PENANG's BEST POPIAH

with CK Lam, Taukwa and Uncle Smart

Popiah Stall
Lot 17 Padang Brown Hawker Centre
situated junction of Dato Keramat Road and Jalan Perak
Having enjoyed many of Penang superlatives in best Char Kway Teow, best Lorbak etc we had to tweak our to-do-things and this was not in the list that taukwa has conscientiously detailed in his scribbled, handwritten notes but he was very obliging to let me have my say for the day. We must have Popiah, he heard me say and there's no parallel to what this stall offers and I wanted very much try what Penang's Popiah is like when doused with gravy. Doubts casted over our minds like will it be too mushy for our likings etc? 


Wet popiah or spring roll is unheard of in Singapore and in fact, once I was flabbergasted to be served such wet popiah in a Penang restaurant in Singapore and reminded myself that I must compare with the real thing in Penang to demystify my curiosity that I am not being offered substandard dish. Not everyone takes a liking to having a wet popiah but I certainly enjoyed this savoury spring roll and the sweetness comes from the rich crab stock and the sengkuang or white turnip. The feeling likens to one enjoying popiah and crab bisque and you can extrapoliate that to lobster bisque for a higher order.




Ong Leng Hin's popiah has been enjoyed by Penangites for a long time as he is the second generation to continue the family business since it was started by his father at the same spot since 1950s. A roll cost RM1.30 but at RM2.30 you got more than you can bite; a mantis prawn to value add to ingredients. For us, we get to enjoy the passed down receipe, unsure if the tradition will continue in the future for one to enjoy.



Ong is able to prepare at least 10 popiahs at one table setting and he has a long wooden plank on his workstation to cut up the popiahs that lined it as he prepared them on the spot.



I am pretty fussy how the sellers wrapped the popiah such that when you picked a piece up with chopsticks, the roll is still tucked neatly without the ingredients falling out. That by itself is a skill. I did my chopstick test and it passed. The julienned sengkuang was juicy and moist and overall the crab stock lent the savoury popiah the sweetness. 

Having enjoyed many of Penang superlatives in best Char Kway Teow, best Lorbak etc we had to tweak our to-do-things and this was not in the list that taukwa has conscientiously detailed in his scribbled, handwritten notes but he was very obliging to let me have my say for the day. We must have Popiah, he heard me say and there's no parallel to what this stall offers and I wanted very much try what Penang's Popiah is like when doused with gravy. Doubts casted over our minds like will it be too mushy for our likings etc? 




Thanks to CK's good guide, we managed to track down famous stalls to fulfill our to-eat-list and Ong Leng Hin's is one such stall that we found and enjoyed and will come back for it again in the near future.



PENANG POPIAH WITH A TWIST, DOUSED WITH GRAVY, THAT YOU CAN SLURP IT !
Thanks to CK's good guide, we managed to track down famous stalls to fulfill our to-eat-list and Ong Leng Hin's is one such stall that we found and enjoyed and will come back for it again in the near future.


PENANG POPIAH WITH A TWIST, DOUSED WITH GRAVY, THAT YOU CAN SLURP IT ! 

Opens Daily 2.00 - 6.30pm except Thursday

PENANG FAMOUS LORBAK

with CK Lam, Taukwa and Uncle Smart

Kafe Kheng Pin
80 Penang Road

junction with Sri Bahari Road

(along same row as Cititel Hotel)

Open 7am -3pm (closed on Monday)

Penang's Lorbak is what we call in Singapore "ngoh hiang" but taste and texture are miles apart and this taste has been lingering in me for a long time since I have my love at first bite;

This is another popular must try street food of Penang which you should not miss cause if you do, you have missed an important essence in the food scene in Penang.

CK Lam recommended us to this famous lorbak stall at Kheng Pin Cafe where Lau Joo Choon (in his trademark white cotton beret and white apron) and his wife Khaw Ai Wah offers us delectable good deep fried lorbak (RM10.00).

He has long been in this business since 1970s, a good more than 35years of service bringing his best snacks to me and you and has continued to add new items to the many varieties to choose from. This includes a motley of other deep fried stuff like prawn fritters (RM0.70), yam (RM1.20) which is very "sarng", fish (RM1.50), bean cake, sweet potatoes, spring rolls (all RM0.70 each) and cuttle fish.

