JJCM in KT #9 - Searching For Duck Shit In Terengganu.

Before we leave for Terengganu, a friend told me to try “kuih tahi itik” (translated as duck’s dropping cake or more crudely – duck shit) and Satar. So I asked my Terengganu friend to describe what this famous duck shit is. His description was as vague as the shape of the cake serving to make me “curiouser and curiouser” to try this cake with the “pelik” (strange) name.

On the morning of the second day, Phua bought us a sumptuous breakfast consisting of typical Terengganunese fares.

From top left to right: Roti Paung Butter, Kuih Kosui, Kuih Keladi (yam cake)
From bottom left to right: Kuih Seri Muka, Roti Paung Ikan, Pulut Lepa

My knowledge of Malay cakes is not so good so if I make any mistakes, appreciate a correction. Roti Paung are sweet buns that are baked in a metal plate. The buns at the top of the picture have butter or margarine as the filling while those at the bottom buns used mashed fish. The fishy taste is very strong and a bit too strong for our mild West Malaysian palate. You can see a picture of how they are made in the picture below.

The green cake is kuih kosui pandan and the white stuffs at the top are coconut shavings which we sprinkled and eat together with the cake. Kuih Keladi or yam cake with the packet of chilli sauce is a popular Chinese breakfast meal.

The brown cake at the bottom left is kuih Seri Muka which composed of two layers, a savory lower layer of glutinous rice and a sweet creamy top layer made from egg and coconut milk more commonly colored green. The contrast in both taste and texture made for a very interesting combination. The cake at the extreme right is pulut lepa which is also made of glutinous rice with a filling of boiled fish meat is mixed with sliced onions, and dried chilies and coconut wrapped in a banana leaf.

We had them all for breakfast. They were good but we did not find our duck shit even though we asked from a number of stalls. We were told they were more a Kelatanese food and that it is more difficult to find now because the fasting month is over and also many stalls were still shut.

After we returned, I was still haunted by duck droppings. I spent almost a whole morning searching for it but I could not find any site with a picture of it till I struck the mother lode when I stumbled on Ray Kinzoku’s site (which is one of the best Malaysian blogs I ever came across – check it out). The information below was extracted from his blog -

Originally uploaded by Ray Kinzoku.

(Clockwise from top ( 12 o'clock ): Pauh Llayae ( at a glance, looks like a slice of bread immersed in syrup - so far, I only know one who could prepare it - Nik Yae ), Piyana ( muffin-like, light brown in colour ), Akok Nnissae ( wrinkled, brownish figure ), Akok Pandae ( wrinkled, greenish figure ), Buwoh Tanjung ( teardrop shape ), and Jalor Mah ( yellowish "golden" strands ). The white blob in the middle is Putih Telur or famously known as Tahi Itik.”)

There, now you know what duck shit looks like. Its shape is irregular like duck’s droppings but I still do not know what it tastes like. But in searching for one cake, I found many more waiting to be discovered – that is life, I guess. Maybe I should be planning for a trip to Kelantan next. Ray, care to be our guide? :)

To be continued...

JJCM in KT #8 – The Morning In Picture II

Firework Bloom

Spider Lilies

Together we bloom
Together we die
What a life!

Too good to eat

Jewels in the sky

Hibiscus in delicate white

A broken spider web (contribution from June)


Giant spiky (contribution from June)

I came from humble parentage

Caught! (contribution from June)

JJCM in KT #7 – The Morning In Picture I

Morning call

Sun on balcony I

Sun on balcony II

Sun on balcony III

Peep

Feather Duster

Thorns & Flowers

Hanging Garden

Fly

To be Continued...

JJCM in KT #6 – Onward To Kuala Terengganu.

The car felt heavier with all those food we consumed. The road we were traveling on hugged the coastline and at certain stretches there were unobstructed views of the sea. Coconut trees lining the road gave a rustic feel but we noted dying coconut trees losing their crowns. The East Coast without ample coconut trees would look like a sad lady shorn of her hair.

Life is carefree but sometimes you don’t know whether to be envious or horrified. Like this underage boy on the motorbike with only slippers and no helmet. He grinned at me, eyes hidden by huge sun glasses. I have seen up to five on a motorbike, a parent with 3 small kids sandwiched together. While we are alarmed at the danger, would we have done the same in their situation?

