Malek Tauhu / Semenyih Cucur Udang

For us, living in Kajang for many years, Semenyih has been synonymous with Cucur Udang (fried prawn patties) since the time we were in school. Considering that we left school some 25 years ago, that's a pretty long time. And the place that put Semenyih on the food map is an un-named stall located near the Semenyih field (beside the Sekolah Kebangsaan China Semenyih) which is referred to by locals as "Malek Tauhu". We just call it the 'Semenyih cucur udang' place.

This is the famous Semenyih cucur udang stall

Malek retired from the police force many years ago and decided to try his hand at the food business. He got it right with his cucur udang recipe, especially the chili sauce that accompanies this simple treat. They also sell plain fried taufoo pieces, which explains the name, "Malek Tauhu". The cucur udang are tasty, light and fluffy, with sufficient air pockets inside to soak up the sweet and tangy chili sauce. The fresh prawn (with shell) tops the cucur and chives are added to enhance the taste. This contrasts with the plain taufoo which are dense and rather tasteless. Cucumber slices are added to the order which serve to soothe the taste buds of those who can't take the pungency of the chilies.

Freshly fried taufoo & cucur udang waiting to be cut and sold

Of late, Malek's has also become very popular with the locals for it's chicken rice. Come lunchtime, the queue for the chicken rice may be 20 deep. Everyone queues patiently for their pack and the diners are Malay, Chinese and Indian – truly a 1 Malaysia place! Diners who choose to eat-in can just place their orders and they will be served at the table. Be warned however that this roadside stall gets pretty warm, especially in the mid-day sun. So take-away is recommended. Also available are the kerang rebus (boiled cockles) which are served with the same tangy chili sauce. Most tables would have an order of cockles to accompany the chicken rice or cucur and taufoo. We've tried the chicken rice here and whilst it's pretty good, it's not the reason we keep going back here. The star of this stall is the cucur and chilli sauce.

I love the chili sauce so much that I save any balance in a bottle in my fridge ! Give it a try if you're in Semenyih. The stall is now run by Malek's daughter who handles the cutting and sales of the taufoo and cucur udang. The speed that she can cut these is quite amazing - something perfected over many years of practise (and clearing long queues no doubt).


Location : Stall beside the Semenyih field (near SK (C) Semenyih. Open from about 11.00 a.m. until about 4.00 p.m. Very crowded at lunch time.