Quickie : Nasi Lemak at Kafe Kundasang

It was already noon and we were still in Kundasang. I supposed it was the cold weather. I have been shouting "hungry" all the time since I was up on Kinabalu Park area. We have just checked out so I can't cook something to soothe my hunger pang. Looking around Kundasang, there were no place to eat. The shops are mostly closed and we were no willing to eat in a hotel. Finally we came to Kafe Kundasang. It is a simple coffee shop. I saw a lady diligently wrapping up nasi lemak (Malay for coconut milk rice) to sell for Muslim to break fast in the evening. I asked for a packet and ordered a steamy local coffee to with it.

It looks like any normal nasi lemak, but the rice actually tastes different. You see, they use cinnamon and cloves to cook the rice. I might say this is a healthier choice as they use less santan (coconut milk). But the taste somehow reminded me of Chinese steamed glutinous rice. Maybe it is because of the spices they use.
Anyway, I can't give you a fair verdict if the nasi lemak is good. Reason being (1) I was hungry, (2) This is a different method of nasi lemak.

But no regrets, as I get to taste the localised food.

Quickie : Fruits from Borneo Sabah

It is amazing that I took the initiative to buy fruits, what with my carnivorous appetite. But I promised myself that I must try all things foreign in Borneo Sabah. And so, I went to the fruit stall in Kundasang and started pointing at all the fruits I have not seen or tasted before. The result:
The first thing we tried was manggis hutan (wild mangosteen). It actually looked like a ballooned duku/langsat. Even tasted slightly like one, but the look and texture is very similar to manggis (mangosteen).

The next we took was pulasan. Well of course I have tried pulasan, but I found another type which is dark purple. The seller said it is called pulasan hitam (doesn't sound convincing to me). They tasted very much like rambutan, but the red pulasan is more juicy. I find the pulasan hitam softer and fragrant more towards lychee.

The last and biggest fruit I have pointed is called bambangan (if I spelt it right). Very easy to peel. When I first bit into the flesh, it tasted very much like mango, but with slightly more fibre. But the after taste that dwells in my tongue after I swallowed the fruit smelled like nangka (jackfruit).

Interesting fruits that you should try if you were there. And no, I did not suffer any stomach ache, so no worries :)

Sabah's Ngiu Chap

Ah... Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I went, I see and the chilli sauce conquered me. Phew.... I thought I can take hot and spicy until I dip a piece of meat into this unassuming sauce.

I wouldn't say the sauce taste great, cause it taste nothing except extreme spicy. Oh my goodness! I have to "tabik" Kadazan people. BUT... This is not a blog about the chilli sauces. It is about a good beef brisket noodles shop in KK - Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap!

Location : Kolam Centre, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Rating : Great

Review
We have ordered the usual beef brisket with flat rice noodles. And a KK usual of bee hoon (rice vermicelli).

We found the clear soup very very fragrant minus the usual lot of msg. Included in the soup are some spices that warms the stomach (great for us coz we have just touched down from KL with empty stomach).

The rice vermicelli is slightly different as they are thicker than the usual but very smooth. The meat are soft and springy to the bite. I have to say, it is even better than those I have tried in KL so far.

It is not hard to find the shop, with its signature yellow and red sign.

In case you still can't find it, look for the sign below, which is right off the main road - Jln Likas/Jln Lintas.

Besides burning our tongues with KK's chillis, we manage to scuttle around Sabah for a few days. You might find our journey log in - http://travellogging.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-land-below-wind.html

A whole meal soup at Pudu

This is not a decorated shop, nor is this a hyped bistro. Simple family affair. Simple dishes. Extravagant flavour and assortment. The place is directly opposite Shaw Parade along Cangkat Thambi Dollah. Simply lovely!

Location : Cangkat Thambi Dollah, Pudu
Rating : Great

I read an article some time back that double-boiled soup offers enhanced health value. Even fats from double-boiled soup has its nutritional values. We ordered tien chat (notoginseng root) soup shown on top and coconut chicken soup. Tien chat are good for blood circulation. While the bottom coconut chicken soup is good for nourishing the organs.

In addition, we have ordered additional dishes to go with white rice. The chicken legs were not as soft as I expected, but the mushrooms were extremely big.

But one of our favourite is mui choy khau yuk (salted mustard with pork belly). Since young, I never liked animal fats until I tried this. It was really fragrant when eaten with rice and mui choy and meat.

There is another favourite of ours - curry pork (wild boar), but too much just spoil the purpose of drinking some healthy soup.

If you don't mind going for street food, this is one of the must. Economical and tasty. What more can I ask?

Quickie: Ah Pek's Dau Foo Fa at Menglembu, Perak

Dau foo fa or dou hwa in mandarin or dau hway in hokkien all refers to beancurd dessert doused with ginger syrup. Among the few variation you find are salty or spicy dou hwa from Szechuan China, or Malaysian's gula melaka syrup (palm sugar), or Taiwan's mix with soya drink.

