Archive for Malaysia
November 13, 2007 at 6:45 am · Filed under Malaysia, Trivia
Da da dada dum! It is impossible to have video specials now because I’m not toting a laptop around. At first I wanted to make up for it by having at least one mini competition for each country that we visit. But my head was hurting from thinking of cheap but meaningful prizes, most especially on how I am going to distribute the prizes to potential winners in Australia or even *gasp* Europe.
So trivias will suffice! Hehe …
Chendol seems to be ubiquitious in West Malaysia, so much so that it’s too easy to indulge on a bowl on a hot day. And in tribute of Malaysian’s obsession with food, the question is …
How many chendols did the Rat Pack consume in the 6 days they were in Malaysia?
The answer is a double digit number. Try your luck by posting your answers in the Comments link below!
November 4, 2007 at 6:44 am · Filed under Architecture, Malaysia, Nature
Kuala Lumpur Batu Caves is the only worthwhile attraction near Kuala Lumpur (that surprisingly) a lot of Malaysians never make the effort to visit. Since we have to pass through KL to take a flight to Thailand, I decided to make sure I find my way there.
That golden statue of Lord Murugan, said to be the highest of this deity, is indeed very big. There are 272 steps to the top, which can be tiring if you rush yourself. It is also relatively steep so keep you should keep your head facing upwards.
By some weird cosmic coincidence (that my life always seem to attract), there was a troop of uniformed men at the top that day coordinating crowds around a filming session for some Bollywood movie. Which explains the baffling presence of this Styrofoam kavadi I saw on my way up … that will hardly break anyone’s sweat.
After making a way up the steps and squeezing past a few seconds of Bombay-like pedestrian activity, I can see why this place in “divinely” inspiring.
There’s a shrine at the end which you can place donations and get flowers as well as ash thumbed on your forehead in return. Tried chatting with the Hindu priest but he seems more concerned with doing his rituals thing.
November 4, 2007 at 6:36 am · Filed under Architecture, Malaysia
Kek Lok Si Temple is actual a complex of temples. The intensely unique pagoda is usually the main point of attraction (besides the really really big bronze Kuan Yin which I didn’t feel the urge to pay the entrance fee for).
I didn’t expect Kek Lok Si temple to be this big but this temple complex is HUGE … and it’s getting bigger! They have a very interesting way of raising donations for the building fund, but I don’t know if it’s traditionally “chinese” or not.
Everyone who gives a donation gets their name written on these roof tiles. I presume that when the roof gones on, these tiles get used, so your donation is then immortalised on the temple roof. Interesting …
November 4, 2007 at 6:32 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
My personal rating of Must Try in this order …
- Char Kway Teow
- Loh Bak
- Hokkien Prawn Mee
- Assam Laksa
Bon appetit!
November 4, 2007 at 6:30 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
It’s fitting to end our Hawker Trek with another family favorite (specifically my mum’s), Penang Assam Laksa. Assam is the Malay word for tamarind. Like rojak, responses can range from being an acquired taste to loving it in the first try.
I guess what catches most people off guard is the word “laksa” because it’ altogether a very different dish from your typical bowl of laksa. Real authentic assam laksa uses small kampung fish as opposed to mackerel with a hard-to-find type of glass noodles.
We tried our bowl at the entrance to Kek Lok Si temple and it was brilliant. I think it’s good enough to convert skeptics but I think you’ll still need to approach it without any preconceptions.
Highly recommended !!
October 31, 2007 at 2:32 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
Imagine my surprise when I discovered Hokkien Mee in Penang means Prawn Mee! Having mentioned my parents’ favorite dishes, you are looking at a Prawn Mee connoisseur.
Penang Prawn Mee is well known throughout Malaysia and Singapore, so to be the best in Penang is really something. Everyone seems to agree that the stall you see above (in a food court off Swatow Lane) serves the best Hokkien Mee and it really shows in their attitude to customers. We showed up at 11:00am and it’s already sold out (!!), asking us to come back tomorrow.
The following day we went at 9:00am and they still had the balls to say they’ve sold out !!! Personally, I think he’s giving preference to regulars which is a bit frustrating. Anyway Marianne made some noise and he said that if we really want to try, we’ll have to wait for an hour. And We Did !
I really wanted to hate them (so there’s no need for me to return) but unfortunately the Prawn Mee is really the best I have ever eaten. Whether it’s worth an hour’s wait really depends on your love for this dish. Perhaps I need to earn my penance by waiting an hour every morning for a week, and earn Regular status.
Hmm, definitely conceivable for someone like me.
October 31, 2007 at 2:22 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
Loh Bak stands for Seasoned Meat but it is also served with other deep-fried goodies. At this point of time, the names of new foods have stopped sticking in my brain so I can’t remember what I ate in addition to Loh Bak.
We sampled the one on Penang Road. The dipping sauce has a slightly starchier consistency than normally found elsewhere in Malaysia but the flavour is smacked on the sweet spot. The sweetness, saltiness and umami (trans: Japanese for the fifth taste, savouriness) perfectly balanced.
It’s close to Sri Kayu Nasi Kandar. Do try it because it was very close to mindblowing. He’s also the person who gets invited and flown to Singapore to cook Loh Bak for the Penang Food Fest once a year.
October 31, 2007 at 2:13 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
I was blindly following the guidebook for this one, just to find out what it is. But upon arriving I realised it’s what the Cantonese call Loh Bak Gou (trans: Carrot Cake).
