Malaysia is a country with many good food throughout the different states. We chanced upon this traditional fish ball shop when we were on a road trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. Many people know about Muar for their Otah Otah but when it comes to Yong Peng, it has to be their handmade fish ball.
Yuan Yean started operating from 1988 from a push cart and they are believed to be the originators of hand made fish balls in Yong Peng. Since then, hand made fish ball became indigenous of Yong Peng. There is a steady crowd when we arrived at the restaurant.
We ordered the most popular set which is the dry noodles in dark sauce with fish ball soup. The noodles were the flat yellow noodles mixed in shallot oil and dark soy sauce. The noodles tasted very good without the artificial taste of lye water. The sauce also has a good blend of savoury and shallot fragrance.
The star of the dish is the handmade fish balls which are made daily from Parang fish without any preservatives or Monosodium glutamate. The taste of the fish ball is all natural with the fresh sweet taste of fish paste and the spring and bounciness in the fish ball is created by beating the fish ball constantly. For a person who don’t really like fish ball, this is one really good fish ball.
One other item which is very popular on the menu is the Muar Otah since Yong Peng and Muar is really close to one another. The fish and squid paste is really fresh and tasty and you can taste the fragrant coconut milk and spices of the Otah at the same time. After trying this, I can understand why people say Muar has the best Otah ever. It was a pity we could not buy some back to Singapore as the raw Otah needed to be refrigerated. For those who really wants to bring some home, you can bring along an ice box to keep it cool.
My overall view is that Yuan Yean is a great place to do a pit stop for the road trip up to KL with delicious and affordable food that you cannot find in Singapore.
Address: 22A-123 Main Rd, 83700 Yong Peng, Johor, Malaysia
Operating hours: 7.30 am to 8.30 pm
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