Next to The CEO office building at Bukit Jambul is Kompleks Lebuh Nipah, a food complex managed by the Municipal Council of Penang Island (MPPP). The food stalls here offer cheap dining options since rental is very cheap. The front row mostly consists of Malay food stalls, while the back row is predominantly vegetarian food stalls.
Xiang Yun Vegetarian Hut (香云素食坊) is one of the stalls at the back row, facing away the main road. It is open for breakfast and lunch only, but its business is virtually non-stop during weekends. This is not a surprise because Xiang Yun provides vegetarian dishes at very attractive prices.
My first choice today is a bowl of Curry Noodles (咖哩面, RM3.00). The portion is quite large for its price.
Ingredients used include vegetarian sliced meat, vegetarian prawns and bean curd. The stall is generous with the chili paste as well as mint leaves. I find that all ingredients are very tasty in their own right.
The curry broth is milky and rich in flavor, despite the fact that meat is not used for flavoring. I give credit to the cook for preparing such nice curry.
Chee Cheong Fun (猪肠粉, RM3.00) is also available from Xiang Yun. After nicely steamed, the rice dough is rolled to resemble pig intestines, then chopped to smaller rolls. Despite its plain look, I find the dish quite appetizing when consumed with the sweet sauce and generous garnishing of sesame seed.
Using wheat gluten, the “sausage” of the Sausage Roll (香肠卷, RM1.50) is meant to imitate the look and taste of meat. Although far from the actual taste, such food helps new vegetarians and vegans to adapt to their new-found lifestyle.
Finally, the Carrot Cake (萝卜糕, RM1.00) is relatively common in morning hawker stalls and dim sum restaurants. Xiang Yun’s version uses less oil, therefore appears drier in appearance. Looks can be deceiving though; I think it still tastes reasonable.
Overall, Xiang Yun offers a good variety of vegetarian dishes at very affordable prices.
Despite being a public food center, the premises is hygienic and presentable. I think all eateries around the country should treat it as a role model.
