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Pick first, stuff after.
That is the order of work at Win Win Yong Taufu (WIN WIN 酿豆腐), a stall in the Section 17 Hawker Centre in Petaling Jaya, also known as Pasar Sentosa.
Customers use tongs to pick chillies, brinjal, okra or fried bean curd sheets.
The stall then stuffs each piece with its fish paste, made in-house, before frying or boiling it and serving.
Two generations of one family have run the business for decades.
Chew Lor Seong, now in his mid-30s, helped out as a youth and took over when his father passed away in 2003, he told TRP.
His sister worked at the stall for a period before leaving for a cafe job.
Generous Filling, Crisp Edges
The filling is generous, with plenty of fish meat and a sweet taste.
The fried bean curd sheets stand out, arriving crisp outside with a juicy centre after frying through the evening rush.
Customers also get white pepper soup instead of the usual clear anchovy broth, and they can refill it for free.
Diners queue at dusk, so expect a long wait at peak hours.
Diners can choose from a standard selection of fresh items stuffed with the stall’s signature fish paste, though daily availability can vary.
Vegetables include bitter gourd (kuwa), ladies’ fingers (okra), brinjal (eggplant), and large red or green chillies.
The tofu and beancurd range covers traditional white tofu cubes, deep-fried tau pok (tofu puffs), and crispy fried fuzhuk (beancurd skin sheets).
Fried delicacies such as golden-fried wantons, dumplings, and fried rolls join bouncy fishballs and meatball variations to round out the selection.
RM2 a Piece, and What It Buys
Win Win sells its yong tau foo at RM2.00 per piece, with a minimum order of three pieces (RM6.00).
That is up about 33% from roughly RM1.50 in December 2020, and some diners call it “a bit pricey.”
Chew’s answer is labour: each piece is stuffed, fried or boiled to order, and the paste is made in-house.
Diners at stalls like this tend to care about a few simple things.
One reviewer praised the fair prices, a clean setup, and friendly service, while another described yong tau foo as their go-to comfort food, the dish they keep coming back to.
Win Win’s RM2.00 is a premium that diners accept for its portion size and freshness.
Free refills of the white pepper soup, which replaces the usual clear anchovy broth, add to that sense of value.
The homemade chilli sauce is a major reason diners feel the price is worth it; it is vibrant, tangy and aromatic, rather than a watered-down commercial paste.
Its citrusy tang and garlicky, finely minced chillies cut through the fried fuzhuk and brinjal.
Mixed with the stall’s sweet bean sauce, it makes a balanced sweet, spicy and sour dip.
The Food Court: From Cinema to Night Market
The Section 17 Hawker Centre, at Jalan 17/42, is a wet market by day.
Section 17 is one of Petaling Jaya’s earlier housing estates, and the neighbourhood has seen a lot over the years.
Residents once watched films at Sentosa Cinema, and the area still holds memories for many of them.
The original Sentosa Cinema unfortunately burnt down in 1997.
Following the fire, the site was cleared and used as an open-air public parking lot for many years.
Construction for the new mixed-use development began in November 2014, and the modern condominium—now known as Seventeen Mall & Residences—was officially completed and handed over in the first quarter of 2019.
The traditional morning wet market and evening food court were seamlessly incorporated into the ground floor of this modern development, proudly carrying forward the original name: Pasar Sentosa.
Foodies described the food court as a “hidden dinner gem” with plenty of affordable options.
Just a stone’s throw away from Win Win, a family-run you tiao (fried dough) stall has been operating for 38 years, and there’s also a dessert stall and a curry stall nearby, to say the least, but those are stories for another day.
READ MORE: From Ipoh To Section 17, PJ — He Came To Sell Curry Mee, The Duck Got Famous First
All photos by the writer.
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Pick First, Stuff After: The PJ Section 17 Stall That Keeps Yong Tau Foo Honest
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