Tea Time around Kuala Lumpur

7 inches chicken curry puff

One of my favourite time of the day is Tea time. It is supposed to be a relaxing time when the day work is done and we ponder on our day’s accomplishments (or failures). Life is like going on a fishing trip and sometimes we need an abstract form support from the universe. My brain neurons appreciate support from a yummy plate of heavenly prepared food. Beverage wise, Teh Tarik is my all time favourite winning hands down. As for a quick local snack, or kuih as we called them, must be curry puffs from simple potatoes fillings to various fillings such as chicken, meat and sardine. The main ingredients of the fillings must be potatoes and not sweet potatoes. Some of the vendors will use sweet potatoes and it will be too sweety and mashy.

The above is a RM2.00 chicken curry puff bought near Ijok, along the road to Kuala Selangor. The pastry is   perfectly thin and well stuffed. Generous chunks of well marinated chicken were tender, moist and well spiced sits evenly in the potatoes fillings. I had this delicious, mouth watering all to myself at an acquaintance house in Putra Heights, Subang Selangor. 

Kluang Station's mediocre cury puffs

More curry puffs, a decent bite size potatoes fillings curry puff at one of Malaysia famous Kopitiam, the KLUANG STATION Kopitiam. This Kopitiam originated from a coffee shop which were operating at a Railway (Train) Station in Kluang, Johor a southern state of Malaysia. For record, I have been to the humble coffee shop in Kluang where it brings back memories of the yesteryears. These curry puffs were too bland and may be due to the fact that they were from the frozen version and were not properly thawed.

Craven's mid night snacking

Another humble curry puffs, which were being heated up upon order. These were from Craven Restaurant, at Bukit Antarabangsa, Hulu Klang, Selangor. They were relatively tasty and at times too spicy for my taste bud. Some quality control measure is needed here. Snacking time with this curry puffs usually at about mid night on a Friday or Saturday night with HH while waiting for some extraterrestrial beings knocking on our soil.

Restaurant Haslam's cucur udang

Another local snack or kuih is the cucur udang (prawn fritters) made of mixture of flour some kucai leaves (chives) thinly sliced chilli and top it with a piece of prawn/shrimp. Deep fried for one to two minutes, and voila, you will have a piping hot prawn fritters, cut into four quadrant with a dash of chilli gravy. To counter the spiciness, make an order for coconut pan cake aka lempeng kelapa which is made from a mixture of flour and grated coconut and coarse sugar. The mixture is cooked lightly over hot plate about a minute or so.. This kuih is quite sweet and best to be eaten with with sugar free tea or coffee. However, I had them with my Teh Tarik. I had these really authentic local kuih at Haslam Restaurant, off Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur with Id. This restaurant claimed to be serving authentic Malay dishes and delicacies. These cucur udang and lemping kelapa is only served from 2pm onwards. 

local pan cake- lempeng kelapa

These are some of the local kuih (snack) that I love to have with my Teh Tarik during tea time. The Ijok curry puff is a perfect 10 on Acepaizah's scale, and I am an authority (self proclaimed) on curry puffs! Kluang Station's curry puffs really run of the mill and from a frozen lot to boot. I had them with only one purpose, to taste and compare it with else where. Definitely below Acepaizah's average point.  Restaurant Haslam's Cucur udang were tasty and no cutting corners with the ingredients, and at 0.80 cents per piece it is worth it. (We were sitting in the air-conditioned section.)  The lempeng kelapa garned a perfect 10 for the best local authentic Malay delicacies! Crispy outside, tangy, chewy and moist inside with slightly banana aromatic fragrance.

tea time......

~Acepaizah~

Otak-otak Story

well done otak-otak

wrapped in coconut leaves and ready to be eaten

Otak-otak is a snack usually eaten by itself or with rice. Otak-otak is a fish paste made of grounded fish and mixed with spices such as chilies, garlic, shallots, turmeric, lemon grass, coconut milk, kaduk leaves (aromatic creepers) and sometimes galangal. As such it is reddish-orange in color and emits an aromatic fragrance when grilled over low fire in either coconut leaf or banana leaf. The dish derived its named otak-otak since it resembles the brains, being grayish, soft and almost squishy!

Otak literally means “brain” in the Malay language. While fish otak-otak is common, due to varieties demand, otak-otak have developed many different flavors such as shrimp, crab and squid. However the best selling otak-otak in the market is still fish and shrimp. Enough of “fishy Discovery Channel”.

moist fish fillings

My favorite otak-otak stall in Kuala Lumpur selling stall is in AU5 Food Court, along AU 5 Road, Lembah Keramat Kuala Lumpur. The stall is basically a stand alone in front of the Food Court, operated by a young couple. It is self service, but since HH and me were patron at one of the Food Court stall, the waitress was simply too happy to order for us instead. It was HH who wanted to try the otak-otak. I was just tagging along, since from my previous experience they were too spicy for my taste. To my pleasant surprise it was not too spicy; hence my adventure with them and their “cousin”, satar (earlier post)begins. And the rest is history.

