ONE day in KL for Hawker Food

[Tepee]

Date: August 31, 2005

Participants: Krista G and friend, J (who were visiting), Mr and Mrs ecr, maukitten, Shiewie, boo_licious (not eGteer but a fan), JC (joined us for brunch), boo's bf Splashie Boy (joined us for dinner) and Tepee (plus DH and 3 girls who didn't join for dinner).

Agenda: ISO Good (if not the greatest) Hawker Food

8.15 am: The enthusiastic bunch rose bright and early to meet at Steven's Corner in OUG. First-timers may have a problem if they are looking for a shop at a corner. A bit of background, it began with Steven's shop with the name of Sri Komaliah but business got so good that the area in front of the shop to the corner of the road got filled with various hawkers in the evening. Anyway, look for the shop with a big crab on top.

Um....yours truly, who had the evil task of waking up 3 disgruntled children, arrived last, so didn't manage to take the food which bunch ordered while waiting. I spied leftovers of thosai and teh tarik. What did I miss, guys? While the rest of us toured the busy OUG market, DH stayed back with the girls for a nice paper thosai (I thought I ordered roti tissue?) or 2, a roti pisang (roti canai with bananas), teh tarik and a teh-O ais.

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

By the time we finished ta-pow-ing (take home) the hawker food we fancied - someone said she did exercise some restraint - it was 10.30 am. Time to go to the Aroma Nyonya kuih factory at Taman Perindustrian OUG. We arrived too late as they wrap up their kuih production at 9-ish and was cleaning up the place and sending their kuihs to their various destinations. However, we got to confirm that they indeed used bunga telang (butterfly pea flowers) to stain their pulut tai tai indigo; we were shown a big boxful of the dried flowers. Collected the kuih-muih we ordered and proceeded to my home to INDULGE.

Disclaimer: This poster will not be responsible for wet keyboards and monitors. Please take a break and stuff yourself with whatever victuals you can find before proceeding.

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

DH said that this was better than a buffet because all of us chose the food we like. Please forgive me but I had a bad camera day. I must get my glasses changed because the pics were a big blur. So, for the blur pics, I'm going to post them thumbnail size, OK?

fish balls and yong tau foo - fish-paste stuffed okra, egg-plants, tau foo, tau foo sheets, chillies.

mua chee - a snack made from glutinous rice flour and tumbled in a mixture of finely chopped peanuts and sugar.

karipap/curry puffs

Nasi Lemak with rendang daging( beef rendang)

Nasi Lemak with chicken rendang. I like the way they make their santan (coconut milk) rice, steamed so that each grain is whole and separate.

kon lo loh shee fun (plump rice noodles stirred in black soy sauce and minced pork) with bouncy beef balls.

duku langsat

jambu air(wax apples) from our garden

Various kuih-muih from Aroma Nyonya. From the back; Onde-onde, Pulut Tai-tai served with Kaya, Green (pandan-flavored) and Red Koo Kuih and Kuih Ketayap/Dadar (pandan-flavored pancakes filled with palm sugared coconut). I just realized that the Kuih Ketayap was compliments from Aroma Nyonya; they always give us something extra.

The pointy one is Kuih Koci and the one with the blob of palm sugar coconut is Pulut Inti.

Two versions of Meen Chang kuih (er..I know there are other names) - a crispy thin and thicker more substantial treat filled with peanuts

Oh, no! I can't believe I forgot to take photos of the laksa! And, we forgot to serve the taufoofah and acar (pickles). We also made Michael Jackson for a drink.

Yesterday's people...pls feel free to fill in the blanks.

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Pan]

Tepee, thanks so much for posting all those pictures! I can almost taste some of the food pictured and realize that I really miss jambu air (the fruit pictured in sections with red skin and white insides).

What do you mean when you say that you made Michael Jackson for a drink?

[maukitten]

Hey Pan,

A "Michael Jackson" is an evocative name for soyabean milk with black jelly ("leong fun"/grass jelly). I dunno how the name came about, but if you walk into a coffee shop in KL and order a "Michael Jackson", you can be sure the shop keeper will know exactly what you want.

Yesterday was a really fun day for us - good food and good company - what more could we have asked for? For you to have been back here with us, and oh yeah, for me to have had a better sense of direction, but luckily Shiewie could back track better than I!

:-)

Maukitten

[Pan]

I really wish I could have been there, indeed!

I'm sure the name "Michael Jackson" originated as a funny commentary on his bleached skin.

[Tepee]

Aww..Michael (not you, Michael Jackson!), you were missed!

After brunch, the group split up to do their own thing. I heard Krista bought some recipe books .

And on to the pièce de resistance!! Hawker Food at Ahwa Coffeeshop (can be seen from Jalan 222, Petaling Jaya) for dinner.

