‘Tong sui’, yam cake, ‘yau char kwai’, fried spring rolls, curry puffs made using traditional recipes

PETALING JAYA, Aug 22 — Many PJ folks have grown up eating the tong sui and snacks from Sea Park Dessert. Very often, these customers still ask after founder Soo Yuen Eye and send their regards to him.

Soo, 87, started his stall outside Sea Park wet market in 1969 assisted by his wife, Lean Choo.

It didn’t start with dessert though as Soo originally sold yau char kwai, an item that also saw success for other family members whom he passed the recipe to.

Before this, Soo once worked as an ironsmith, hammering metal into various products. He then sold drinks by the roadside… his first venture into F&B.

Yam Cake can be customised for vegetarians by omitting the toppings, if needed — Picture by Choo Choy May

Tong sui like the classic Red Bean, Black Glutinous Rice, Gingko Barley, Mung Bean and Oat Porridge (mak chok) were added later, up till now with that same taste as everything is made using traditional recipes.

When Ruby Cinema opened in 1972 just across from the market, they started later in the day from 4pm to 11pm, catering to cinema goers, who would seek their food for a quick bite.

From a roadside stall, they earned a permanent spot in Paramount Kopitiam where they still operate from today.

It is the reliable go-to for an after lunch treat, teatime or even a light dinner, as one can pair various bites with a bowl of tong sui.

Classic ‘tong sui’ that have been on the menu for more than 50 years are the creamy, thick Black Glutinous Rice and robust flavoured Gingko Barley with the newly introduced Tang Yuan with a ginger pandan soup. — Picture by Choo Choy May

A distinct feature of their stall is their signature row of metal pots filled with various tong sui, kept warm over a gas fire.

Soo’s son Chun Wah runs the business now and continues his father’s legacy together with his daughter.

Expansion saw the brand establishing a second outlet in Taman OUG, offering the same items in Sea Park, with the addition of three dishes: Tomato Noodles, Nasi Lemak with Rendang Chicken and Siam Laksa.

In Sea Park, the stall has been upgraded and relocated to the front of the popular corner restaurant.

Sea Park Dessert located inside Paramount Kopitiam is a reliable go-to for snacks and ‘tong sui’ in Sea Park and their other outlet in Taman OUG. — Picture by Choo Choy May

A total of 11 types of tong sui are available here; newer items include Tang Yuan in a fragrant ginger pandan soup and chilled varieties with Peach Gum or Snow Pear with White Fungus.

Each bowl of tong sui is priced from RM4 to RM5.50, where the level of sweetness is just right for even older folks and portions are generous compared to that at other places.

Although they have had to grapple with the erratic quality of ingredients through the years, the owners work hard to ensure the taste is not compromised and they only serve the good stuff.

For instance, the classic Gingko Barley needs good quality beancurd skin (fuchuk) for an exceptional bowl, which they manage to achieve after testing many types of the fuchuk, producing a milky soup with a robust soybean flavour, rich with gingko nuts and creamy barley.

Various snacks make faithful companions to a bowl of tong sui, like the Fried Dough Stick (RM1.50) or yau char kwai.

Till today, Sea Park Dessert continues to offer an assortment of fried items like ‘yau char kwai’, ‘ham chim peng’ and ‘mah kiok’. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Try dipping the yau char kwai into the thick, creamy Black Glutinous Rice (RM4) or Red Bean (RM4) for an unusual pairing of slightly salty and sweet flavours that will change how you enjoy your fried Chinese crullers, in the future.

Crowd favourites include the creamy, soft Yam Cake (RM4) with its toppings of dried shrimps, spring onions and sauces served on the side or the crunchy Fried Spring Roll (RM3.50) plump with a juicy filling of jicama and carrots.

Fried Spring Rolls are made using a recipe from Lean Choo, Soo Yuen Eye’s wife, and generously stuffed with crunchy jicama and carrots. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Other goodies include a Thousand Layer Curry Puff (RM3.50) using two types of dough to create the distinct crispy layers, filled with a not overly spicy curry with diced chicken and hard boiled egg.

Thousand Layer Curry Puff uses two different doughs to create the flaky layers of the plump curry puff stuffed with curry, diced chicken and a hard-boiled egg. — Picture by Choo Choy May

For a heavier meal, the Glutinous Rice (RM4) has distinct grains with a slightly chewy-soft pleasant texture, eaten with peanuts.

Even the fragrant Tomyum Meehoon (RM4.50) can be accompanied with Curry Fishball (3 pieces for RM3.50) for a complete meal. Other choices include Curry Pork Skin (3 pieces for RM3.50) or Curry Beancurd (2 pieces for RM4).

The stall is also mindful of patrons of the neighbouring Chinese temple who practise vegetarianism on the first and fifteenth days of the Lunar month, allowing most of their snacks to be served without the non-vegetarian toppings.

For easy convenience, their food can be ordered via GrabFood, Food Panda and Shoppee Food too.