Mee goreng champions

PENANG, the much-acclaimed food haven of Malaysia, is also a paradise for halal food – if you know where to find it. Among the most popular halal fare is mee goreng (fried noodles).

This Indian Muslim-style mee goreng or formerly known as mee goreng mamak comprises yellow noodles fried with boiled potatoes, bean sprouts and squid, fried tofu and garnished with cucur udang (prawn fritters) and browned onions.

Usually, sambal is added to give it a kick. Depending on the method of preparation, the resulting noodles can be soggy or dry, with a variety of tantalising textures from the ingredients.

Mee goreng can be found in many places, and stall owners battle among themselves everyday to win more customers and more business.

Edgecumbe Road Famous Mee Goreng

In the 1960s, Padang Brown, straddling Jalan Burmah and Jalan Datuk Keramat, was a hive of nightly activity with the clang of woks and the aroma of smells drifting from tureens.

That was the original business spot of Haji Kamaluddin Muhamad Ibrahim, another “Iron Chef’ of mee goreng. Later, when the popularity of Padang Brown waned due to a change in traffic flow, he moved to Edgecumbe Road. He fine-tuned his recipe further and garnered more fans.

When Kompleks Makanan Persiaran Gurney was set up by Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang in the early 1900s, Haji Kamaluddin was among the first stalls to move in.

Today, the “Edgecumbe Road Famous Mee Goreng” attracts an impressive crowd of lunch-time customers. Its mee goreng is spicy and extremely rich in flavour. Opening hours are from 8am to 7.30pm. It closes on Fridays.

Kafeteria Larut

Arguably the best mee goreng is found in Kafeteria Larut on Jalan Larut. Started in the 1940s, the stall did a roaring business at Northam Road before shifting to its present location. It is presently run by the founder’s son, Shah Jehan, and his two brothers. A word of warning to those who don’t eat beef: Apart from the usual ingredients, the mee goreng here also contains slices of tender beef which are often mistaken for squid. This gives a stunning contrast in texture to the noodles. However, you can ask for beef to be excluded.

The noodles are fried just right, not too soft or dry, and has enough sauces to give it a zing. Apart from mee goreng, Shah Jehan also serves mee rebus with a thick gravy. Opening hours are from noon to 6pm and it’s closed on Fridays.

To get to Kafeteria Larut, drive along Jalan Burma and park at Penang Plaza. A five-minute stroll from the back entrance of the plaza will bring you to Kafeteria Larut. Alternatively, one can come from Sultan Ahmad Shah and proceed to Jalan Larut where the most convenient parking is at the Sheraton Hotel.

Jones Road Famous Mee Goreng

Another excellent mee goreng stall is in Sin Hup Aun Coffee Shop at the junction of Solok Moulmein and Jalan Pasar. Stall owner Liakat Ali, 46, says: “The stall was started by my uncle in Jones Road 40 years ago. Then my father took over the business. Five years ago, when I took over the stall, I shifted here. I have not changed my uncle’s recipe. Eat here once and you will come back again.”

Liakat Ali’s mee goreng is spicier and soggier than that of Shah Jehan’s. The secret lies in his sambal while Shah Jehan’s tour de force is in his frying technique. Liakat Ali has not changed the name of his stall and it’s still known as “Jones Road Famous Mee Goreng”. It’s opens from 7am to 7pm, and closes every Tuesday.

Parking at Sin Hup Aun Coffee Shop is quite easy as there is an open field near the Pulau Tikus Wet Market. Visitors from outstation may find it easier to park at Bellisa Row on Jalan Burma, cross the the road and take a five-minute walk to the coffee shop.

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Cooking through generations - Malaysia's Culinary Heritage

FOOD has always been a common topic of conversation for generations. It is a normal thing for Malaysians to associate food with friends and family and there is no better reason to get together than over a meal.

Being a multi-cultural society, there are a variety of recipes, and fusion dishes adapted from various cultures.

If you are as passionate about food, then you will appreciate the effort of three women who have compiled recipes and produced a cookbook to preserve traditional recipes before they are lost forever.

This cookbook, Food From the Heart: Malaysia's Culinary Heritage contains recipes contributed by renowned local men and women with snippets about the history of a specific recipe and the story or the person behind it.

These stories make the book a lively and entertaining read. This 200-page glossy cookbook offers 86 recipes, divided into starters right up to desserts.

The idea for a heritage cookery book was thought up during a birthday lunch in 2003, when Tunku Soraya Dakhlah, Joan Foo Mahony and Jacqui Chan were munching on some delicious popiahs.

"It got us thinking about all those traditional dishes handed down from generation to generation that have been taken for granted. We then decided to preserve it in a heritage cookbook," says Chan.

They eventually became editorial directors for the book. Except for Mahony, who is a retired lawyer, established author and publisher, the others did not have any publishing experience. However, this didn't curb their enthusiasm for this project.

Tunku Soraya has worked as a producer and director for various international companies and now owns an investment company, Melewar Apex Sdn Bhd. Her company and Mahony's JF Publishing Sdn Bhd have jointly formed Cross Time Matrix Sdn Bhd, which is publishing this cookbook.

Chan, a retired proprietary trader, is actively involved with fundraising projects for various charity organisations.

The amazing thing is that all three women are not trained chefs but rather food lovers who are trying to compile their favourite recipes remembered from childhood.

This cookbook explores the interconnections of Malaysian food, its people and a multicultural country that plays a major part in culinary influences, each voicing its signature dish or unique preparation methods and style.

The primary purpose is to rediscover and rewrite heritage recipes back into history.

