On my trip to Ipoh when we were in this period of “Recovery CMO” back in August 2020 (yes, 2020 is a strange year), I was introduced to one of the more famous Ipoh hawker offerings by the name of “liu fun” at Choong Kee, or commonly also known as Big Tree, at Pasir Pinji, Ipoh – å¿ è®°å¤§æ ‘å¤´ç‚¸æ–™ç²‰.
Choong Kee “Big Tree” at Ipoh
As it turns out, liu fun is almost entirely exactly like yong tau foo – with stuffed tofu, red chili, bitter gourd, long beans, tofu, and so forth. These comes both in deep fried as well as soup version. The only difference here is that instead of serving with chee cheong fun or rice like most yong tau foo places, in Ipoh, you get to choose your choice of noodle (meehun, yellow noodle, kuih teow etc) instead.
The ingredients (or yong tau foo in this case) = liu 料, noodle = fun 粉. Hence, liu fun 料粉.
Choong Kee is located under a big tree, and hence the name. While there maybe others that claim to be of same origin, this is apparently the one and only Choong Kee in the whole of Ipoh or anywhere else.
do you call it yong tau foo or liu fun?
There’s close to a dozen different ingredients to choose from, with the price clearly stated on the billboard atop the stall. The SOP is simple, take your pick and place them in a basket, and the operators will re-fry or put them in hot soup prior to serving.
The must-order here is their excellent fried turnip. Imagine a very good, crunchy & sweet version of fried radish, but better.
Pasir Pinji chee cheong fun, tapao only
To kick it up a notch, instead of their “noodle”, we actually stopped by the famous Pasir Pinji chee cheong fun and tapao a couple packs of these delicious carbs to go with the liu fun.
The chee cheong fun is super soft and carries an excellent texture that is just right, they also come with pickled green chili and a chili sauce that’s spicy and slightly sweetish. It is a must-try if you’re into chee cheong fun.
chee cheong fun, liu fun, and roast pork
Pairing the yong tau foo/liu fun with the chee cheong fun proved to be an excellent combination, and if you’re a fan of siu yok (roast pork), there’s a stall at Choong Kee offering that as well, get some!
Address:
Choong Kee “Big Tree”
1213, Jalan King,
Taman Hoover,
31650 Ipoh, Perak
GPS: 4.582364, 101.085703
Tel: 012-507 1482
Hours: 8am to 5:30pm daily
Address:
Pasir Pinji Chee Cheong Fun
1456, Jalan Pasir Pinji 5,
Kampung Pasir Pinji Baru,
31650 Ipoh, Perak
GPS: 4.578745, 101.08423
Hours: 10am to 3pm, closed on Sunday & Wednesday
Wowwwwwww!!!!! That sure is a whole lot to pick – I wouldn’t know where to begin and where to end.
Not a fan of the dry version though – I prefer young tofu in clear soup – we have one in curry here…or was it tom yam, not to my fancy so I have not bothered to go and try.
suituapui: I too prefer them in soup for the most part!
We plant to have our lunch here earlier this year but didn’t get the chance to do so.
Tekkaus: aiyoh kesian, after peandemic then!
Yes, I’ve heard of this big tree ytf…but wasn’t aware that there is more than one BIG TREE in Ipoh…hahaha! 😀 I’ve had feasted on big tree ytf (bought by family) in Ipoh but now wonder if it came from the right ‘big tree’….hehehe! 😉 I love their sar kok liew (which some people say cannot be found in KL…and they proudly display their sign to say they have no branch in KL!). Do you know of any place you can get sar kok liew in KL?
eatwhateatwhere: if you know where to get sar kok liu in KL please tell me also!
I’ve tried both the original and “imitation” big tree YTF, both were disappointment as I found that my favourite Sar Kok Liu was not as good as it used to be. I think I will allocate my tummy space for other food other than this. >_<
Choi Yen: haha, well I didn’t have a “used to be” taste so to me it was still good!
I heard about this place too but have never dine here yet. Sigh.. I miss the days when we can just drive up over the weekend 🙁
Merryn: ya lo, such a different world we live in now.
terbaik!
Szue: yass