By 2.00 pm, we reached Teluk Ibai, just 4 km away from our destination – Kuala Terengganu. We stopped there to visit the famous Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque also known as the “floating mosque” (Masjid Terapung). The architect is relatively simple and clean cut but beautiful. The white building under a blue sky and fluffy clouds reflecting on the calm water of the surrounding lake evoke a pleasing serenity. This was further enhanced by the sea breeze of the South China Sea at the backdrop. Time slowed down to match the feel.

We reached Phua’s house by 3.30 pm and his niece took an interest in us. We chatted with his parents who showed us very interesting old sepia photographs of their school days. Well mannered girls in black and white uniform, teachers with their bouffant hair style and 60s clothing lining up under fern trees in front of their wooden school building standing on concrete legs. We were treated to home brewed tea prepared from wild sugarcane. A delicious curry chicken and rice was served with “Acar” (a spicy, sweet and slightly tangy vegetable salad). More food but how could we refuse?

We reached out hotel – Gem Beach Resort (RM160.00 per night) in Batu Rakit by late afternoon and of course the first thing we noticed is the lazy chairs under the coconut trees facing the sea. It is inviting but we decided to take a rest first and wait for the sun to go down a bit.

Our rooms have balconies where we relaxed, chatted and ate the snacks we brought along. I know, still eating.

There are plenty of luxuriant plants especially bougainvillea giving it a hanging garden feel.

What is this lonely boat doing out there in the open sea?

Towards evening, we headed for the beach. The oppressive heat has by now given way to cool evening breeze and it was very pleasant walking along the beach.

As the evening deepened with the sinking sun, the sky gave a wonderful display of color. We are pleased with the fact that the beach is so deserted. The Malay New Year celebration must have something to do with it. After many years of traveling, I often treasure quiet moment more than hectic ones rushing around to take in more of everything.

A tender moment shared between father and son.

The waves and undercurrent are very strong on the East Coast and many inexperienced swimmers have got into difficulties here. As I stood on the sand, I could feel the waves pulled them away from under my feet.

The lights came out.

Enough time has passed by now for us to be hungry again so we drove out to Kuala Terengganu’s Chinatown.

In the restaurant named Golden Dragon, we ordered (from top clockwise) steamed Garuba fish, 5 spices meat rolls, Xing Jiang bean curd, bitter gourd fried with roasted pork. Unfortunately, they ran out of all the soups that night so we did not get our lotus root soup.

It had been a long day. After the heavy meal, we were ready for bed thus ending the first day of our road trip to Kuala Terengganu. We have seen and savored much during the 500 km journey. It had been lovely so far. Tomorrow promises more.

To be continued...

JJCM in KT #5 – The Taste of Hai Peng.

Please refer to earlier post JJCM in KT #4 for the first part. We selected a typically old fashion round coffee table with marble top sitting on old fashion round chair. The atmosphere felt authentic as we ordered our cup of Hainanese (a Chinese dialect that is famous for running coffee shops and old style bakeries) coffee. The only difference is that our order is taken by a Malay and we were served by a Malay.

On the pretext of visiting the toilet, I peeked into the kitchen and was surprised that all the staffs preparing our food and drinks were also Malay. From the master coffee brewer to the bread toaster and the spaghetti chef. Yes, you can order spaghetti here.

I ordered coffee the way I like it – thick, black and sweet. I remembered Charles Maurice immortal lines:

Black as the devil, Hot as hell,

Pure as an angel, Sweet as love.

It came in the standard coffee cup that one finds in every old style kopitiam in Malaysia. Now, Hainanese coffee may get some getting used to. Some may even say it is an acquired taste. I remembered once I took a very thirsty Australian master baker to a kopitiam and ordered a black ice coffee for him. He downed it with one huge gulp, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and declared “that is the most awful coffee I’ve ever tasted in my entire life”. Everyone burst out laughing.

If you’re brought up on Nescafe, espresso and cappuccino, you may not like this coffee. We on the other hand think it is as ‘sweet’ as the devil and certainly not as pure as an angel. We have made our own unique modification and addition. The resultant taste is slightly ashy carrying a tinge of sourish fermented flavor and a solid robustness not for the faint hearted. As if this is not enough, the patrons will often asked for “kau kau” (thick thick) together with “ti ti” (sweet sweet). This is the Malaysian way.