We bought some anyway since I’m a completist. It’s nothing super incredibly outstanding but I’ve never seen carrot cake fried so violently. He was banging the wok louder than a drum kit.
October 31, 2007 at 2:10 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
While Georgetown is a predominantly Chinese town, Malays and Indians do make up a sizeable portion of the population. Nasi Kandar (trans: nasi – rice, kandar – carry a load at each end of a pole on your shoulder) comes from the once common tradition of the wandering Malay street hawkers carrying dishes on baskets at the end of poles where you pick two or three curries to complement a plate of rice. Nowadays, you eat Nasi Kandar in restaurants. We decide to sample Sri Kayu on Penang Road.
To be honest I wasn’t expecting much but what really killed it for me was the price. Starting off over RM 4, adding a few bite size chunks of fried fish eggs and chicken bumped the price up to an astronomical RM 10 - for something which I’m confident I can cook better myself.
Well, they seemed amazed when they found out that their shop was featured in our Hawker Trekking bible. I guess they weren’t that confident of their cooking to begin with.
October 26, 2007 at 10:05 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
If my father is crazy about Char Kway Teow, my mother is crazy about finding good rojak. It’s actually quite a bizarre eclectic mix of raw fruits, green mango, cucumber, cuttlefish and various things I still don’t recognise – topped with Heh Koh (trans: Prawn Paste) and crushed peanuts. Acquired taste for some, addictive on the first try for others.
We sampled the Majesty rojak close to Swatow lane. According to Marianne, they are missing some common ingredients (intentionally?) but they make up for it by a mile with their Heh Koh. I concur, the Heh Koh is really something – it’s thick like caramel and undiluted but not overpowering at all.
If the camera could capture the magma-like consistency of the peanuts in the sauce, you might have an idea of how well made it is.
October 26, 2007 at 10:05 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
In the same shop as the Macalister’s Road Sisters Char Kway Teow is the town’s famous Or Kuih. It’s incredibly pricey, RM 3 for something slightly smaller than two Maggi mee noodles stacked atop another.
Not sure if it’s good enough to keep you awake at night, but I did find myself unhesitantly stealing a scoop or two to complement my Char Kway Teow. Marianne is distracted by it enough to vouch for its quality.
By the way, I found this sign (in the shop) very entertaining …
October 24, 2007 at 11:37 pm · Filed under Food, Malaysia
The elusive Penang Char Kway Teow (trans: Fried Rice Noodles) has legions of die hard fans who spend their whole lives looking for the ultimate version. My father is one of those, and the difficulty of this dish is outlined by the most common reaction I see – that of disappointment.
From the dilemma of adding cockles and chinese sausage or not, to witnessing incredibly passionate debates over which stall cooks the best Char Kway Teow, I’ve never came across another dish this controversial in Malaysian cuisine.
The Macalister Road’s Sisters (Jie Mei) Char Kway Teow not only has plenty who swear by its goodness, but also plenty who swear against it. If time is on our side, we would have done a Char Kway Teow tasting special but we have to make do with just this one.
While I’m not even close to the Char Kway Teow connoisseur my father is, this version is definitely top class - with just the right amount of chilli, soy sauce, bean sprouts and a whiff of wok hei (trans: Wok Smell – hard to describe).
Singaporeans might find this light soy sauce version not as sweet. And from what Marianne could taste before the chilli overwhelmed her after the third spoonful, it is still outstanding.
Must try!
October 24, 2007 at 11:33 pm · Filed under Architecture, Malaysia
Other than Dutch Square in Malacca, Fort Cornwallis is probably one of the most mentioned location in our school textbooks. So it’s incredibly sad to say that it not only did not live up to its hype, but I fail to see anything worth hyping at all.
There’s really nothing more than a few rusting cannons pointing at the sea on an earth-rammed wall. Can’t believe they’re charging an entrance fee for this!
They should pay us for having to walk through this, the most boring stretch in Penang!
October 24, 2007 at 11:31 pm · Filed under Architecture, Malaysia
Family clan temples is a cultural phenomena that can only arise from the deeply-rooted Confucian values of the far east. Khoo is a family name and Kongsi is a Hokkien word meaning “share” (imported unchanged into Malay) which gives some insight to origins and purpose.
Built in 1906, it is a traditional Qing dynasty temple with some overt European influences, most notably the art deco railings (yes, they were not added at a later date) and a Baroque-esque type of entrance.
What struck me most was, the quality of the materials and craftsmanship. Every granite stone is hewn to fit perfectly and they still do after 100 years. The ornaments look like they could be tacked-on but they are carved in place to “appear” like that, meaning it’s all still one big piece of stone.
October 24, 2007 at 11:17 pm · Filed under Food, Malaysia
Otak Otak is a nyonya dish which means brains in Malay but the ingredients are (thankfully!) a lot more conventional. The base is a fish paste, onto which spices such as chilli, lemon grass, tumeric, coconut milk are added into it. Wrapped into a banana leaf, it’s then grilled over the fire, preferably charcoal.
Compared to the famous ones from Muar, this ones are wrapped into prisms so they’re effectively bigger (edit: this shape seems to be the norm in Thailand, and it’s steamed rather than grilled). Flavours are milder but with a more tangy aftertaste, and the texture is closer to crumbly beancurd than springy fishballs.
I think there’s going to be a lot of split opinions on this one. I’m settling for the Penang version because it’s balanced closer to a mini meal rather than a slightly overpowering side dish.
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