Mahony explains, "This book is comparatively different than other cookbooks, due to the fact that it has additional interesting quotations from the people who contributed the recipes."

Among the recipes and their contributors include the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Fauziah Binti Al Marhum Tengku Abdul Rashid (Ikan Singgang), Geeta Jayabalan (Spicy Fish Briyani) and Brinjal & Prawn Salad by Datuk Tunku Mizan (in memory of his grandmother, the first Queen of Malaysia), and Chef Wan's Kerabu Meehoon, just to name a few.

The proceeds of this cookbook will be channelled to noted charities, which are The Budiman Charitable Foundation, The Salvation Army, Sri Agathiar Sanmarka Sanggam, Spastic Children's Association of Penang, Rumah Charis, House of Peace and Women's Aid Organisation.

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Nasi Padang from Sumatra to Malaysia

Minang, Nasi Padang (Padang Rice style) is probably the longest-running nasi padang stall on Penang island. Another reason for its fame is its authentic padang dishes.

The family-owned business is a stall located in a Chinese coffee-shop at Transfer Road and has been in business since the 1940s. For the uninitiated, nasi padang refers to a style of cooking that originated from Western Sumatra, Indonesia.

Down History Lane

First, here’s a bit of history about Transfer Road to whet our appetite. The area was originally inhabited by the Jawi Peranakan community. A canal linked Transfer Road to the Prangin River, allowing boats to come up to the area.

In the early 20th century, the Jawi Peranakan community moved out and was replaced by Tamil Muslims from Kadaiyanallur. However, pockets of Indo-Malay houses still remain in the area.

In 1867, when the Straits Settlement Government was transferred to the Colonial Office in Singapore, Transfer Road was so named to commemorate the occasion.

What’s Special

The signature dishes are rendang Minang, fried keli (catfish) ayam bakar (grilled chicken) and crispy fried beef lung. Ooh, the rendang Minang practically melts in your mouth! I also ate acar (pickled vegetables) and sweet potato leaves cooked in coconut milk. They provided a much-needed relief to the richness of the rendang.

For a nice kick, eat the fried keli with sambal belacan. The prawn-with-petai was also a love-at-first bite affair. The list is long, including ikan bakar (fish marinated in tamarind and grilled), cincaru sambal (horse-mackerel stuffed with sambal), sayur lodeh (mixed vegetables in coconut milk), chicken korma, tempe, etc.

Though Padang cooking is characterised by lots of chilies, lemon grass and turmeric, surprisingly, most of the dishes are not very hot.

For salad lovers, there are various types of ulam, young jackfruit, sliced cucumber and several kinds of sambal. There are also other vegetable dishes such as beansprouts in coconut gravy, brinjal in sambal and long beans fried with shrimps.

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Thai Cuisine for recipes

I love the flavors of Thailand. When I think of Thai cuisine, I think about lemongrass and chillies, the fresh tartness of lime and the heavy flavor of coconut milk. Thai cuisine is unique in that it shares a lot of its influences from its history of invaders and emigration over the years.

You can trace back the roots of Thai cuisine from as a far as the first century A.D., during the ime of the Chinese Han Dynasty to the sixteen century when the Portuguese introduced chillies to South East Asia. Trade with Arab and Indian merchants were important and so it was not surprising to find many Muslims living in what was known as Siam at the time. In 1939 after a long period of political upheavel, 21st century Thai reflects much of her past. Thai people are known for their love of life and their joy in entertaining and eating. Today you can see streets and waterways lined with all types of food vendors selling many different variety of snacks from their stalls, bicycle and boats.

In Thailand, the biggest religious denomination is Buddhism which forbids the killing of animals. However, most butchers in Thailand are usually immigrant workers. The Buddhist religion strictly forbids the eating of meat thought it is often regarded as a special treat such as weddings, birthings and or forth. The humble chicken is perhaps the most common meat, far more comman than beef and it's not unusual to find chicken or pork combined with seafood delicacies such as shrimp or crabmeat. Another bird meat like duck is one of Thai favorite dish to prepare and is frequently grill or roasted with flavorful spices or glazed with sweet glazes, not unlike how the Chinese prepare their ducks.

For breakfast, Thais love making and cooking soup dishes. As for lunch, you would often find a large bowl of soup (thin stock-based broth) loaded with various types of vegetables, fine noodles and sprinkle with fresh red or green chillies. Most soup dishes come with egg strips or tiny fish or meat balls or cubes of tofu. In Thai restaurants, you can find these soups served in large firepots with a central funnel of burning coals to keep the contents pipping hot throughout the meal.

As for dessert, the normal perfecting ending to a wonderful Thai meal usually comes in a basket of fruit. It would not be uncommon to find a mixture of mangoes, mangosteens, jackfruit, lychees and guavas just to name some of these extoic fruits. You can also find sweet glutinious rice and tapioca which are often molded and soaked in beautiful scented syrups. Most Thai drinks are colorful and exotic in flavor and are often served with a dash of whiskey or other spirits. Try the Thai Cocktail Sling for an example of a Thai alcoholic beverage.

One of Thailand's greatest invention is the presentation of food, a source of Thai's pride and joy. Vegetables and fruits are often carved into wonderful, complex shapes for use as garnishes to important visitors. These intricate and elaborate patterns by a skilled artist are an integral part of Thai culture which exhibits an appreciation of all things beautiful. Thai desserts are usually cut up tropical fruits and are simple and refreshing.

The Thai website that I am now offering to share with you will be a mixed of cuisines from region to region. I have coupled a number of cuisines from Burma

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