eG Foodblog : kew/Tepee

[helenjp]

Kway teow, yum! My husband and I used to go and eat kway teow at the late-night Chinese cafe in Auckland when we were working all night on translations.

Do you ever make kueh yourself, or do you always buy them?

Surprisingly, some gourd-family plants just won't set fruit in hot weather. Unlikely, but true (and sad).

Look forward to seeing garden pictures!

[lexy]

ooh, a mango tree in the backyard … I'm so jealous! when my mum was growing up in Africa they had one, and the fruit was so juicy they had to eat the mangoes in the pool to keep the mess to a minimum

[Ms Congeeniality]

Kew, the soupy noodle sure look delicious. I can almost smell it. Looking forward to pictures of your curry plant.

How do you eat the kedondong? (The kedondong fruit is like somewhat like a crunchy green mango with and odd-looking seed that has spiny fibres sticking out all over). I like it with a dip of dark soy sauce, sugar and cut red chillies.

Absolutely love kedondong. Most memorable is with sambal belacan (shrimp paste), as relish to stimulate the appetite on those hot days.

Recently bought what looked like sliced kedondong from the fruit-stall in Sungei Wang Plaza. However it didn't taste like the kedondong from the old days ie. sour & fibrous with a lot of crunch. This one had less fiber, and tasted a little bit sweet... almost like guava minus the fragrant.

Anyhoo, I had the sliced kedondong sprinkled with sour plum powder. Speaking of sour plum powder, fruit hawkers seems to be the only place one finds it. Haven't seen it sold in any of the super-mega-hyper-markets around KL. Isn't this bizarre?

[touaregsand]

Hmmm...hermaphrodite papaya. What would that taste like?  

←

neutral tasting.

[JustKay]

It didn't rain tonite so we went to the Pasar Malam (Night Market) as planned.

Surprisingly it was busier than normal and taking snapshots was difficult, what with my temperamental digicam. I tried. So please excuse the rather poor picture quality.

For some reason, quite a few snapshots of the overall place were erased. In those pictures were various stalls selling all kinds of things from clothes, shoes, bags, sundry goods, kitchenware to toys and plants.

My first purchase was the Murtabak which is kind of a savory filled pancake. Good murtabaks are a hard find nowadays. Vendors tend to use a lot of onions and very little meat in the filling.

I bought 2 Roti Johns for the boys. This is almost like the murtabak except that it uses bread instead of Roti Canai dough. A cross between a burger and Murtabak?

I got 2 packs of fried noodles that were fried in a super-sized frying-pans. I took pictures but the digicam Gremlin must have eaten them.

There were so many different kinds of food sold (and this was only a small pasar malam!). I wasn't able to take pictures of every stall. But here are a couple of them:

A steamboat stall.

These are keropok (fish crackers) and various other fried goodies, including fried battered chicken carcass.

For dessert, Apam Balik. The Apam Balik I bought has sugar and creamed sweetcorn as the filling.

and Apams for my girls

I also bought some boiled corns-on-the-cobs

These corns were surprisingly good. Usually they would have been boiled for too long and hence loses it's flavor somewhat.

I also saw something I know nothing about. The PakCik said they are called Buah Kederas and used in making a salad. Maybe someone else knows.

Please bear with the pictures for now. I'll get them photoshopped and re-post.

[JustKay]

On the way back, we stopped at the spanking brand new gas station near my house.

[JustKay]

What do you think happened to the mangoes?

←

The gardeners say it's not them, the security guards say they would never steal them, the residents say they never had the chance to pick them ... the Management knows nothing. I think it's the cats. Cats love fruits, don't they?

I live in a condominium complex - hence the gardeners, etc. Most of the units here are used either as weekend getaways or leased out to expatriates working around here. So, it's rather quiet most times. Very peaceful. This township has people from everywhere, or so it seems. I am glad we bought this place 'coz I absolutely love living here.

[JustKay]

I think they grow certain temperate fruits and vegetables in the Cameron Highlands, where the weather is cooler.  I wonder if it could have come from there? 

Possibly. I know they grow strawberries there. And there's now a tulip farm in Perak.

The pictures are great, kew!  I liked the pictures when they were bigger too.

You are so kind.

How was the nasi lemak?  What else came wrapped with the rice in the banana leaf?

