Today, I revisited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant. It is time to try food from another stall.
This time, I ordered hometown sea fish noodles (white soup-based) from the Li Ji Lala noodles stall, which cost RM22.90 per bowl. This dish is a comforting Malaysian-Chinese dish made with delicate bee hoon (rice vermicelli) served in a creamy, rich white soup. The broth has a milky appearance, traditionally achieved by simmering fish bones for long hours or by pan-frying fish and then boiling it, releasing natural emulsified oils into the stock.
The bowl is generously topped with: Fried fish fillets (crispy outside, soft inside), Tomatoes, Ginger and garlic slices, Tofu cubes, Chilli slices, Pickled mustard greens (咸菜), Spring onions and goji berries. This combination creates a flavour profile that is both umami-rich and refreshingly tangy, with a pleasant balance between creamy broth and crunchy toppings.
The milky white fish soup style likely originated from Southern China, particularly from Teochew (Chaozhou) or Hokkien communities, who are known for their delicate, seafood-based broths and clear noodle soups. When Chinese immigrants brought these recipes to Malaysia and Singapore, they adapted them using local ingredients like snakehead fish or mackerel, sometimes adding evaporated milk or tofu for richness.
In modern hawker stalls and mall eateries, this dish is often enhanced with fried fish to create textural contrast, while tomatoes and pickled vegetables provide layers of flavor reminiscent of home-style cooking.
