Belanchan is a chili shrimp paste found as an ingredient in both Indonesian and Malaysian food. I’m not so familiar with it from my Cantonese background, but find it earthy and complex, with a hit of spice. So, to see it as the feature ingredient of the Char Kway Teow, the fried rice noodles dish that I love (and I find the Malaysian and Indonesian versions of this more flavourful and interesting than the Cantonese version I had as a kid), this was a no brainer of a choice.
Served with an even spicier sauce on the side (which I mostly avoided but probably should have just doused onto the whole plate), this was a very delicious dish and for $13, a cheap lunch too.
Surprising that after only discovering the Medan Ciak on Elizabeth Street in Surry Hills recently, I came upon their CBD branch (which I’d seen but not taken note of). It’s just around the corner from GetUp! where I’m doing some volunteering in the lead-up to the national election. So, I’ll have the opportunity to make it a regular lunch spot!