The nasi lemak was quite good. It has the usual sambal ikan bilis, eggs, cucumber and peanuts.

Did you cook the kway teow yourself or did you take out?  What was in it?

Basically, it has the same things as the previous nite's soup.

When I am not lazy, I'll prepare chilli paste - dried chillies, shallots, garlic, bit of belacan. I then cook it. Then freeze in small portions. Thus, I have a chili base to make various dishes with it. Including fried noodles.

Kew, do you know why they're called ais potong (potong=cut)?

My favorite is the pulut hitam flavor.  Is this a new flavor?  Don't remember seeing it when I was a kid.

Err, coz they are cut from a bigger block? Before they come in a lollies shape, remember in the good old days they came in blocks? And the ice-cream man will have to potong (cut) and then sandwich it between 2 wafers?

So I guess, even now that they are made as lollies, they kept the original 'name' for it.

The flavors available now are the 3 I mentioned and double-treats Pulut Hitam & Kacang Hijau (black glutinous rice & Green Beans) and Pulut Hitam & Kacang Merah (black glutinous rice & red beans).

Edited March 8, 2005 by kew (log)

[Laksa]

kew, what do you call those sandwiches with a filling made from sausages wrapped with a thin fried omelette, seasoned with ground pepper, ketchup, with tomatoes and cucumber? Your picture of roti john reminds a lot of that. Is cucumber in burgers/sandwiches a Malaysian peculiarity?

Is apam balik usually made with ground peanuts and sugar? Never had the creamed corn variety. Is the corn wet and does it affect the crispiness of the pancake?

The photos are making me hungry.

and Apams for my girls

←

Could you tell me what apam is? Looks like ice cream...

[JustKay]

kew, what do you call those sandwiches with a filling made from sausages wrapped with a thin fried omelette, seasoned with ground pepper, ketchup, with tomatoes and cucumber?  Your picture of roti john reminds a lot of that.  Is cucumber in burgers/sandwiches a Malaysian peculiarity?

Umm ... maybe Shiewie or Tepee can help out here. I have no idea. Yup, cucumber is a must ingredient.

Is apam balik usually made with ground peanuts and sugar?  Never had the creamed corn variety.  Is the corn wet and does it affect the crispiness of the pancake?

Usually, yes. Oh, they put just a few dollops of the corn. The big apam balik aren't crispy - they are more like a super thick pancake. The little ones which are made thinner are the crispy ones - these you have to eat them right away or they will become as chewy as rubberbands.

Could you tell me what apam is?  Looks like ice cream...

Apam Malaysia

Ingredients:

10 eggs

600gm sugar

600gm flour, sift

140ml ice-cream soda

1/2 coconut, grated

pandanus leaves

food colouring

Method:

Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add in flour and ice-cream soda.

Color the batter as you wish and spoon into molds. Add the pandanus leaves to the boiling water and steam theapam batter for 20-30mins until cooked.

Serve with grated coconut.

I actually bought a dozen of them but by the time the picture was taken, only 2 were left.

Edited March 8, 2005 by kew (log)

[Laksa]

Kway teow, yum! My husband and I used to go and eat kway teow at the late-night Chinese cafe in Auckland when we were working all night on translations.

←

Helen, can you get Malaysian fried kway teow in Japan? I know a number of Malaysian restaurants in Melbourne were started by erstwhile Malaysian students who decided that studying no longer interested them...

I am aware of an emerging trend of Malaysians going to study in Japan, and wonder if something similar might be happening over there.

[Pan]

Kew, that was the Pasar Malam in Cyberjaya? What would you say are the most popular stalls? How late is it open and do they take a break for Isyak (evening) prayers like the one in Kota Bharu? I think the Pasar Malam is a great institution in Malaysia, but I'm not sure how long ago it became prevalent. I don't remember them from the 1970s, when many people in villages didn't yet have their own electricity supply and people had to wake up early for a day of hard labor in the sawmills, fields, or sea.

I got the idea in Kelantan that Murtabak is a local specialty. They seemed to be selling meat (chicken or goat, I think, but maybe beef, too) or banana murtabak in the Pasar Malam in Kota Bharu. I found them tasty but pretty buttery.

[helenjp]

LAKSA* can you get Malaysian fried kway teow in Japan?

