Affordable Street Food in Malacca: "Pork Congee" Near the SkyCab Observation Deck

Text and Photos byOld Man and Little Wife

For independent travelers to Malaysia, transportation is the most troublesome aspect of daily life—food, clothing, shelter, and transport—because public transport options are limited and information is inconsistent, making it really difficult to plan your entire itinerary in advance. But eating? That’s easy. One quarter of Malaysians are ethnic Chinese, and in some cities, the Chinese population even exceeds two-thirds of the locals. So if you see a restaurant with Chinese signs, just walk right in—it’s bound to be good. And if the boss claims to be from Taiwan, they’ll be especially friendly. The ethnic composition of Malaysian Chinese is as follows: Hokkiens are the largest group, followed by Cantonese, then Hakka, and then Teochew. That means you’re most likely to find Hokkien cuisine—and Hokkien food? Isn’t it pretty similar to Taiwanese cuisine!?

This time, Old Man and Little Wife traveled to Malacca, Malaysia, and stayed at a homestay run by ethnic Chinese. Right next door was a snack shop called "Bukit China Pork Congee." Although the shop had signs advertising "Hainan-style" food, the owner actually came from the same hometown as the late Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew—Teochew. So you can imagine the flavors here—somewhere between Hokkien, Hakka, and Cantonese.

A very affordable Chinese-run homestay, Lavender Guesthouse, offers air-conditioned double rooms for just NT$340 per night. Bathrooms are shared, but the quality is… well, let’s not talk about that.

The shop is called “Pork Congee,” and its signature dish is—you guessed it—“Pork Congee,” served in a large bowl for RM 5.5.

It’s a plain-looking bowl of thin congee, sprinkled with a bit of scallion oil and cilantro (coriander). Where’s the pork? Don’t be disappointed just yet—what you can’t smell or see is how fragrant that crispy scallion oil is. The scallion oil used by Malaysian Chinese is a bit different from what Taiwanese use; the flavor is similar, but it’s especially aromatic, supposedly because the type of scallion is different. The old man even went looking for it himself—the red onions here are tiny, only slightly bigger than garlic cloves.

A spoonful brings up plenty of minced meat and pork offal—the minced meat is springy, the offal perfectly tender, and the broth has very little porky smell. Paired with the soft, creamy white congee and scallion oil, it’s truly a delicious taste of tradition.

The shop didn’t recommend this dish, but the old man insisted on ordering the “Xixian” for RM 4.5. “Xixian” refers to Guangdong-style egg noodles.

Guangdong egg noodles served with a pork offal soup—there aren’t many noodles, but there’s plenty of offal, tied up with a bunch of scallions and pork like a match made in heaven.

The boss gives you a small plate of chili, which you mix with soy sauce, then dip the offal in the spicy soy sauce before happily popping it into your mouth along with the chewy egg noodles. The old man absolutely loved it, humming along to “Ekin Cheng – Speed” while eating (Ekin Cheng’s nickname is “E-fun” or “Egg Noodles”).

There’s a peculiarly shaped rice barrel placed at the counter. Normally, rice barrels are big at the top and narrow at the bottom, but this one is the opposite—narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. Wonder if it’s a traditional piece of Teochew furniture?

The old shop gets so crowded during mealtimes that there aren’t even any seats left.

When you visit Malacca, you’ll definitely see the SkyCab observation deck, Menara Taming Sari. Bukit China Pork Congee is located in a small alley just across the street from Menara Taming Sari. If you’re hungry but don’t feel like Indonesian or Indian food, the pork congee is an affordable and tasty option.

Most Malaysians who come to Menara Taming Sari go to the nearby Pahlawan Walk for meals—there’s lots of Indonesian food and karaoke joints, which is pretty amusing.

On the empty lot across from Menara Taming Sari and next to Pahlawan Walk, there’s an Indian night market in the evenings. Indians sell clothes, electronics, handicrafts… the prices are pretty reasonable, though you might spot dreamcatchers marketed to Indians? Cheap, but the quality is pretty average—good for window-shopping rather than buying.

At the Indian night market, there’s a strange dessert stall selling something called TAMPIN SENGKUANG CALIT. What even is that? Can anyone tell me? Rumor has it that it’s a sweet potato starch pancake coated with a brown sauce and sprinkled with crushed peanuts—Chinese people call it “yam starch with sauce.”

We took a picture of the menu so everyone can get familiar with Malaysian drink terms:
Coffee — kopi (black coffee with milk and sugar)
Black coffee — kopi o (black coffee with sugar)
Iced coffee — kopi ais (ais = ice, pronounced similarly)
...Check the rest for yourself.

Here’s an interesting one: if you want black coffee, how do you order it? Just tell the boss: kopi kosong (pronounced: ko-pee ko-song). Want a glass of plain water? Say air kosong (air = water, kosong = nothing).

Bunga Raya Porridge — Traditional Bukit China Pork Congee

Menu: Pork congee, wheat cake, thick and thin noodles, fish congee, fish soup, meat soup, and more.

Signature dishes: Pork offal congee (lean meat, blood sausage, pork liver).

Bunga Raya Porridge
Address: G20, Jalan PM 3, Plaza Mahkota, 75000 Melaka. (Near Menara Taming Sari)
Phone: Miss Tam 016- 753 1816
Business hours: 12pm-2pm / 7pm-10pm
Closed on the 1st, 2nd, 15th, and 16th of the Chinese Lunar Calendar.
 

Grandpa and Little Wife
☆ Love food, travel, and spa — sweet couple adventures ☆ ★