“It’s getting harder and harder to find the supply of big head prawns, because China is now competing with us in the consumption of giant fresh water prawns. Probably in a few years’ time, we wouldn’t be able to find any big head prawns at the restaurants in Malaysia,” said Ethan Wong, the second generation running Keong Kee Restaurant, which is one of the best Sang Har Mee restaurants in KL.
Sang Har or Big Head Prawn is one of the most sought-after seafood in Malaysia. What makes the giant prawns irresistible is their bouncy flesh and creamy prawn roe stored in their big heads. They can be found in the rivers of Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. According to Ethan, the best big head prawns are from Indonesia. They contain prawn roe in orange color.
Keong Kee Restaurant is tucked away at Jalan Barat, near Win Heng Seng Kopitiam. If you pass by the street, you probably wouldn’t notice the shop, because it doesn’t have a big and fancy shop sign like its neighboring restaurants, yet the place is often packed with working crowd from nearby offices during lunch hours.
“80% of our customers are regular customers,” said Ethan Wong. Patrons stay loyal to the restaurant, because many are addicted to their delicious fried noodles!
Before moving to Jalan Barat, Ethan’s father, Mr. Wong, run a humble hawker stall under a big tree at Changkat Bukit Bintang many years ago. He had once moved to Taman TTDI and now based at Jalan Barat. With over 30 years of cooking experience, Mr. Wong has perfected his skills in stir-frying noodles with fresh water prawns in Cantonese style.
“Sometimes I help my father to do the cooking, and some loyal customers can tell that the noodles are not cooked by my father, because the ‘wok hei’ is different. It takes many years of experience to acquire the skills of preparing a good plate of fried noodles with sufficient ‘wok hei’,” explained Ethan Wong.
The menu here is fairly simple. For fried noodles, you only have three choices: Mixed, Beef or Prawn Noodles. You can choose from three different noodles, including mee hoon, hor fun, and yee mee. All noodles are cooked to order to ensure the food reaches your table hot and delicious. Apart from fried noodles, the restaurant also offers Steamed Chicken with Black Fungus and Steamed Fish.
Now, one big head prawn is priced at approximately RM50. If you order a stir-fried noodle with two fresh water prawns, it will cost you RM100! The price of big head prawns keeps increasing due to their scarcity and strong market demand.
The signature Sang Har Mee (Stir-fried Noodles with Fresh Water Prawns) is prepared in Cantonese style. The prawns and noodles are cooked separately. First, stir-fry the noodles until they are crispy and fragrant. Second, stir-fry the big head prawns until the yellowish prawn roe is melted into the sauce. Egg is added at the end to add a creamy and glistening texture to the sauce. The prawns and sauce are then put on top of the noodles, so that you can enjoy the noodles that are crispy yet succulent!
This photo is taken from the restaurant's Facebook
“My father plans to retire in 5 years’ time,” said Ethan Wong. If you are a lover of big head prawns, hurry and make a visit to Keong Kee to enjoy one of the best Sang Har Mee in town before it's too late!
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Sang Har or Big Head Prawn is one of the most sought-after seafood in Malaysia. What makes the giant prawns irresistible is their bouncy flesh and creamy prawn roe stored in their big heads. They can be found in the rivers of Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. According to Ethan, the best big head prawns are from Indonesia. They contain prawn roe in orange color.
Keong Kee Restaurant is tucked away at Jalan Barat, near Win Heng Seng Kopitiam. If you pass by the street, you probably wouldn’t notice the shop, because it doesn’t have a big and fancy shop sign like its neighboring restaurants, yet the place is often packed with working crowd from nearby offices during lunch hours.
“80% of our customers are regular customers,” said Ethan Wong. Patrons stay loyal to the restaurant, because many are addicted to their delicious fried noodles!
Before moving to Jalan Barat, Ethan’s father, Mr. Wong, run a humble hawker stall under a big tree at Changkat Bukit Bintang many years ago. He had once moved to Taman TTDI and now based at Jalan Barat. With over 30 years of cooking experience, Mr. Wong has perfected his skills in stir-frying noodles with fresh water prawns in Cantonese style.
“Sometimes I help my father to do the cooking, and some loyal customers can tell that the noodles are not cooked by my father, because the ‘wok hei’ is different. It takes many years of experience to acquire the skills of preparing a good plate of fried noodles with sufficient ‘wok hei’,” explained Ethan Wong.
The menu here is fairly simple. For fried noodles, you only have three choices: Mixed, Beef or Prawn Noodles. You can choose from three different noodles, including mee hoon, hor fun, and yee mee. All noodles are cooked to order to ensure the food reaches your table hot and delicious. Apart from fried noodles, the restaurant also offers Steamed Chicken with Black Fungus and Steamed Fish.
Now, one big head prawn is priced at approximately RM50. If you order a stir-fried noodle with two fresh water prawns, it will cost you RM100! The price of big head prawns keeps increasing due to their scarcity and strong market demand.
The signature Sang Har Mee (Stir-fried Noodles with Fresh Water Prawns) is prepared in Cantonese style. The prawns and noodles are cooked separately. First, stir-fry the noodles until they are crispy and fragrant. Second, stir-fry the big head prawns until the yellowish prawn roe is melted into the sauce. Egg is added at the end to add a creamy and glistening texture to the sauce. The prawns and sauce are then put on top of the noodles, so that you can enjoy the noodles that are crispy yet succulent!
This photo is taken from the restaurant's Facebook
“My father plans to retire in 5 years’ time,” said Ethan Wong. If you are a lover of big head prawns, hurry and make a visit to Keong Kee to enjoy one of the best Sang Har Mee in town before it's too late!