Koay Chiap wasn't something that I remember having as a child. Unlike my eternal love for Char Koay Teow that started from young, Koay Chiap I had only gotten to know later in life. My earliest memory of Koay Chiap was sometime after university when the Gourmet cells within me started to awaken and I started to realize my life's calling as a foodie.
My first bowl of Koay Chiap was from probably the best in Penang, at night at Kimberley Street. From the first sip of that complex mix of herbs and meat broth I was hooked. From then on every time I came back to Penang, I had to stop by Kimberley Street for Koay Chiap.
When I started cooking regularly, a question that I often ask myself when I am eating out is "how can I cook this?" and Koay Chiap has always been an enigma. Part of the problem being there isn't any recipe readily found on the internet. Having cooked Tonkotsu broth before, Koay Chiap broth appears to be even more complex. The mix of meats, duck and pork, further complicated by the myriad of innards and variety of Chinese herbs that I am not familiar with. Definitely an interesting challenge that I hope to one day complete. The best description of the cooking I could find is HERE
SARAWAK KOAY CHIAP
Recently I have gotten to know of a variation of Koay Chiap from the state of Sarawak. This version has a lighter broth, more pronounced taste of herbs and tastes similar to Klang Bah Kut Teh. In Kuching, there are stalls that serve the meat and innards separately in stronger, thicker gravy. Now this makes me question how closely related is the "loh" duck to Koay Chiap. It tastes similar with probably Koay Chiap gravy having a more complex flavor. Maybe it's the flavor of innards that differentiates them.
