IT had been a while since we had any good and authentic Teochew food so we thought Teochew Lao Er in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur was a great find. There was a shriek of delight from a friend when she discovered tau suan, a mung bean soup with yau char kway (Chinese crueller) on the menu, and beng kueh, a Teochew dumpling with peanut filling.

And then there was kueh chap, a stew with pig intestines and stomach, egg, tofu and sheets of kway teow in it. Of course who could resist a bowl of braised intestines before our other friends arrive? The kueh chap was a meal in itself. These innards made great bites together with the smooth kway teow in the slurp-worthy soup.

Despite not being a fan of tau suan, I did like the one served at Teochew Lao Er. It was not too starchy and there was a fineness about it. The leaf-shaped beng kueh was filled with crushed, aromatic peanuts and great to snack on.

We did more ordering: The DIY bun with mui choy and red stewed duck, garlic chilli steamed fish, red stewed pig’s ears and duck, spring rolls, french beans fried with green fungus and minced pork, spinach fried with dried sole, and braised fish skin. We had these with porridge – plain, sweet potato and with red rice. I liked the sweet potato porridge which went well with everything.

Slices of stewed duck and mui choy (sweet preserved vegetables) were served with the buns studded with black sesame. We tucked the flavourful meat and mui choy into the buns and they were scrumptious together.

The garlic chilli steamed fish sounded ordinary but it was amazingly good. The senangin, or threadfin, was steamed with a paste of finely chopped chili padi, garlic, ginger, a little taucheo and lime juice, rendering it with a punchy, hot and aromatic sauce. It was simply delicious and we couldn’t get enough of this fish. The sauce was lovely with porridge. The Teochew braised pig’s ears in a spiced gravy stood out for their gelatinous texture and cartilage crunch but the duck was a little disappointing. It appeared the braising sauce was not salty nor flavourful enough for the duck.

We enjoyed the young French beans fried with minced pork and lam choy or Chinese olive vegetables (not green fungus as stated in the menu). These dark preserved vegetables are actually a mixture of green olives and Chinese mustard greens and adds a robust, earthy flavour to anything fried with it.

The crispy fried spring rolls were stuffed with pork stirfried with a little five-spice powder and served with a side of fried egg tofu topped with tangy sliced onions and chilli. These were rather good.

The only dish we didn’t like was the braised fish skin. I did not like the slithery texture nor the fishy aroma of it.

Dessert had to be oh nee (we already had tau suan before lunch), a traditional Teochew yam pudding. Steamed yam paste is usually slow fried with lard in a wok, giving it that rich, luscious aroma. At Teochew Lao Er, this is finished with thin pumpkin slices covering it and steamed. We loved the flavour and texture of it: smooth yam paste studded with ginkgo nuts, bits of mandarin peel and candied melon, and of course the lardy aroma about it. It was lightly sweet.

It wasn’t an expensive meal at all. The DIY buns with mui choy and duck were RM18; spring rolls, RM13; stewed pig’s ears and duck, RM16; kueh chap, RM11, fried French beans, RM10;  tau suan RM3.30.

Now you can take home a bag of frozen Teochew dishes (seven courses). The RM285 meal in the bag has braised eight treasure duck, hau tiao herbal chicken, red stewed pork belly, spring rolls, seaweed roll with salted egg, otak otak and Teochew yam paste. In the RM165 bag are braised eight treasure duck, red stewed pork belly, spring roll, seaweed roll with salted egg, otak otak, Teochew yam paste and beng kueh. At the moment there is an early bird promotion, RM265 for the first bag and RM150 for the second.

Teochew Lao Er is at 6, Jalan Brunei, off Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. It faces a Chinese school. Call 03-2141 5822, for reservations. – January 19, 2019.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.