If there are some who do not like our coffee, I have not met any who do not like our toasted bread. No machine can do this job. It must be done by hand, over a fierce charcoal fire that is neither too hot nor too tame. The judgment of the one toasting is crucial so he can produce a well toasted bread (not burnt) that is crispy on the outside and soft and tender within which is a world of a different from dry machine toasted bread. On these slices are then slap a thick spread of kaya (coconut egg yolk jam) and margarine (preferably butter).

Hai Peng used the ‘correct’ bread for their toast. (Sandwich bread is a no-no for our local toast). They are called by several names such as Hainanese or Bengali breads because they are mostly made by such bakers using traditional ways. Today, they are mostly called “Pata Loaves”. But not all Pata loaves are equal; it depends on the way they are produced – by Straight Dough, Sponge & Dough or No-Time Dough methods and many variations of these. You did not know that bread is that complex and interesting? Well, not many people do. In a future post, I promise I’ll explain these in greater details.

But as a consumer, what is the difference you ask? Look at the texture, see how coarse they are. The texture is open but tender yet resilient while many of the bread which has much finer texture are silky but dry and no ‘body’. When you are eating bread, you want to eat bread, not cake-like bread. Good to look at but disagreeable to the tongue. The mouth-feel is completely different. Most of these Pata breads are made by long fermentation method so you get a good bread aroma instead of the bland stuff most coffee shops served these days. I better stop now before I get carried away. If any kopitiam owner wants an ‘expert’ opinion on the type of bread to use, who do you call? – The Ghost (not buster).

Phua brought over a string of “Pulut Tapai” that is wrapped in leaves. Being a Terengganunese, he enthusiastically recommended us to try it. We cautiously put a piece into our mouth and bit. Phoo! A very strong odor immediately overwhelmed us. The flavor is very similar to fermented rice wine. Way too strong for me. I drowned it with coffee. Phua was disappointed with our reactions, so were we but this is definitely an acquired taste.

I was completely satiated by now putting down my third breakfast. But I was curious – what would the Terengganu nasi lemak (coconut fragrant rice with sambal – a pounded chilly, prawn paste, dried prawns, onion, tamarind, etc with palm sugar and salt) taste like?

My taste buds override my overworked stomach and I opened the paper wrapper (used to be coconut leaves in the old days) to reveal a delight. This is what a country beauty look and taste like. Unadorned, unassuming, unpretentious, relying on its natural goodness to win you over. With just the first spoonful, it evoked long time memory of a simpler life at a simpler time. I had forgotten the simple original taste of a good nasi lemak.

But I had by mistake took the package with the fish sambal (with no regret because it was great). I wanted to also try the anchovy sambal but this time my stomach put its “foot” down. I looked longingly at the basket and then decided I will hit this place again on the return trip. There were so many other foods to try but we have only one stomach (even though an extended one).

I liked Hai Peng for many reasons, not least of which is their sense of individuality, beauty and passion. At the back of the shop which not many outstation patrons may be aware of is a replica of the Great Wall of China. Seeing the Great Wall dwarfed by our papaya trees – now that is rich. And we left Hai Peng richer with our experiences which is why we will be back every time we passed by Kemaman.

To be continued...

Aeon Jusco Bukit Tinggi Opening Day.

Yesterday was the last Saturday I’ll be working. The company is going on a 5 days week, yahoo! While busy at work (really), I suddenly remembered about Jusco’s opening and remembered I forgot to send a bouquet to congratulate my friend. Quickly make the arrangement but the florist told me she would not be able to deliver on the opening hour at around 10.30am. She had already been there the first round and it took her an hour and back from Bayu Perdana.

The traffic was that bad in spite of the 5,000 parking bays. By the time I got back, cars have spilled over to the roundabout in Botanic Garden. I decided to walk and it took only 12 minutes from my house, I’ll probably took twice as long looking for a parking spot. Anyway it finally arrived in good condition.

This was my last year’s Christmas tree. Under skilled hands, it looked better than I could have imagine doing it myself.

The Jusco trees are of course much bigger. But bias me still like my tiny one better.

