Malacca Part 2 - Ikan Bakar at Umbai

I cannot resist this once I’m in Malacca. Ikan Bakar at Umbai. Lots of restaurants waiting but we have our favourite one – Haji Nasir Ikan Bakar. The foods are cheap, nice and most importantly, the foods are fresh as they are locally catch and cook as we wished.

We arrived early at 530pm, few families has arrived and start to queue to select the seafood. Here, they not only offer grilled fish, but all type of fresh sea creature like crabs, cockle, squid and oysters and of course fish. You will get a slap if you ask for Atlantic Ocean Fish like Salmon – get if from The Manhattan Fish Market.

We chose clam (lala), flower crab, golden snapper (ikan jenahak if I’m not mistaken) and squid.  It is fresh, just choose the size and amount and they will put it on the weighing scale, and make an order.

The restaurant located exactly before the estuary. Our table is uncovered one, but there is a covered section. There are no walls, so you can forget about air-conditioning. Fishing boats arrive at the shore and unload some of the seafood to the long stretch of restaurants nearby.

Some people love to enjoy the grill fish with nasi lemak. I ate my nasi lemak before the seafood served. It is a small one and the sambal is damn spicy, I totally can’t stand the heat. The otak-otak quite good compared to what we normally have in KL. But it is totally uncomparable to otak-otak in Tanjung Lumpur, Pahang. The otak-otak and sata in Tanjung Lumpur is the best that I ever had. Proud to be Pahang born.

Grill golden snapper served with special sauces that is made from tamarind juice mix with soy sauce and added bird chillies. I don’t take this. Spicy!!

Clam (lala) is very fresh and fantastic.

My favorite is the sweet and sour crab. Forget the cutlery here, enjoy the food with hand is the best. The crabmeat is sweet, white and fluffy. Best gila. The sweet and sour gravy just oke.

Deep fried squid ring. It was alright, quite nice, but not fantastically good. Serve with chilli sauce.

We ate until full and no left over.

On my way back to KL, the traffic at first quite smooth, but later..

Temerloh : Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin

I went to Temerloh few weeks ago  for my GF’s wedding, and at the same time, to sniff out some good eats. Said Temerloh, what else we can think..? Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin lah. As Pahang born and raised in Pahang, I am so familiar with this and this is my top favourite food other than Laksa Pahang, Opor Pahang and Murtabak Mengkasar. Hoi sedap. I’m already salivating thinking about it.

After I’m done with my GF’s wedding, I head over to Pekan Temerloh to have superb Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin. As I arrived at food court, wow the crowd is massive and diverse - families, couples, people in uniforms (policeman, nurse etc) and big bikers. The seat was full and I decided to take away the gulai since i’m still full from the wedding. 

I got an opportunity to ask the aunty who cooks the Gulai Tempoyak. The fish is actually not wild from the river, they are actually reared in the river itself. They are in cages and still able to swim around with fresh, flowing river water running through ensuring the fishes have a clean, wholesome taste.  They cook the gulai on the premises and served instantly. So that the gulai lover get freshly cooked gulai tempoyak right on the table.
A whole fish divided into two parts only – head and tail. Each part cost RM10, worth it. So I got my gulai tempoyak for my dinner. The gravy is tasty like no other, hearty, thick enough and fantastic. The color is great and just right. I don’t need any other adornment, just gulai tempoyak itself. The fish is so fresh, no fishy taste and it is so soft. Perfect and thumbs up aunty.

My brother and I managed to finish one part each (both head part), it sounds a lot but yes we did. This is addictive as the next morning my brother said he keeps thinking of the gulai tempoyak that we had last night. FYI, I don’t take both durian and tempoyak. I cant stand the smell but gulai tempoyak, I cant even resist it! Especially during Ramadhan, gulai tempoyak is a must have for my family. So for the Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin lovers out there, I enclosed a recipe that I heritage from my late mom.

You´ll need:

Ikan Patin, cut into 1.5 inch thick

Bird eye chili, blended – Quantity depends on your liking

A handful of red chili, blended

About 2cm of fresh turmeric, blended

2 stalks lemon grass, pounded

1 leave of turmeric

1 cup tempoyak (durian paste)

Old cucumber, peeled, cut into cubes

Water

Salt and sugar to add taste

The cooking method is super easy like abc :)

Wash the cut fish with tamarind juice for 2 minutes to get rid the fishy smell.

Add water into pot and bring the water boil.

Add tempoyak, bird eye chili, red chili, fresh turmeric, lemon grass and turmeric leave. Mix the ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Once the gravy is boiling, add the patin and cook under low heat. Season with salt and sugar.

Switch off the heat and add cucumber.

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Joe Char Koay Teow

This week I’m going to take you to my place, Puchong for some Nasi Lemak and Char Kuey Teow. It is a road side hawker, called Joe Char Koay Teow, located at Puchong Prima.

 One thing I noticed about this type of CKT is its unappetizing look. But once I tried I will think differently. A plate of CKT loaded with 3 prawns and cockles and the gravy is so oh oh flavorful. I finish the gravy faster than the noodles itself. I put aside the prawns aside to savor them last

But Joe CKT is not only known for their CKT, they also served Nasi Lemak. I love Nasi Lemak. The sweet and spicy sambal should get top billing. The rice is fragrant with hints of pandan leaves and ginger - soft and fluffy, just the way I like it. When rice and sambal comes together perfectly, to me this is a plate of pure Nasi Lemak heaven.