Tauhu Bakar (Crispy grilled Dry Bean Curd Squares filled with bean sprouts, cucumber in peanut sauce)

Or Chien (Omelette filled with small oysters, usually a gooey treat, but this version seemed to have omitted rice flour). In this photo, you can also see our drinks, Tiger Beer, Ice Barley and Ice Gat Chai Suen Mooy (Calamansi Lime and Sour Plum). With so much fried food this is a perfect yin to counter the yang. Or, is it the perfect excuse to eat more?

In the foreground is Lor Bak (you pick various deep-fried yummy stuff) with its special lor bak sauce. At the back, Hokkien Char Beehoon.

Ikan Bakar (Grilled fish. The stall will offer a choice of fish to bakar/burn, for eg. stingray or pomfret, & etc.) The almost finished dish at the back (sorry) is sotong kangkung (sotong=squid, kangkung=oong choy in cantonese, water spinach).

Hokkien Mee in all its greasy glory. Beef and chicken satay peeping from the back.

I just had to show the sifu who dished out all the noodles at incredible speed with the help of his able assistant (has to have photographic memory) and servers.

And no need to be squeamish about the balitong (a shellfish), it's actually very tasty. A How-to-Eat Balitong courtesy of maukitten follows. I only have it in pictures, you'll have to get the verbal tutorial from her.

Can you see the look of wonder on the face of the boy at the back? I really do apologise, I was laughing so hard I couldn't focus.

Ta da!

Yes, it was an incredibly fun day. Already, a Kuala Selangor Seafood trip - seafood so fresh you are literally eating them off the boat - is being gleefully considered......

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Shiewie]

Thanks Tepee for being not just a lovely host but also doing the write-up and the lovely pics .

jambu air(wax apples) from our garden

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The jambu air was straight from the tree, plucked by Tepee's DH when we arrived at their house! A most artistic presentation too I must say!

I just had to show the sifu who dishes out all the noodles at incredible speed with the help of his able assistant (has to have photographic memory) and servers.

Hokkien Mee in all its greasy glory.

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Really nice shots of the noodle fry-up sifu and his able assistant in action. The KL style char Hokkien mee at Ah Wa's is definitely one of the best around ... lardily tasty with just enough thick gooey gravy to coat the fat noodles and loaded with crunchy lardons / jue yau ja / bak yu pok fried over a roaring charcoal fire . If you like all the greasy goodness to be absorbed by the noodles, the Hokkien char bee-hoon is a darn good alternative ...slurp.

The little plate of sambal was artfully placed there to cover up the hole that someone had dug into before the food pictures were taken

And no need to be squeamish about the balitong (a shellfish), it's actually very tasty. A How-to-Eat Balitong courtesy of maukitten follows. I only have it in pictures, you'll have to get the verbal tutorial from her.

Can you see the look of wonder on the face of the boy at the back? I really do apologise, I was laughing so hard I couldn't focus.

Ta da!

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...yes a technique passed through generations, no less

Wonder how Boo's pics turned out?

edited to add the Hokkien mee is at Ah Wa's

Edited September 1, 2005 by Shiewie (log)

[maukitten]

Hmm ... am trying to think of a polite way of describing the extraction process without degenerating into "food porn". I'll give it some thought to do the nice photos justice.

:-)

Maukitten

[Tepee]

Mau...no need to think too hard. Any which way you look at it, it's going to turn out provocative....you only have control over the degree.

Thanks Tepee for being not just a lovely host but also doing the write-up and the lovely pics.

You're all welcome. We had a great time and I had little angels who mysteriously appeared in and out of my kitchen to do the clearing and cleaning-up. Thank you.

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

Michael, Michael (TP sporting a tired and exasperated look). Can you please teach your fellow countrymen how to pronounce PANDAN? You can't imagine how many times pen-den kuihs were mentioned! Yes, they were repeatedly corrected. "We can't help it! We're Americans."

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Pan]

Michael, Michael (TP sporting a tired and exasperated look). Can you please teach your fellow countrymen how to pronounce PANDAN? You can't imagine how many times pen-den kuihs were mentioned!   Yes, they were repeatedly corrected. "We can't help it! We're Americans."

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Is "a" as in "father" really so difficult? Oh well...

[Tepee]

Actually, I loved the way you (you know who y'all are) "miss"-pronounce Msian words. Too cute!

You know I was feigning exasperation up there, don't you?

Edited September 1, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Ben Hong]

That's it. Today I will start a fast that will last 6 months, hoping that at the end, I will be "allowed" to go to Msia to visit with TP and family.

Jeez, all that food porn is not really necessary (but appreciated )

[hzrt8w]

Great pictures, Tepee!

One question: Why were there a few rocks on the stainless steel kitchen counter? (And the stacks of old newspapers) How did they used the rocks and newspapers? (Just seemed a bit out of place, but must have practical reasons.)