I rushed to meet up with some new friends of the MyKlang Community in Starbucks. Unfortunately, only four of us were able to make it as the others were affected by the jam. If any readers would like to join our group, please click on the link.

Crowds were everywhere. This is Jusco’s supermarket section.

I was surprised to see most of the shops were open for business as when I was there on Thursday night (the last time they allowed tenant in for renovation), many of them were looked far from being finished. What do you know? Looks can be deceiving. The center is up and running.

Beginning of autumn in Malaysia?

It is the Japanese food fair. There were some interesting products but rather pricey. Change that to very pricey. RM7.90 for a rather thin stick of corn with teriyaki sauce? No, no matter how sweet. But I couldn’t resist buying something. Those huge brilliantly colored red and yellow apples were appealing me to take them home. RM9.90 for each. Ya, I know, versus 8 Fuji Apples (from China) for RM10.00.

Even Cinderella was there and she left her coach behind. Could not find her glass slipper though.

Feeling hungry by now but the restaurants were jam packed.

So was the food court.

Found a quiet place in “Toast More” opposite the Green Box karaoke. Some innovative combinations of toasts from the usual to Mango Kaya, Orange Kaya… Settled for an otak-otak toast (RM2.90) as I thought that was interesting. It was disappointing. The bread is too thick and dry. (It always surprise the numbers of kopitiam that got their bread wrong seeing that it such an important part of the menu. Read part 5 of my upcoming Terengganu trip to find out what types of bread they should use). The crust is too thick and hard. The flavor of the otak-otak did not stand out. The Honey Lemon drink (RM3.30) I ordered was no better. In spite of the honey, the bitter (instead of sour) taste of Lemon still stands out. It was just sweet and watery instead of the characteristic refreshing sour-sweet taste of a well prepared Lemon drink.

Tried their Nasi Lemak (RM7.30). What is the meat floss doing there? I don’t like it when cook used this kind of creativity as it added nothing to the dish only distracts from it. The mild taste of chicken can never stand up to rich and spicy taste of curry and sambal. So why waste it here? The chicken was tender and nice but the curry could do with a slightly stronger taste – a tad too weak. No complain on the rice but the ikan bilis (fried anchovies) was not crispy enough. The sambal saved this dish. It was quite good and (spicy) hot enough for me. I asked for extra helping. I don’t mind having this dish again because of the sambal.

Went over next door to buy a dozen assorted Big Apple Donuts (RM17.00). The queuing system was riotous with patrons not knowing where is the head or end of the queue. To make matter worse, the order taking aggravate the situation with customers walking up and down the line selecting the donut. One woman at the back of me angrily complained about queue cutting and the one who is going to serve went over to serve her first. And I have to angrily defend my position as I had queued up like a gentleman would. They have much to learn from J.Co Donut.

This is a picture of the J.Co Outlet in Pavilion. In spite of the huge crowd, order taking and servicing of customers were done most professionally. However, I would not queue more than 10 minutes for a donut (and that too must be because I’m ravagingly hungry). People queued up for more than an hour to eat their donut.

In every department, J.Co beat Big Apple. The visual appeal of J.Co’s donut is more attractive. The real difference comes when you put it into your mouth. They practically melted in spite of the fact when I ate my J.Co donut it was more than a couple of hours old when my son presented me a box. Apple donut despite being fresh did not give me that sensation. Both types of donuts are of quite different types compared with Dunkin Donut so it not fair to compare them. It just depends on your personal preference. But between J.Co and Big Apple, you know where I stand. J.Co’s two dozens went for RM35.00.

I took the donuts for those working in my friend’s shop D’Trends as they have been working through their dinners. What do they sell? Here are some fine examples – beautiful fishes :).

Costume Jewelries.

Rings, chains, pendants and brooches.

Exquisite dinner handbags.

The only item not for sale in the shop is this large butterfly stuffed with stones for wings. See if you can spot it when you are there.

Ah. A happy customer flashing the V sign happy with how she look after putting on the ear ring (but she did say her ear suddenly feels heavier).

As I left Jusco after 9.00 pm, the car park was still full.

And what do you know? A full moon was overhead. Though not a Feng Shui expert, I’m sure this portends well for the new complex.

You can grab my photos in flikr (just remember to link it back to my blog) - click here ighosts.