Laksa

There are basically three types of laksa i.e. asam laksa, curry laksa (curry mee as it's known in Penang) and Sarawak laksa.

Asam laksa is a sour fish-based soup. To give the stock its sour flavour, asam jawa (Malay word for tamarind) or asam keping (also known as asam glugor) or dried slices of tamarind fruit is added to the fish-based soup. The main ingredients for asam laksa include shredded kembung fish or mackerel and finely sliced cucumber, onions, red chillies, pineapple, lettuce, pink bunga kantan (ginger buds) and mint leaves. Asam laksa is normally served with either thick rice noodles or thin rice vermicelli and "hae ko" (蝦羔), a thick sweet prawn/shrimp paste.

Ming Tien Asam Laksa

In PJ, the famous stalls are found in SS2 Monday night market (operated from a van) and Taman Megah Sunday night market (also operated from a van).

Ming Tien Asam/Siamese Laksa Stall

You can also get good asam laksa in Ming Tien Food Court, Taman Megah. Their asam laksa is served with chunks of kembong fish meat.

My hubby loves to take asam laksa with rice. Sounds weird but it's really tasty. Just ask for laksa without noodle and add more vegetables. A cheap way to have a great tasting complete meal (full of carbo, protein and vitamins).

Ming Tien Siamese Laksa

Laksa lemak, also known as nyonya laksa or Thai/Siamese Laksa, is a type of laksa with a rich coconut gravy. As the name implies, it is made with a rich, slightly sweet and strongly spiced coconut and fish-based gravy. All other ingredients are similar to Asam Laksa and is usually served with "hae ko" too.

The stall in asam laksa stall at Ming Tien also sells Thai/Siamese laksa. 

Curry laksa or otherwise known as curry mee to Penang folks is very different from asam laksa. It is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Some stalls (those from Penang) serve it with congealed pork blood, a delicacy to the Malaysian Chinese community. Curry laksa is commonly served with a spoonful of sambal chilli paste and garnished with mint leaves.

Lorong Seratus Tahun
Curry Mee

Ming Tien Dry Curry Mee

In PJ, there famous curry laksa are from Restaurant Seratus Tahun in SS2 and the stall in Restaurant OK in Chow Yang, SS2.

Restaurant OK Curry Mee

The curry mee from Restaurant OK is typical Penang style and by 10.00am, it is usually sold out. We usually go early to avoid the long wait (the wait can be up to 15-20 minutes before food is served).

Sarawak Laksa

Sarawak laksa (from the town of Kuching in the Malaysian state Sarawak, on the island of Borneo) is very different from the curry laksa as the soup contains no curry at all. It has a base of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added.

In PJ, the famous Sarawak laksa is from the stall in Restaurant Gembira, Taman Megah.

Restoran Makanan Laut Yi Chun - Klang

Restoran Makanan Laut Yi Chun
Lot 1432, Jalan Sungai Jati, 41000 Klang.
TEL: 6019 3140999, 6012 9784899 (Chia Ching Ong)

Went with my colleagues to Klang. After we are done with business, we went to Restoran Makanan Laut Yi Chun, a seafood restaurant  for lunch.

Dry Bak Kut Teh

We ordered their signature dish, the dry Bak Kut Teh. This is my first time eating dry Bak Kut Teh which is highly recommended by my colleagues. The dish is cooked with okra and with lots of dried cuttlefish. The aroma is heavenly and the meat is very tender. Goes well with white rice. Yum Yum. Must go back again.

Steam Pak Cheong Teow Chew Style

We also ordered steam "pak cheong" Teow Chew style, stir fried sweet potato leaves with garlic and steamed tofu. The "pak cheong" is steamed with lots of "kiam chai" (preserved mustard), lean meat and tomato. The fish is very freah and cooking style is uniquely Teow Chew. The sweet potato leaves are stir fried to perfection and the tofu is really smooth.

If you are in Klang area, make sure you check out this restaurant. I'll definitely go back :)

Frames - Sunway Pyramids

Frames is located in Sunway Pyramids (replacing Friendster) right across Starbucks and Wong Kok Coffee House.  It is co-owned by my ex-colleague, Mark Foong. They used to operate in Taman Tun. When Mark informed me that they are now in Sunway Pyramids, my hubby and I decided to drop in one weekend for lunch.

The cafe serves salads, pastas, soups and local food, menu can be viewed via the enclosed link http://www.framescafe.com/index.html

The cafe setup is very cosy with lots of photo frames which are for sale too. According to Mark, their collection consists of actual photos from family, friends and customers. Frames is a place for anyone to share a memory, scene or view in the form of a photograph. They welcome photograph for framing, display and/or selling.

Cajun Meatball Pasta

My hubby ordered Cajun Meatball Pasta, spaghetti tossed with pomodoro sauce and meat balls. The meat balls taste good.

Breaded Chicken Roulade

I ordered the breaded chicken roulade, deep fried chicken with cheese, served with pea mashed potato and Malinese sauce. The taste is quite unique, especially the green pea mashed potato. Would be great if it's less salty.