Lorbak is a actually a deep fried beancurd sheet roll wrapped over lean pork cut in thick strips. The meat is seasoned with five spice powder which provides the unique taste and is mixed with chestnuts and shallots.

This is different from "ngoh hiang" we have here in that we used minced meat instead. The dipping sauce is chilli sauce whilst we use sweet black sauce and that's how never the twain shall meet but we loved the lorbak more.

Frankly speaking, I am not as impressed with the lorbak as with the PRAWN FRITTERS.

The prawn fritter is so crispy and tasty, easy to bite without the prawn shells getting in a way. I enjoyed it very much that I order one extra piece for myself just to savour that intriguing crispy texture yet with juicy prawns. Lau actually uses the tiny white prawns, assembled them in a circle on the batter and deep fried them. This is truly an enjoyable snack that I will miss and already am missing.

GO TO KHENG PIN IF YOU CRAVE
FOR PENANG LORBAK!

PENANG BEST ROJAK

with CK Lam, Taukwa and Uncle Smart

Macallum Flat Hock Seng Rojak
Stall below Block 10-15-6 Tingkat Paya Terubong 3
11050 Ayer Itam
Pulau Pinang
Tel: 04-8269314 / 016-4772472
Business Hours: 1.30-5.00pm




It's a colourful array of ingredients that appropriately makes the dish called ROJAK, a Malay word for "mixture of things". Rojak is a snack dish enjoyed by every race in Malaysia and you can find Indian Rojak, Chinese Rojak and unique to Penang, the Indian-Muslim Rojak called the Pasembor and we have the ultimate PENANG ROJAK. The latter typically has lots of fruits which should be the healthier version unlike the Singaporean version which adds "you tiao" or chinese cruellers., deep fried stuff.



CK Lam introduced us to this super Hock Seng Rojak which all of us enjoyed thoroughly and we literally licked the plate clean cause it is very appetising and tasty.



As we hang around uncle, who dished up the rojak with much vigor and excitement, he shows us the top grade ingredients he adds into the rojak. He enthusiastically tells us that the hae ko (prawn paste) he used is the top grade product and how he pre-mixes this concocted paste such that you dont get the kinda of paste with a strong hae ko smell but rather a fragrant paste instead.


He further adds a pinkish "special powder" which no one else uses, his secret receipe and I tried getting my senses to identify off the nose but I was unable to. He further elaborates how he has laboriously made trials and error to create this dish which "crowned" him the ROJAK KING, a self proclaimed title, which we all acknowledged that it befits him after trying the powerful knock-out taste of his wonderful rojak.

This is how he prepares Penang Rojak:
Cut the fruits into wedges and put them in a long cylindrical container for tarpau or styrofoams boxes for those eating on the spot. I noticed that he does not use local cucumber but Japanese cucumber; Then goes in the cut miniature Jambu Air (water apple), Papaya, Turnip (or mengkuang), seedless Guava, Pineapple and Green Mango. Then he adds the cut Cuttlefish (jiu her).

To prepare the dressings for the sauce, he ladles over the hae ko (prawn paste), adds a copious amount of the special powder, sieved the freshly cut calamansi lime juice and mixed it. For the toppings, he spooned over roughly chopped groundnuts and finally heaped spoonfuls of special dried baby shrimps over the paste.

He walked over our table and reminded us that you only pour the separate rojak sauce which has very thick consistency, onto the cut fruits and tossed it just before you eat to prevent it from turning watery.


And the verdict is a SUPERB PENANG ROJAK, with all very fresh ingredients which was prepared with a heart to give his best for an ultimate dish, that we also think he deserve to be called ROJAK KING in Penang. The peanut (not grounded but more chunky) and the dried baby shrimp combined with that thick hae ko simply creates a very yummy dish.


Not only we get to eat there, CK has packed each of us the special concoction of Hae Ko paste to bring home back to Singapore. It was certainly a nice gesture !!!!




PENANG ROJAK
..... SIMPLY WHET'S UP YOUR APPETITE !