Not that I know of...but that may change - I gave last year's students a reading passage (with recipe) about expat Malaysians figuring out how to make Kway Teow in New Zealand, so you never know, some enterprising student might set up in business!

Kew, loved that photo of all the Cadbury chocs. Convenience stores here sell two types only.

[Laksa]

In the States, Cadbury chocolates are made by Hershey. And chocolate covered honeycomb bars like Crunchie or Violet Crumble are almost impossible to find.

So what did you get from the snack shelves at the gas station?

[JustKay]

[

Kew, loved that photo of all the Cadbury chocs. Convenience stores here sell two types only.

Dang! I thot nobody'd be interested in those so I took only a couple pics. That's only a portion of the aisle - lots more Cadbury stuff. Yet still lots more not available here like the Flakes, Twirl, Curly Wurly, Frogs, etc ....

In the States, Cadbury chocolates are made by Hershey.  And chocolate covered honeycomb bars like Crunchie or Violet Crumble are almost impossible to find.

So what did you get from the snack shelves at the gas station?

←

We could trade chocolates. The boys got Snickers Almond & Snickers regular and Mars bars, the girls got the Cadbury Caramello and Crunchie bar, and I bought my favorites, Kinder Bueno and Duplo.

And a couple packets of the chips and 1 packet of Lobster flavored keropok. And a bottle each of Frost root beer and Coke vanilla.

I took pictures of the fruit trees this morning and will put them up soon.

Edited March 9, 2005 by kew (log)

[Tepee]

kew, what do you call those sandwiches with a filling made from sausages wrapped with a thin fried omelette, seasoned with ground pepper, ketchup, with tomatoes and cucumber?  Your picture of roti john reminds a lot of that.  Is cucumber in burgers/sandwiches a Malaysian peculiarity?

Umm ... maybe Shiewie or Tepee can help out here. I have no idea. Yup, cucumber is a must ingredient.

Never seen them before. Could be some new innovation waiting to get famous...like Roti John.

[Shiewie]

kew, what do you call those sandwiches with a filling made from sausages wrapped with a thin fried omelette, seasoned with ground pepper, ketchup, with tomatoes and cucumber?  Your picture of roti john reminds a lot of that.  Is cucumber in burgers/sandwiches a Malaysian peculiarity?

Umm ... maybe Shiewie or Tepee can help out here. I have no idea. Yup, cucumber is a must ingredient.

Laksa,

What you've described sounds like a hot dog from one of those Burger Ramly stalls. They do the same thing with a burger patty.

Is apam balik usually made with ground peanuts and sugar?  Never had the creamed corn variety.  Is the corn wet and does it affect the crispiness of the pancake?

Usually, yes. Oh, they put just a few dollops of the corn. The big apam balik aren't crispy - they are more like a super thick pancake. The little ones which are made thinner are the crispy ones - these you have to eat them right away or they will become as chewy as rubberbands.

You may know this as ban chang kueh (hokkien) or dai kau meen (Cantonese).

kew - what do you call the little appams with banana and grated coconut in them (sort of the size of an apam berkuah) - slight confusion of terms as my family calls those apam balik and what you've described as apam balik by its Chinese name.

Could you tell me what apam is?  Looks like ice cream...

Apam Malaysia

Ingredients:

10 eggs

600gm sugar

600gm flour, sift

140ml ice-cream soda

1/2 coconut, grated

pandanus leaves

food colouring

Method:

Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add in flour and ice-cream soda.

Color the batter as you wish and spoon into molds. Add the pandanus leaves to the boiling water and steam theapam batter for 20-30mins until cooked.

Serve with grated coconut.

I actually bought a dozen of them but by the time the picture was taken, only 2 were left.

←

Laksa - they're also called huat kueh (hokkien) or fatt goh (Cantonese).

Edited March 9, 2005 by Shiewie (log)

[spaghetttti]

Very tempting blog, kew/kyu/Q Loving it!

We have those apam balik here, too -- some places have them as kueh terang bulan / moonlight cakes, but mostly others just call them martabak manis / sweet murtabak. I like them on occasion, just made simply with condensed milk and nuts, sometimes chocolate. Especially good hot out of the pan, heavily schmeared with Wijsman butter. The fancy-schmancy versions are popping all over the place, fillings with fresh strawberries, blueberries, sweet corn & shredded Kraft cheddar cheese. Those are good hot or cold for breakfast.

