These 7 Muslim-friendly Chinese food will cure your gastronomic FOMO
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If you’re a Muslim with many Chinese best friends, we’re pretty sure you’ve felt super FOMO whenever they go for non-halal Chinese food.
Fret not, we’ve got your back. Here are our picks for Muslim-friendly Chinese food that don’t compromise on their authenticity:
1. Mala Mala
Ma la (which translates to numbing spice) is a type of oily Sichuan sauce used in hot pots (spicy steamboat) or stir fried.
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Trust us when we say, this shop is probably the only halal-certified one. You simply pick your meat (we recommend the chicken luncheon meat), veggies (try the cheese tofu), carb (noodles or rice) and your level of spice.
You will be charged based on the weight of the ingredients you pick, i.e. veggies at RM3.99/100g and meat at RM5.99/100g. Do pace yourself as the portion gets unexpectedly huge once it’s cooked.
They also provide a herb-only version of the dish for friends who are not true Malaysians fans of spice.
Mala Mala
1. Melawati Mall, LG-03, 355, Jalan Bandar Melawati, Pusat Bandar Melawati, 53100 Kuala Lumpur.
2. L2-14 2nd Floor IOI City Mall, Ioi Resort, 43000 Putrajaya, Selangor
Operating hours: 10:00am to 9:30pm
2.3A Yong Tau Fu PJ
This one’s a hidden gem that locals from Petaling Jaya have been keeping to themselves!
Despite the oriental interior, this hole-in-the-wall joint is halal-certified and serves authentic yong tau foo.
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And yes, we read your mind. Don’t worry about the price. Every yong tau foo ingredient costs RM1.80 each while their chee cheong fun is only RM5, you can get stuffed even with RM10 left in your wallet.
3A Yong Tau Fu and Cheong Fun
12, Jln 19/3, Seksyen 19
Operating hours: 11:00am to 10:00pm
3. Kungfu Ramen
Ramen or La mian, that translates to “pulled noodles”, originates from Lanzhou, China. It’s typically served in beef soup or stir fried with sauce.
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In this shop, the noodles are hand-pulled (read: kung fu-ed) by a Muslim Chinese national Sifu who dons a kopiah. Proof of authenticity? The Sifu doesn’t even speak a word of English!
Each bowl of lamian is made to order and comes in a choice of original beef broth or spicy broth. Most importantly, it’s halal-certified!
Kungfu Ramen
1. 12a, Jalan PJS 8/10, Dataran Mentari, Bandar Sunway
2. GF, Giant, SS 6, 47301 Petaling Jaya
3. 107, Jalan SS 13/1k, Usj 1
4. New Town Centre, 38, Jalan 52/18, Bandar Baru Petaling Jaya
5. 12, Jalan Bandar 2, Taman Melawati
6. 15, Jalan Menara Gading 1, Taman Connaught
4. Cili 8 (pan mee)
Although it’s not halal-certified, this chilli pan mee joint is pork-free and uses halal ingredients. The number 8 in the name signifies both good luck in Chinese superstition and also the 8 types of pan mee served here.
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Minced chicken is used as a substitute to pork in the original chilli pan mee recipe. However, the owner reassures that it tastes exactly like the OG, since the recipe has been passed down for generations.
Among the selection of 8 types of chilli pan mee are: original pan mee, dry pan mee, pan mee soup, and a curry laksa, belacan-spiked volcano pan mee.
Cili 8
Unit PG-A, Ground Floor, Plaza 33, No.1, Jalan Kemajuan, Section 13
Operating hours: 10:00am to 9:00pm
5. Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap (Beef Noodles)
Yet another pork-free Chinese joint to cure your FOMO! The beef noodles here are known as ngiu chap (mixed beef) and is more common in Sabah.
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Enhanced with white radish, every bowl of beef noodles consist of fresh beef, stewed beef, tripe and meatball. For the less adventurous, we recommend trying out the meatball and/or stewed beef option.
No Malaysian meal is complete without a touch of spice! Add a little kick to your bowl of beef noodles with their special chilli sauce.
Their beef bao is also to die for, in case you still have room for more.
Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap
1. G-13, Jalan Puteri 4/8, Bandar Puteri
2. 2-0-10, Lorong Taman Nosoob Jaya Phase 2, Kolam Centre
6. Lolili’s Delights (Bak Kwa and Bak Chang)
If you were ever curious how bak kwa tastes like, Lolili’s Delights have got you covered!
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This online store offers up to 10 selections of halal-certified authentic Chinese snacks such as chicken bak kwa(salty-sweet chicken jerky), bak chang (glutinous rice stuffed with chicken and wrapped in bamboo leaf), lo mai gai (glutinous rice stuffed with chicken and Chinese mushrooms) and koay bak chor (black vinegar ginger trotter).
You can order their items online via their FB shop. After trying their halal bak kwa, our Chinese friends confirmed that they can barely tell the difference compared to the real thing!
7. Sweetly Bakery (Mooncake – seasonal)
This may not be a common craving but when mid-autumn fest approaches, you might be wondering where to get your halal mooncake fix.
Though brands like Starbucks and Inside Scoop offer their rendition of mooncakes, to truly experience the Chinese food culture, you ought to try the original ones.
The best ones we’ve tried so far (and most importantly, halal-certified) are the ones we got from Sweetly Bakery in Bandar Sri Damansara.
It comes in a vast array of flavoured fillings, among them are single yolk lotus, double yolk pandan, durian and red bean. Every purchase comes with a very adorable tin box covered in oriental print.
Sweetly Cake House
38, Jalan Tanjung SD 13/1, Bandar Sri Damansara
Operating hours: 9:00am to 9:00pm
It doesn’t get more muhibbah than finally getting to enjoy OG Chinese food with your friends!
Did we miss out any Muslim-friendly Chinese food outlets? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
