Buntong Taugeh

Bean Sprouts that grow in Buntong, Ipoh Perak, are crunchy and chubby. Bean sprouts are also known as "taugeh" in Malay, and "nga choy" in Cantonese. They are used in abundance in Ipoh because one of their famous meals here is "Nga Choy Kai" @ roast or steamed chicken served with bean sprouts and bathe in soy sauce.

Buntong is a haven for growing bean sprouts. The limestone water around Kinta Valley enables the bean sprouts to be extra healthy and tasty. When I decided to explore Buntong, my main focus was to get into a house that grows and works on the bean sprouts. I must see how they do it with my own eyes. As Ipoh is famous for its extra fat and crunchy bean sprouts, I need to learn what is the process like.

I googled so many times but I could not find an address or phone number that I could call for a visit. Still, stubbornly, I went with Hubs. The first person I met on the street in Buntong was a smiley grandma who said hello to us. I greeted her and immediately asked her where we could see the bean sprouts. She was surprised but she kindly directed me to a house named "Tai Sek Khong." It was her house! I asked if visitors were allowed in to watch the people work and she said yes.

We walked further into the market and I asked a table of old folks who were drinking their coffees. One of the old men kindly showed me how to drive to the house. I knew I was half successful by then so without wasting time, we drove to the direction which was shown to us. Direction was one thing. Searching for the exact house was another. I remembered seeing blue colored barrels in pictures in Google, so I hunted for that. And I found this house.

The people were not that friendly at first, oh well, we were trespassers, but we were determined. We asked permission to stay and watch. We stayed out of their way while they worked. Eventually they started chatting with us and explained the process of growing the bean sprouts.

Packets of bean sprouts that were just packed for pick-up

Black mung beans imported from Myanmar. These barrels of black mung beans were waiting to be separated. Good ones will be grown in the blue barrels.

The separator

Limestone water from the wells under the house. This is Ipoh's secret for rich, fat, crunchy bean sprouts. There was not a drop of tap water used. Everything they did with the bean sprouts was with this limestone water.

5 day old bean sprouts, waiting to be washed and packed

1 day old bean sprouts in the barrels. These bean sprouts have to be watered every 4 hours around the clock. Part timers will come every 4 hours in their bicycles to water the barrels.

These bean sprouts are waiting for their baths

Washing the bean sprouts is a manual job. They washed the bean sprouts in limestone water twice. By the time they are done, all that were left were the black skin. In fact, people could dry these skins and use them for pillow fillers.

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5 day old bean sprouts waiting for their baths. Bean sprouts take 5 days to grow. On the 5th day, they look like these. Some get baths and some do not, depending on what have been ordered. On the 6th day, some would be exported to neighboring countries like Hong Kong and Singapore. Neighboring states like Kelantan and Terengganu would come and collect their bean sprouts by themselves. Unfortunately, for states like Sabah and Sarawak, it is too far of a journey for the bean sprouts to survive unless they are in iced-boxes and air-flown, which would cost too much.

3 day old bean sprouts

Black mung beans. The growers told us that green beans actually make the best bean sprouts. However, bean sprouts from green beans cannot live as long as black beans so it is difficult to sell. If you grow your own bean sprouts then green beans are highly recommended.

Packing

Beautiful yummy bean sprouts from Buntong

One lorry came to collect packets of bean sprouts.

This family whom we chatted with is the Khong family. However, the top person of their family and business is non other than the famous Mr. Toon, a pioneer in the bean sprout industry in Buntong. For famous chicken rice businesses like Lou Wong, they require at least 60 packs of bean sprouts per day. It was a real privilege to chat with the Khong family. Watching them work so hard, I learnt to appreciate bean sprouts more. Their house is located at Off Jalan Barack. If you are coming from the market place, it is the 2nd road to the right and all the way down the hill. Just watch out for the blue barrels. You won't miss them!