Chinese Crullers

Youtiao

You tiao, you char kway or yau ja gwai (油炸粿) is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee and bak kut teh or dip soy milk or black coffee for breakfast. It is usually sold in morning street markets or "pasar malam".

Frying youtiao

The Cantonese name yàuhjagwái literally means "oil-fried ghost" and, according to folklore, is an act of protest against Song Dynasty official Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the food, originally in the shape of two human-shaped pieces of dough but later evolved into two pieces joined in the middle, represents Qin Hui and his wife, both having a hand in collaborating with the enemy to bring about the great general's demise. Thus the youtiao is deep fried and eaten as if done to the traitorous couple. In keeping with the legend, youtiao are often made as two foot-long rolls of dough joined along the middle, with one roll representing the husband and the other the wife. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_tiao)

A youtiao stall in pasar malam Taman Megah. This stall also sells ham chim peang and chin tui.

Chow Yang Cruller Stall

The best cruller is in Chow Yang SS2  Jalan SS 2/6, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. It is in front of the 4D and laundry shop. This roadside stall is run by a husband, wife and son team. They sells youtiao and ham chim peng (without filling, with tau sar and glutunious rice). Their crullers are crunchy and not oily. There's usually a long queue, especially if you are ordering the youtiao. What we normally do is to place order with the son and drop by at Chow Yang coffeeshop to have our meal and collect our order after that. They are usually open in the morning and sometimes at night too.

Peng Kee Restaurant - Jalan Teoh Moh Soo Kulim

Peng Kee (my family called it Ai Chai Sar Hor Fun) is located at Jalan Teoh Moh Soo, Kulim, next to KFC. My earlier "Sar Hor Fun" days were from this stall.

Went back to the stall last week. The way the Sar Hor Fun is cooked is still like the gold old days. The queue is still long, like the good old days. Today, they have menu hanging on top of their stall and they have a blog site too...http://pengkeerestaurant.blogspot.com/ . They are now open for lunch and dinner. The lunch menu consist of chicken rice, chicken congee and steam chicken whereas the dinner menu has the famous sar hor fun including the chicken congee and steam chicken.

In small town, older people still goes out to eat topless (see the old uncle in the picture, waiting for his plate of sar hor fun).

Tai Chow @ NKK Cafe Damasara Jaya

NKK Cafe is located at 42, Jalan SS22/25, Damansara Jaya. Inside NKK Cafe, there is a Tai Chow stall that serves value for money dishes and noodles.  

 My hubby and I patronize the Tai Chow stall very frequently for dinner. Our favorite dishes are the pork chop rice, ham choy thong (soup with preserved vegetables) and ying yong kong fu chow (Cantonese Fried).

Ham Choy Thong



The Ham Choy Soup is cooked with preserved mustard leave, tofu, pork, pork liver, fish cake, tomato and a sour plum to give it the extra kick. The reason why we keep ordering this dish is because we do not get thirsty after drinking the soup unlike other places where they add lots of msg.

Pork Chop

 The pork chop is very tender. Served with cucumber and tomato slices and plenty of sweet and sour sauce, it's great with white rice.

The Thai Style Fei Chow fish is very appertizing. The fish is deep fried till very crispy and topped with Thai chilli sauce, cucumber and onions. 

 

 

Cantonese Fried

The Ying Yong Cantonese Fried (bee hoon mixed with kuay teow) is cooked with pork, pork liver, fish cake, sawi and sauce made with cornstarch and eggs. It is a simple delicious dish. Take it with chilli padi soaked in soy sauce to give it the extra oomph.



The coffeeshop owner sells dessert too and the menu for the day is posted on the white board on the wall. The Tai Chow menu is posted in front on the Tai Chow stall...unfortunately it's all in Chinese writing which I could not read.

De Happy Seafood Restaurant

De Happy Seafood Restaurant

62 Macalister Road

10400 Penang

(Opposite Sunway New Lane Hawkers)

Tel: 04-227 7809
Mobile: 012-485 2388 Leslie Ooi

Business hours:
Seafood: 5.30 pm- 12 midnight
Porridge: 9.30pm - 5 morning


My husband and I used to patronized Oriental Seafood Restaurant during our courting days. Today, we went back to the same restaurant which is now called DeHappy Seafood Restaurant with Justin and family.

Food is very good, the same quality as last time even though I'm not sure whether they are still under the same management. Will definitely go back if I'm in Penang. Parking is just next door and it's free for DeHappy Seafood customers.

Potato Grouper Fish (Ron Dan)

Pork Belly with Salted Fish

Crab Menu

Vegetable with Preserved Beancurd

When we were there, Potato Grouper Fish was on promotion. DeHappy Seafood offers the dish cooked in 10 different styles and the one we had was with ginger and onions. We also ordered deep fried soft shell crab, mussel cooked in Thai sauce, steamed mantis prawn with egg white, vegetables with preserved beancurd and pork belly with salted fish. Great meal!

DeHappy has a great selection of crab dishes too. Did not try their crab dish this round, leaving it for the next trip.

Checkout their menu on facebook - search for DeHappy Seafood.