Award winners: (From left) Thong (char koay teow), Azizan (satay), Syed Khaidhir (teh tarik), Koay (hokkien mee), Seeni Mohamed (mee goreng) and Ee Quen (asam laksa) posing for a group photo after claiming their prizes. AFTER five days of intense battle, six hawkers can now proudly call themselves the ‘top hawkers’ in the local food industry after each of them emerged champion in the inaugural Battle of Penang Hawkers on Christmas Day.
Unperturbed by a big crowd of holidaymakers as well as food lovers at the Chin Ho Plaza in Penang Times Square, Lee Ee Quen, 29, (laksa), Thong Cheng Poh, 46, (char koay teow), Seeni Mohamed Sheik Abidin, 34, (mee goreng), Koay Teik Ghee, 31, (hokkien mee), Azizan Abdul Aziz, 31, (satay) and Syed Khaidhir, 32, (teh tarik) showed off their cooking prowess to come out tops in their respectively categories.
Char Koay Teow master Thong said the victory came as a big surprise as he had just started the fried koay teow business five years ago.
“I was just thinking of gaining some experience from this competition. Anyway, I’m very happy to have won. I would like to thank my family members who have been supporting me all the while,” he said.
Kids enjoying mee goreng during the finals of the Battle of Penang Hawkers Masters 2011 at Penang Times 2011. Another elated winner Syed Khaidhir, who is an event organiser by profession, also entered this tournament for the fun of it but returned home a winner in the teh tarik category.
“It was an unexpected triumph. I only decided to take part at the eleventh hour. I could not believe it when they announced my name for the most delicious teh tarik and the best teh tarik performance. I’m truly happy,” he said.
As for his secret recipe that won him the title on Sunday, Syed Khaidhir revealed that he had mixed the F&N sweetened condensed milk together with F&N evaporated filled milk to make his tea tastier.
The battle of teh tarik which started on Sunday saw 10 contestants performing teh tarik stunts and preparation of the tea to the judges.
Judges for the teh tarik category were No.1 Raja Tarik 2011, Amirul Fadhli Shamsudin, Ivory Properties Group Berhad executive director Ron Loh and Chefs Association of Malaysia (Penang Chapter) director of training and education Lee Chan Wai.
Entertaining show: (above) Syed Khaidhir showing of his gravity-defying teh tarik skills en route to winning the category in the competition. For Ee Quen, winning the laksa category was something special for her family and she quickly attributed her success to her grandmother and mother.
“The secret recipe passed down by my grandmother had actually wowed the judges.
“It was my mother who taught me how to cook this delicious laksa,” said Ee Quen, who is currently running her stall at a coffee shop opposite the Penang Chinese Girls High School.
Each of the winners walked away with cash worth RM2,000, medals, a certificate from the Tourism Ministry, hampers and cutlery sets.
Apart from Loh and Lee, the judges also included Star Publications (M) Bhd regional operations manager (North) Chung Chok Yin, Foodsion Magazine director Jenny Oon, Sunshine Amanjaya Sdn Bhd director Datuk Abdul Rafique Karim, Axian’s Food Adventures television host Jason Yeoh, local chef Plilip Yoong, Kwong Wah Yit Poh Press Berhad assistant editor-in-chief Teoh Yee Seong and Federation of Penang and Seberang Perai Hawkers Association secretary Seow Hean Teik.
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