[Tepee]

Rocks and newspapers? Malaysia is all for recycling and using natural substitutes!

If you look closely, Hz, you'll see a sheet of plastic on the newspaper. For ta-pows, noodles are expertly wrapped in the plastic sheet with a corner reserved for the sambal (if it's hokkien noodles) and pickled green chillies (if it's cantonese), then it's wrapped in newspaper. In fact, you can see the sambal in a corner as the assistant is wrapping up the hokkien mee order. He will fold the corner over, so it doesn't get mixed with the noodles. The pickled chillies are in the fat container. The rocks are to weigh the sheets down and keep them from being blown away by a big fan which shoots at the fryer and his stove.

For a popular stall like this, waiting for your order can be quite long (I waited 25 minutes) but I don't mind because I love watching them at work. Each one knows exactly what to do and when. As I was standing there waiting, the extra table was unfolded to accomodate the orders which escalated. But, I didn't hear any instructions. That's efficiency for you. There's so many things for the assistant to remember - all the various noodle combos, how big the order is (for 1 or 2 or more), for which table and whether it's a ta pow order. All these are not written down.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Tepee]

That's it. Today I will start a fast that will last 6 months, hoping that at the end, I will be "allowed" to go to Msia to visit with TP and family. 

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I'll be checking on you, Ben-sook-sook.

[Tepee]

Jeez, all that food porn is not really necessary (but appreciated )

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Boy, oh, boy! If you think that of my pics, wait till you see Boo's close up pictures.

Wait a minute.....I think I can hear your tortured screams from across the seven seas.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[hzrt8w]

Rocks and newspapers? Malaysia is all for recycling and using natural substitutes!

If you look closely, Hz, you'll see a sheet of plastic on the newspaper. For ta-pows, noodles are expertly wrapped in the plastic sheet with a corner reserved for the sambal (if it's hokkien noodles) and pickled green chillies (if it's cantonese), then it's wrapped in newspaper.....

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Thanks for the explanations. That's intriguing. I thought that the rocks are used to throw at customers who did not pay their bills!

They use plastic sheets, not plastic bags. How do they wrap it up? Would the sauce spill all over?

The char Hokkien noodle looks very much like the Hong Konger's Gon Chow Ho Fun.

Do they cook on a real charcoal stove? Would it be hot enough? It looks like there is an air pump or something blowing from underneath the bed of charcoals.

[Tepee]

Thanks for the explanations.  That's intriguing.  I thought that the rocks are used to throw at customers who did not pay their bills! 

The hot charcoals would be more effective!

They use plastic sheets, not plastic bags.  How do they wrap it up?  Would the sauce spill all over?

Their wrapping skills are quite amazing. They make superfast folds here and there, and a final tie. The finished package looks pyramid-like. No spills. And, it's very easy to unwrap.

Do they cook on a real charcoal stove?  Would it be hot enough?  It looks like there is an air pump or something blowing from underneath the bed of charcoals.

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Hz, that is not a question to ask a female (at least, not with me). I didn't pay attention to the stove much; I was more interested in the human aspect. Anyone else can help out here? I thought they used gas because I saw a gas tank there. Whatever they used, it was flaming hot, literally.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Shiewie]

Uhmm.. I think this stall uses charcoal - have seen them removing the wok to toss in more charcoal during other times I've been there waiting for my ta pow. Not sure about the pump though - don't see them using a hand-held fan so maybe it's a charcoal gas-pump combo

[Pan]

Boy, oh, boy! If you think that of my pics, wait till you see Boo's close up pictures.

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Very nice photos!

[Tepee]

Uhmm.. I think this stall uses charcoal - have seen them removing the wok to toss in more charcoal during other times I've been there waiting for my ta pow.

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DH confirms this. He saw from his parked car vantage point the guy throwing charcoal into the stove. See the straw fan on the table? Also, DH says the gas is used to help get the fire started.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[ecr]

Lovely photos Teepee, esp the hokkien mee "action shots". Don't worry -- "Mr. ecr" got pictures of the laksa, should be on my blog in about a wk.

Thanks for hosting all of us -- BTW I tried the smoked garlic stir-fried with 3-layer pork, delicious as you described!

[Tepee]

BTW I tried the smoked garlic stir-fried with 3-layer pork, delicious as you described!

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Glad you liked it!

A bit of background for those who are not in the know...While making our OUG market round, we came upon achar siu/siu yoke man (well, not this particular one, but the stall in front) and I told ecr that we sometimes buy some siu yoke home to freeze...makes a super quickie dish by frying it with lots of smoked garlic and thick black soy sauce, sugar to taste. Even better with some dried chillies. She bought some home to try.

ecr...did you cook the black rice?

Edited September 6, 2005 by Tepee (log)