Beancurd originated from China and dou hwa are consumed all year round, summer with ice and winter warm syrup.

This uncle has been selling dau foo fa (Ipoh are full of cantonese) and dau jing (soya bean milk) for years. He used to stand all day without sitting. Nowadays, as age catch up, he has brought along a foldable chair to sit when thre are no customers.

What is a good dau fo fa? For me, it has got to be smooth, fragrant of bean and ginger from the syrup must not be overpowering. I found all this from Ah Pek's dau foo fa.

Wan Ton Mee Sg Besi

I am not really a fan of wan ton mee. I have tried them in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia and even Indonesia. Don't ask me why I tried them at so many places, yet I don't like them. It was more of by chance than by choice. Anyway, I have always found the noodles too soft or too elastic. The wan ton mee in Hong Kong was sooo.. dry and hard to chew (I can't forget them even after 20 years). But I find this place not bad, as in I won't dread going for it again and again.
The shop offers many varities of wan ton mee, from dumplings to roast meat, from stewed meat to fried meat. Hahaha... all meats.

Location : Sg Besi, Kuala Lumpur (Near Jln Chan Sow Lin)
Rating : Good

Review

What I like about here is the noodles (which I normally dislike). The usual fare are either too soft or too elastic, but this one is springy yet easy to chew. My favourite is with pork curry (wild boar meat). I think the combination of spicy and salty meat with the sweet noodles is good.Ben ordered duck meat noodles. Is it nice? Well the meat was rather normal. Luckily the noodles are good.In addition to the ala carte noodles, you can always order side dishes like wan ton (dumpling), sui kow (bigger dumpling) and foo chok (soy bean rolls).

Are they good? Well I would say above average.

Plan to go there this weekend? Look for the shop shown below:

Note: Come in the evening.

Spaghetti at Restoran Jalan Tanjung Dua

Western food??? Hello, we are Malaysian lah!
I know.... That's why... Eh, Malaysian offers greatest variety of traditional and fusion food. Don't you think so? Like the spaghetti here, it is fried with cili padi (small chillies) and onion before served with the sauce. Is it nice? I think so.

Location: Bandar Sri Menjalara, Kepong, Selangor
Rating: Good

Review
I think normal spaghetti lack the "umph" element. Or maybe it is just me, who loves a hint of spice/y. Anyway, the fried noodles provides fragrant. That added with the sweet and sour tomato sauce was good.
Another reason I like the spaghetti here is because the noodles are not too thick. They are slightly thinner than normal spaghetti, but thicker than angel's hair (the thinner version of spaghetti, which I prefer and usually cook).

Best of all is that you can order the noodles with a variety of accompaniments. You can have it with sausage and egg, bacon and egg, chicken chop, steak or even fish steak.

The price here is very reasonable. A set of spaghetti with fish/chicken cost around RM8, and if it is with bacon and egg or sausage and egg it is around RM4-RM5. Seldom can you find western food this reasonable.

Or you can just order normal western food. Chicken shop is ok too. I like it grilled this way, rather than deep fried. You can taste a hint of fragrance from the chicken skin, instead of fried bread crumbs.

A little history about pasta

While many believe that spaghetti (pasta) originated in China, some now assert that the reading of a lost Marco Polo manuscript which lead to this belief, was in fact an inaccurate Latin translation. Historically people in Italy ate pasta in the form of gnocchi-like dumplings - 'pasta fresca' eaten as soon as it was prepared. It has now been asserted that the Arabs who populated Southern Italy (around the 12th Century) were the first to develop the innovation of working pasta from grain into thin long forms, capable of being dried out and stored for months or years prior to consumption (see Peter Robb's Midnight in Sicily pp 94-96 for details).

The romantic myth that Marco Polo brought pasta on his return from China has long been debunked. Our friend, Marco, returned in 1295 after twenty-odd years of travel away from Italy. In 1279, however, a Genoese soldier listed in the inventory of his estate a basket of dried pasta ('una bariscella plena de macaronis'). The Chinese are known to have been eating a "noodle-like food" as early as 3000 BC. Marco Polo describes a starchy product made from breadfruit - hardly durum wheat.

The first mention of a recipe is in the book "De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e maccaroni siciliani" (The Art of Cooking Sicilian macaroni and Vermicelli). This was recorded by the chef to the Patriarch of Acquileia. The first historical references to dried pasta made in proportions large enough to be offered for sale are found in the city of Palermo.

Dried pasta became popular through the 14th and 15th Centuries, as it could be easily stored on ships, among them ones setting out to explore the New World. Various types of pasta, including long hollow tubes, are mentioned in the 15th Century records of Italian and Dominican monasteries. By the 17th Century, pasta had become part of the daily diet throughout Italy because it was economical, readily available and versatile.

Moral of the story: Maybe not everything comes from Asia afterall. hehe