PENANG - FRESHEST NUTMEG JUICE

with CK Lam, Taukwa and Uncle Smart

Lam Ah Kopi Tiam
194 Lebuh Pantai10300 Pulau PinangTel: 04-2613984Business Hours: 10am to 4.30pmClose: Sunday and Public Holiday
It was unimaginable for me to enjoy nutmegs as it is more commonly known for its products of nutmeg oil, good for its application for stomach rub and its efficacy to rid the "wind" (flatulence) or the pickled preserved nutmeg that I still dont really fancy. Penang is widely associated with nutmeg as any tourist would lugged back souvenirs of preserved nutmegs, cordial drinks or the nutmeg balm and oil and you can identify easily that he has just been to this beautiful island.

Whilst we head to Lam Ah Kopi Tiam for the popular "gu back koay teow" or beef noodles, I innocently ordered fresh nutmeg drink and it's literally freshly cut and blended on the spot. A bag of nutmegs evidently on display on the table tells you it is no cordial or concentrate drinks from the bottle, nothing but pure fresh juice.

I ordered one glass and it was a rare treat. A sip threw me in disbelief that the drink is really fresh, fragrant, not too sweet and certainly very refreshing and "kam" that we had more orders thereafter after having the first wonderful new sensation that we experienced. The taste is so unlike the preserved nutmegs and it stands out as a winning thirst-quenching drink for my table. It is unbelievably good and in our next few stops, I could not get back the same drink again as others just provide the syrup instead. Alas fresh nutmeg juice is not commonly found!


To make the juice, first you need a hardy duty juicer as the fruit is fibrous. You may wish to add mace, which is the pinkish membrane or blades that formed around the seed, as this makes the drink a more effective remedy for cough. The mace itself has a flavour of cinnamon and pepper and is supposedly more pungent than the nutmeg but the drink is very light and not overbearing strong in taste.


However, it is claimed that consuming too much fresh nutmeg as little as 3 nutmegs may cause hallucination, nausea, vomitting, so watch out for that myristicine, a substance contained in nutmeg which causes such narcotic side effect.





Nevertheless I enjoyed the fresh nutmeg juice very much that on my way back to the airport, I directed the driver to deviate and stop for me to have one more drink (definitely addictive) but fortunateLY or unfortunately, the shop was closed on a Sunday.
Now I have 3 cordial bottles of nutmeg syrup at home to cure my indigestion and/or flatulence after having such a huge appetite in Penang devouring the best it offers.








I SPY A NUTMEG DRINK IN PENANG ! BEST !

Penang One & Only Original "Coconut Jelly"

with CKLam, Taukwa and Uncle Smart
31st July 2009

JOEZ ENTERPRISE
Pemborong & Peruncit Buah Kelapa
201, Jalan Dato Kramat 10150 Pulau Pinang
Hp : 016 4409049
Tel: 04 2296063



This is one of Penang's charm where you can enjoy one & only original Penang "Coconut Jelly" at Joez who are also wholesalers and sellers of coconuts that come from Perak in the mainland.



CK Lam has helped us trace the Penang food trails to this old shop house along Jalan Dato Kramat. This is a one stop which offers you a cool respite from the scorching heat outside as you can savour cool and refreshing coconut drinks that comes in the form of a cold jelly formed within the coconut shell which has been kept in the fridge below 2degrees C.



The clean coconut shells are clean shaven with the husks removed and it is shrink-wrapped to protect this "innocent" thin inner shell of the coconut. Then when you removed the cover, the truthful revelation of what's inside breaks loose!! No coconut water but a jelly within? Dont expect to put a straw like one always do but they offer you a spoon instead. Is this some sort of a transformation that has taken place? Trace back to your Geography lessons then, the versatility of coconut tree, from the leaves, to the husk to the shell and it's content, they all can be transformed into something useful and now a jelly-like coconut drink? How innovative !



Scoop out and taste the translucent jello of coconut drink that fills the whole cavity. You can also can scrape the white coconut flesh to accompany the jelly and what it offers is so divinely cooling and refreshing, a mild fragrant and pleasant taste you have not tasted elsewhere. It's exciting what Penang could offer, something old something new for us to discover on the first day of our trip there.



We were like the "Machiam Katak Di-Bawah Tempurong" if you overturned the empty shells having our first taste of such a nice dessert. Well, at least we have tried and relished such a unique creation.
Checkout CK's blog
http://www.what2seeonline.com/2008/12/coconut-jelly-mae-tendernut-jelly-penang/