Archive for Malaysia
October 21, 2007 at 6:55 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
Penang Oh Chien is a Hokkien dish imported directly from China that has remained largely unchanged, for a good reason. Somehow both the texture and taste of oysters and eggs melded in searing oil plays a short but beautiful symphony on your tongue, and your cholestrol levels.
Our book pointed us to Bee San coffeeshop at Ayer Hitam, corner of Jalan Padang Tembak and Jalan Ayer Hitam. He had to heat his wok for about 5 minutes, after which he took less than a minute to deliver his gold nuggets.
Look at his grin when he realised we were food pilgrims!
Aside common mistakes such as unfresh oysters, the difficulty lies in cooking with intense heat to seal in the flavours quickly but still avoid overcooking the oysters. A bit too oily for my comfort, but the taste was truly outstanding!
October 21, 2007 at 6:54 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
This is it, the gastronomical capital of Malaysia. The Greatest Hits album of Malaysian cuisine, even if you can know exactly where to go and eat all day, you’ll still barely cover a third of every culinary choice Penang has to offer.
Some people get disappointed from the hype, but like any Greatest Hits album you should still expect a few duds, not to mention contingencies of personal taste.
What I appreciate most about this place is the extremely vibrant hawker scene where the hawker (may be rude) are not complacent and constantly strive to be the best.
But … what do you do in the face of overwhelming choices? We have two days and the need to try the best. So we bought ourselves the spanking newly published Penang Street Food Guide (approved by a local friend) and set off … HAWKER TREKKING !
October 21, 2007 at 6:54 am · Filed under Architecture, Malaysia
Ipoh is surrounded by huge limestone karsts. Occasionally they have huge caverns that are so beautifully inspiring that they are turned into places of worship. The most famous one is Sam Po Tong Temple.
What you began to realise is that the site is not only what is underneath you, it is what’s in front of you, at the sides, and even on top of you. The chambers are filled with the smell of incense, and a light meditation chant sets the mood.
At the end, you crawl underneath a tunnel and appear in a bright chasm. Once your eyes adjust to the light, you find yourself surrounded by sheer cliffs with lush rainforest vegetation precariously hanging on all sides. And when you least expect it, a towering temple makes the space even grandier …
Here you can only hear water dripping from above. The light rays from the sky almost seem to sway (very gently) whenever clouds slowly pass by above.
October 19, 2007 at 1:14 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
When I was very young, I remember rationing myself with Heong Peng (trans: Fragrant Pastry) because this yummy treat was only available whenever my auntie personally brought over a bag to Sabah.
It’s hard to describe what’s so great about it. Imagine a delicate bubble of crunchy matte flaky crust outside – which oozes a sweet, flavoursome chewy filling the moment you bite into one.
It’s only until recently that you can find them in supermarkets. I’ve tried one but, because they’re factory-made, I find the taste severely compromised.
So it’s with great pleasure that we got to visit the one last place (well, that I know of) where they still make it by hand. This family still operates from their semi detached home at No. 177, Persiaran Gunung Rapat 6, 31350 Ipoh.
The biscuits get their distinctive teardrop shape from being stuck to the side of the oven. Still “powered by” charcoal, the heat is still intense and I can feel it from a metre away.
Just to show how good the biscuits are, Julius in his wisdom did not take any closeup shots of this crazily addictive stuff before they were finished. Yummy!
October 19, 2007 at 1:09 am · Filed under Food, Malaysia
What you see below is the real Ipoh Ho Fun, from the soup to noodles to garnish.
Note how thick the stock is (not diluted “salty water” trying to pass off as soup), and together with the special silky bouncy noodles makes for a very appetizing meal. Definitely much better than anything in Singapore or Sydney.
Just to get into the mood for authenticity, we all ordered a cup of Ipoh White Coffee each. I heard it’s white because they fry the coffee powder with butter but I didn’t find the drink particularly oily.
October 16, 2007 at 12:44 pm · Filed under Food, Malaysia
Since it wasn’t holiday season and most young Ipoh girls are probably in school or working in KL, I couldn’t test the water theory.
BUT I must say that the water here is doing something magical to the chicken, bean sprouts and Ho Fun (trans: flat rice noodles).
Sidenote – Say hello to my auntie and uncle on the left.
Ipoh’s water is very hard, saturated with minerals after filtering through many layers of limestone. Boiling chickens in this water is apparently what gives them their super smooth and springy texture. I can personally vouch for the Ho Fun, they are exceptionally smooth and springy too.
Look closely at the size and shape of those super healthy Ipoh bean sprouts ! They’re like tiny white carrots !!!
October 15, 2007 at 7:47 pm · Filed under Malaysia
Ipoh’s old glorious colonial presence is undeniable but many say it’s past its time and turning into a retirement town. My auntie’s conversations seem to always describe shops closing down or moving away. Rather disconcerting.
This former tin-mining town is also commonly associated with beautiful girls with emphasis on their smooth and fair skin. The drinking water is cited as the reason, having filtered through the underground limestone strata. Ponder that next time you see Michelle Yeoh on the big screen.
As for the beautiful chickens?
Wait for the next post. 
October 15, 2007 at 7:46 pm · Filed under Malaysia, Photography
October 13, 2007 at 10:09 pm · Filed under Food, Malaysia
The locals seemed inclined to only mention Pineapple Tart when asked where to get the best nyonya kuih. I tried it, it’s good. But where are the rest of the nyonya kuihs ???
Chendol however, is really legendary. Stays solid enough in the sultry weather but still melts in your mouth, just sweet enough to actually quench your thirst instead making you order more water.
October 13, 2007 at 10:03 pm · Filed under Food, Malaysia
There are times when you can find more authentic cuisine of particular cultures in smaller places, and I believe this is one of those instances.
We heard about this place a lot called Teo Soon Leong, a tiny half-shop in the middle of old town Malacca that requires reservations but doesn’t even have a backdoor. We’re constantly reminded that there’s no real way to escape if the kitchen catches fire.
Anyone familiar with Teochew cuisine will immediately recognise the dishes, Orh Mee (trans: oyster noodles), Lou Ngap (trans: Soy Seasoned Duck), Koh Gua Pai Kut (trans: Pork Ribs with Bitter Gourd) and the essential Steamed Pomfret. In fact we only had to choose the ingredients, the cook determines the style.
To be honest, I wasn’t blown away until I tried the Oh Ni (trans: Mashed Yam).
THIS … is completely mind-blowing. Obscenely fulfilling, normally you can’t get pass the first two spoonfuls after being knocked dead from sugar or oil overdose, but this one – I lapped the whole bowl clean. Do make an effort to sample this if you pass Malacca.
October 5, 2007 at 1:32 pm · Filed under Architecture, Malaysia, UNESCO
Can’t help but notice it’s many times REDDER than impression (from school textbooks), but it’s clearly excessively painted this year for Visit Malaysia 2007.
Thankfully across Dutch Square and Melaka river, original shophouses from the colonial days are still intact. Beautiful, would return to sketch given time.
Midway through the old city, we met a rambling old man. Very very educated with perfect English rambling about his paintings and reciting crazy bits of trivia perfectly, like postcodes from Sydney suburbs and all the Presidents of the United States.
Can you spot me ?
« Newer Posts
