Tofu, chillies, bitter gourd, okra and eggplant stuffed with fish and pork paste, then boiled or fried and served in broth or with sauce. In Kuala Lumpur diners pick pieces one by one from the stall.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Yong tau foo is a Hakka dish of stuffed tofu that Hakka miners and traders carried to the Klang Valley, where the tin town of Ampang became closely tied to it. The idea spread from tofu to whatever could hold a filling: chillies, okra, bitter gourd, eggplant and fish balls, all packed with a paste of fish and sometimes pork. Stalls set out the pieces raw, customers choose, and the cook boils or deep fries them to order, serving them in clear broth or with sweet and chilli sauces. Off Petaling Street the Madras Lane stall has sold stuffed yong tau foo, fried and in broth, for more than 60 years.
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Common allergens: Fish, Soy
Tip from the editors. Wet your fingers before stuffing; the paste slides into place and stays smooth instead of tearing.
Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo, off Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, is a self-service stall said to have run for more than 60 years, frying stuffed pieces fresh.
TryStuffed yong tau foo, fried and in broth
TipThe stuffed items can sell out by early afternoon on busy weekdays.
Ah Fook Chee Cheong Fun inside ICC Pudu in Kuala Lumpur serves silky rice noodle rolls with curry sauce and fried yong tau fu, most mornings of the week.
TryChee cheong fun and yong tau fu
TipThe curry sauce is the draw, ask for extra if the plain soy version feels thin.
Segambut Yong Tau Foo stuffs fish paste into tofu and vegetables in an old single-storey bungalow in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, a breakfast and lunch spot.
OrderFish-based yong tau foo with fried eggplant and bitter gourd.
Why locals goThe dining room is an old single-storey bungalow on a Segambut side road, and at night the same premises turn into a pork-bone hotpot restaurant.
TipParking is scarce by mid-morning, so come early and try the roast pork bun stall sharing the same yard.
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