Well normally I have both, CKT and Nasi Lemak. :) While waiting for my CKT to arrive, I enjoy of Nasi Lemak first. Now all my thoughts of diet fly out the window.

Food Type: Nasi Lemak and Char Kuey Teow (Malay Style)

Price: Reasonable

Cleanliness Vote : 3/5

Food Vote : 4/5 

Revisit : Definitely

Simply Penang

What makes the Assam Laksa tasty is the strong aroma of the herbs, the sourness of the soup and the quality of the prawn paste. The aroma and looks of this Assam Laksa is nice but the taste is something like onion version. The blended onion definitely kills the Assam Laksa kick. I can’t finish a bowl of this Assam Laksa. Ah Cheng Assam Laksa still the best for me.

Lor Bak. This is my new favorite. I can translate this as marinated chicken, and rolled into erm..a sheet. Not a popiah sheet. But I love love and love this as it is not spicy at all and the meat tender and tasty enough. It served with some salad and two specially prepared dipping sauce. One dipping sauce is sweet and spicy while the other is thick cornstarch with mild spice powder mixture. I don’t need the two sauces as the Lor Bak itself are fantastic. 

A plain porridge definitely tasteless and boring. But, this porridge’s accessories will give a hearty, flavorful porridge full of goodness. The accessories are minced chicken with sesame oil, two types of sambal (I’m sorry I can’t recall exactly the sambal, but it taste good), parsley and scallion, minced salty eggs and sliced ginger.

This is Chu Cheong Fun

You can find this easily when you eat Yong Tau Fu. It’s a steamed rice rolls with shrimp paste. This is special sauce which tasted different from ‘petis’ like you normally added to your Assam Laksa. It tasted a bit like urm..how to describe this, a mild version of ‘petis’ with peanut sauce. Again, I love this because it is not spicy. If you are spicy food lover, you can opt with added some chilli sauce and pickled green chillies.

A normal fried rice with added with tomyam flavor to give it extra kick, served with sambal, sunny side up egg and chicken wings.

Food Type: Penang special delights and a few more tasty local dishes.

Price: Reasonable

Cleanliness Vote : 4/5

Food Vote : 3/5 

Revisit : Yes 

Kuey Teow Kerang Kg. Baru

The best Kuey Teow in the world:

1. My mom’s Kuey Teow.
2. My very own cook Kuey Teow
3. Kuey Teow Kerang Kg Baru ( Gerai Pak Leh)

Kuey Teow fans out there would probably have heard about this stall called Kuey Teow Kerang Kg Baru. No no this is not a Char Kuey Teow but a Kuey Teow Kerang (KTK) dish and there is a difference.

 I have been loyal for this KTK for years. It's just a simple stall by the street and they only serve KTK and Mee Goreng.

**Takde nasi2 bang. Kau nak nasik p gerai sebelah nu Restoran Pak Lang nu.  

You can enjoy KTK with

or 

or both :). A plate of this tasty KTK will set you back at RM4.50. Not a hefty price to pay for a plate of happiness.

But, everyone knows how hard to get parking at Kg. Baru. Parking here is horrible. If you are lucky, you will get parking nearby the stall.

Oke, I like this place. It just a stall but the food is great, atmosphere is great except when it rains and a lot of people come here to makan even at 2am in the morning.

Food Type: Kuey Teow Kerang

Price: RM4.50/plate.

Cleanliness Vote : 3/5

Food Vote : 4.5/5

Revisit : Definitely! Im a loyal customer to them

Ah Cheng Laksa

** The pictures was taken by phone's camera. Sorry for the bad picture quality.

This is tasty Assam Laksa with Extra Fish

Some say that the taste of Ah Cheng Assam Laksa can't beat the one in Penang but for me this is super delicious especially when you add 'petis' into the gravy. Very nice kick, I ate Assam Laksa at various places and I found that Ah Cheng Assam Laksa is the BEST.

This is tasty Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang

A traditional dish and it will always be in the heart of mine :). Despite the taste wasn't good as Nasi Lemak Malinja, for me it has very own taste, not bad and I enjoyed it. It is served warm and I love the rice is not all clumped together in big chunks. The sambal is quite good, not spicy abd a bit sweet. Nevertheless, I did enjoyed the two dishes till the very last drop.

Food Type: Assam Laksa, Curry Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Noodle dishes and a few more tasty local dishes.

Price: Reasonable

Cleanliness Vote : 4/5

Food Vote : 3/5 ( 5/5 for Assam Laksa)

Revisit : Definitely !

Catch Ah Cheng Laksa on FB

No more Monday Blues

Monday night : Sit down on my bed before lying down to sleep, n tell myself that next morning im going to wake up one hour earlier than usual. Why..? Jemur baju n make some breakfast. :)

Waking up earlier gives me more time in the morning, so why not enjoying nourishing n tasty breakfast..? Even a simple one, bujang la katakan. Prepare something that i love.

**roti nak expired on next day, so buat extra n bawa bekal for lunch skali

This is my lunch

"eh cukup ke tu..?"

"cukup tau.."

Dia tak tahu I bantai 6 keping beskut cicah nescafe lepas makan sandwich tu.

5pm. Damn my brain not working coz it got msg from ferut says " I need food food food". Sate Burger Nasi Lemak. Lapar oke nampak bulan bintang dah. Luckily i survived until 6pm n drive back home. Dinner..?

This is Nasi Goreng Ayam

 The best Nasi Goreng Ayam ever versi warung. Where..?

Somewhere in Kampung Pandan

Kalau I cakap sedap, memang sedap..