More, more, more please

[Pan]

[...]The boys got Snickers Almond & Snickers regular and Mars bars,  the girls got the Cadbury Caramello and Crunchie bar, and I bought my favorites, Kinder Bueno and Duplo.[...]

←

I can dig that lobster-flavored keropok, but I'm not familiar with Kinder Bueno or Duplo. Feel free to talk up your favorites more. What makes them special?

[Daddy-A]

I bought my favorites, Kinder Bueno and Duplo

Kinder Bueno has washed up on our shores recently. My kids (okay, me too ) were always fans of Kinder-Suprise eggs. Bueno just allows me to enjoy my Kinder fix as an adult. Milk chocolate covered wafers with chocolate cream inside. Nice & lite with a rich hit inside.

Isn't Duplo really big Lego for babies?

A.

[Mooshmouse]

I bought my favorites, Kinder Bueno and Duplo

Kinder Bueno has washed up on our shores recently. My kids (okay, me too ) were always fans of Kinder-Suprise eggs. Bueno just allows me to enjoy my Kinder fix as an adult. Milk chocolate covered wafers with chocolate cream inside. Nice & lite with a rich hit inside.

Isn't Duplo really big Lego for babies?

←

Big Lego... something only a parent would know!

From what I remember, Kinder Duplo is pretty similar to Bueno. Whereas Bueno has chocolate hazelnut cream inside, Duplo has hazelnut-nougat cream filling.

[JustKay]

Crisp delicate wafer with creamy and smooth milk-hazelnut filling, and enrobed in thin milk chocolate.

There's also the Kinder Bueno Bars which is Bueno without the wafer.

And then there's Kinder Duplo. Same wafer, but with Nutella-like filling and a whole hazelnut in each 'hump' .

Another Kinder favorite is the Tronky, although I find this to be a tad too 'dry'. A finger wafer with a drier Nutella-like filling with bits of hazelnuts.

These are all chocolates by Fererro who also makes Rocher, Raffaello, and Mon Cheri and the yummy chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella.

We don't get the eggs here.

[JustKay]

Lobster flavored crackers. Yumm!

[JustKay]

Very tempting blog, kew/kyu/Q  Loving it!

Thanks. I wish I could take lovely pictures like you do.

We have those apam balik here, too -- some places have them as kueh terang bulan / moonlight cakes, but mostly others just call them martabak manis / sweet murtabak. 

But the apam balik batter and roti canai/murtabak dough is not at all the same. Or is it in Indonesia?

I like them on occasion, just made simply  with condensed milk and nuts, sometimes chocolate.  Especially good hot out of the pan, heavily schmeared with Wijsman butter.  The fancy-schmancy versions are popping all over the place, fillings with fresh strawberries, blueberries, sweet corn & shredded Kraft cheddar cheese.  Those are good hot or cold for breakfast. 

We have something like these too but they are more of the Dorayaki kind, which is very similar to apam balik.

And then there's The Crepe Express. Crispy crepes with either sweet or savoury fillings. Very good. Too bad the mall that has an outlet is too far from my home. Maybe next time I go I'll remember to take pics.

[JustKay]

What you've described sounds like a hot dog from one of those Burger Ramly stalls. They do the same thing with a burger patty.

**smacking head** That's right! I was cracking my head trying to think of a 'sandwich'. I miss Angus Burger stalls. Remember them? From way back in the late 70s/early80s? Ramly burgers are so bleh nowadays, I won't touch them with a foot long-pole. And since an acquaintance who used to work as a food inspector told me all about how sausages are made, I have not touched them again.

kew - what do you call the little appams with banana and grated coconut in them (sort of the size of an apam berkuah) - slight confusion of terms as my family calls those apam balik and what you've described as apam balik by its Chinese name.

I have no idea. LOL! But the Malays call the apam balik in the picture, apam balik.

Thanks Shiewie for helping out with further info. I am a Malay Muslim. So, unlike Shiewie and Tepee who can eat almost anything , I have to comform to the Halal guidelines. And unlike the both of them, who are trilingual, I am only bilingual.