Today I visited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant.
This time, I ordered Ipoh Treasure Curry Chicken with noodles (dry) from the Ipoh Treasure stall, which cost RM15.90 per plate.
This dish is Curry Chicken with Dry Noodles, a Malaysian Chinese comfort meal served at Ipoh Treasure, a restaurant inspired by the culinary heritage of Ipoh — a city famous for its rich, balanced flavors and silky smooth noodles.
The noodles, glistening in a light soy-based sauce, are tossed just enough to coat every strand without drowning them. They come topped with fragrant fried shallots, chopped spring onions, and a generous scoop of sambal on the side. A few sprigs of mint and a halved calamansi lime sit quietly on the edge, waiting to be mixed in for a touch of freshness and acidity.
Then there’s the star of the show — the curry chicken. Unlike the richer, coconut-laden versions common in Penang or KL, this Ipoh-style curry is noticeably leaner. There’s no santan (coconut milk) here. Instead, the gravy is built on layers of ground spices — turmeric, coriander, and chili — simmered slowly until they meld into a thick, aromatic sauce. The chicken pieces are tender and the potatoes have soaked up just enough curry to turn golden and flavorful. The result is a curry that’s bold and spicy, yet not heavy; you taste the spices rather than the fat.
This combination of dry noodles with curry on the side is a signature of old-style coffee shops in Ipoh. It’s said to have emerged when local hawkers wanted to offer something in between curry mee and the usual “kon lo” noodles. The idea was simple — let the customer enjoy the best of both worlds: the fragrance of soy-tossed noodles and the satisfaction of dipping them into rich curry gravy. Over time, this pairing became part of Ipoh’s culinary identity — a reflection of how Chinese hawkers adapted Malay spices into their own cooking style.
This style of dry noodles with curry chicken on the side traces its roots to Ipoh and Kampar in Perak, where Chinese hawkers adapted local curries to suit their taste — less creamy, more aromatic, and paired with noodles instead of rice. In the 1950s–60s, coffee shops in Ipoh Old Town popularized this pairing as an alternative to curry mee, giving customers the option to enjoy “kon lo” (dry-tossed) noodles with spicy curry gravy separately.
Over time, the dish became symbolic of Ipoh’s food culture — a bridge between Chinese noodle traditions and Malay-style spice cooking. The non-coconut version is particularly associated with traditional Hakka or Cantonese eateries, which preferred curries made with stock and spice paste rather than santan (coconut milk).