The otak-otak were moist sans fishy scent, roughly grounded and the spices mixed well with a tinge of kaduk aromatic fragrance, I think. This has been my favourite otak-otak joint since my discovery early of this year. 

(Kuala Terengganu version of otak-otak)

The otak-otak in the west Peninsular differs from the one is the eastern coast, at least in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, where in Kuala Terengganu the chilies paste wrapped the fish flesh. Upon close inspection, one can fish out the fish pieces from the paste, as in the picture below and above.

Over all my adventure with otak-otak have been fun. This is really a "new" discovery for me. And as such to give a grading will do injustice to other otak-otak elsewhere. But, I digress. AU 5 Food Court's stand alone stall's otak-otak earned an impressive 8 on Acepaizah's scale.

fishy tales
~Acepaizah~

Terengganu otak-otak & its cousin satar

Friday Book Club @ Kelab Darul Ehsan, Ampang

3rd book- great proverbs and its origin
with Teh Tarik & Water Melon Juice

Starting the new year, MM and me revived our book club, a defunct book club presided by two Prez now  known as Friday Book Club or FBC. The idea is to share one of our book each week and ponder upon its content and so forth if the book worth sharing. And of course, the books that we selected were worth sharing and some were soul soothing. The FBC meeting were held at our mutual Club, the Darul Ehsan Club (Kelab Darul Ehsan- famously known as KDE). Its a golfing club with sports facilities situated at Taman TAR, Ampang Jaya, in the state of Selangor.

Chicken wings

And of course, discussing the selected book is not complete without some yummy plate of delicious chef prepared dishes to accompany our learned mind. Somehow, without fail, we will order the Chicken wings accompanied by lightly fried fries (nearly oil free), and it came unsalted. The chicken wings were always nicely deep fried and the flesh is moist but not "bleedy" which is definitely a 'no' 'no' for me. On one occasion we ordered spinach soup with silver fish without really knowing what it was except it is spinach soup. Much to our surprise the silver fish is your ordinary anchovies! The spinach soup with silver fish became our favourite soup at the moment since spinach is really one of my very favourite green veggies! I should compliment the chef for cooking it lightly and the spinach were still crunchy upon arriving at our table. And I hope it stay that way.

yummy crunchy spinach soup with silver fish
aka anchovies 

oxtail soup in clay bowl

MM's other favourite soup is the oxtail soup, which according to her were very delicious. Usually I just have a few spoonful of them. The soup were somehow sourish, but then may be that's the way oxtail soup should taste. The oxtail soup were served in a clay bowl which maintain the soup 'heat' longer.

Overall the food is well prepared at the Club. At the moment, my all time favourite is the Club sandwich besides the newly introduced Spinach soup with silver fish. The Club sandwich usually balances on 7 or 8 on Acepaizah's scale while the spinach soup sitting comfortably on 8. In any event my sis, Dr S "spinach soup with silver fish' tastes much better than KDE's. However, the Club Teh Tarik is among the best in the world as far as I am concern, standing proudly along with the one in De Palma Hotel, Ampang, but that's another entry for another post.

MM's juice of the day

learned thoughts
~Acepaizah~

Tea Time in Kuala Terengganu - Satar & Otak-otak

satar being grilled

Upon arrival in Kuala Terengganu, I persistently informed my host that I wanted to taste one of Terengganu’s famous snacks called satar. Satar is another fish snack in Terengganu Malay cuisine. It is made from a mixture of pounded fish, pepper, shallots, ginger, grated coconut, chilies, bay and turmeric leaves wrapped in a coned shaped banana leaf.

Each cone then is skewered in a single bamboo stick and grilled over red hot charcoal. Fragrant from the grilled satar fills the air with a dash of spiciness of the herbs and the banana leaf. It is indeed a healthy fishy snack. 

All cooked, unwrapped them and eat them while it is still piping hot. Mashed fish at its best. However, the fishiness of satar will linger a while in your mouth and counter it with a cup of black tea. 

mouth watering bite size satar

Another fish snack is the otak-otak (brain-brain~ ha ha). Otak-otak ala Terengganu is made in such a way that the barbecued fish slice which is coated with grated coconut mixed with spices were wrapped in a coconut leaf, and then grilled over low charcoal fire.

Terengganu's otak-otak

Terengganu otak-otak differs from otak-otak found in Kuala Lumpur (or west coast of the Malaysia peninsula) since Terengganu’s otak-otak the fish slice is in one piece whereas the west coast or southern of the peninsula the fish or shrimp are grounded and mixed together, and that is for another entry on another day.
The satar were full of fish meat goodness, with just the right amount of herbs and spiciness and I think I am becoming an addict to them. since, it is a "new" snack to me, I am still trying to "acquire" the right taste for it and I will grant them a respectable 8 on Acepaizah's scale. As for the otak-otak, I prefers the Kuala Lumpur's style of having the fish properly meashed and grounded into paste instead of having the fish slice wrapped in the chili's paste, since otak-otak is usually eaten as a snack and without a plate of piping hot rice. I am giving Pok Nor's otak-otak a passing 6 on Acepaizah's scale, nevertheless.

piece of fish flesh wrapped in spices' mixture

fishy tales

~Acepaizah~