aromas! Check out also their Stuffed Tofu Puffs, served in a light broth, made from boiling the bones of the ikan parang. The chef’s certainly not stingy on the filling…chopped pork mixed with prawns fill up the entire cavity!

The vegetable dishes in Restoran Keng Ping are refreshing in their unique-ness. We just adored the Fried Lotus Roots with Mushrooms (RM12) – crunchy roots with silky succulent mushrooms…, Brinjals with Minced Meat (RM15) – so addictive with bits of chopped garlic, chilli padi added in to spice up the dish. For something more refreshing and light, try the Stir-fry Cheng Loong vegetable with Beansprouts. Then there’s also the Stir-fry Yellow Beansprouts with Pork Belly – rustic, simple but so good!

Stir-fry Cheng Loong vegetable with Beansprouts

Be sure to keep some tummy space for their Braised Egg Noodles which are cooked with prawns, meat and vegetables. The noodles have been braised for quite a while to achieve that smooth slippery texture, having totally absorbed the rich-tasting sauce.

Restoran Keng Ping
No.26 Jalan Puteri 5/2
Bandar Puteri Puchong
47100 Puchong
Tel: 8052-3572/017-889-1697/017-912-8414

This post is written by PureGlutton whose passion for food is tantamount to gluttony. Many would ask "is that passion or is that pure gluttony?" Find out on http://pureglutton.com