SIMPLY MALAYSIA - MING KEE CHAR SIEW

Whilst the rest of the group made a beeline to shopping, I knew precisely where to head for.  The much hyped about Ming Kee Char Siew was elusive the last three times as it was closed by the time I got there.  It is claimed to be the best in KL but I have already tried Overseas Char Siew which was Mmmmm.....Mama Mia, no words for such flavourful char siew when Dr Leslie brought me there.

I was early as it will start selling at 11.30am and it is usually sold out before 3pm.   Whilst waiting for the roast char siew to be ready, I wasted no time to meet Uncle Leong who was silently hovering over the "stove" his self-made oven formed out of a darkened drum, the traditional stove with strong fire to char the long streaks of prok and a basin below to catch the drippings.

I also spotted the "wu hwa ro", a large slab of a special cut of pork which he uses for the char siew.  The skin with some fat was left out and he only carved out the leaner meat with some fats. Why? more fats please!

What is so special about KL Char Siew as compared to Singapore Char Siew?   KL char siew has that oomph in that eat bite of the char siew, you could savour the very charred side that gives you the kick, the leaner part and the best component is the fat that comes with it for the melt in the mouth experience. 
Of course the ingredients and the technique of roasting plays a big part and the final result is a unique form of barbequed meat that is well liked by everyone.

Why the word Char Siew?  I asked my colleagues who were with me and I got the correct answer.
Char is the fork that pierced the long streaky meat and Siew is roast.  Silly that I thot otherwise earlier that char as in abbreviation of  CHARRED Siew.  

Ming Kee Char Siew has been around for 21years and they have shifted from one street away Tong Shin to the current Jalan Alor.

My Verdict:  Relative to Overseas Restaurant char siew, Ming Kee Char Siew is slightly tougher and leaner whilst I wish for more fat and a softer texture. It is unlike Overseas Restaurant signature char siew which has thicker caramelized charred parts, fat to meat ratio and soft meat for the Crunch, Melt and Bite Feel All Rolled in One.   If I had not tried Overseas, I would have gone gaga over Ming Kee too.

Ming Kee Char Siew is certainly yummy to go with beer which I had and I chomped through without any rice.  The plate with generous thick cuts of char siew cost a premium price of RM20.00.