Jalan Raja Uda , Butterworth Penang Road Famous Cendol and Ais Kacang Posted by Thestposter.Food , Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 2:55 AM, in Labels: Butterworth Penang Road Famous Cendol and Ais Kacang - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com, Jalan Raja Uda

Jalan Raja Uda , Butterworth Penang Road Famous Cendol and Ais Kacang

Was back in Penang a few days ago during the Hari Raya break. It has been a loooooooooong time since I last posted anything on Penang food so here goes. Despite Bukit Mertajam being a lot nearer to Butterworth than Penang Island, the only food I posted before in Butterworth is Sweet Paradise (Chao Quan) Dim Sum lol.
So I did a research on Butterworth's food and found that it is actually quite a food paradise itself. If you stay in Butterworth basically there's no need to travel anywhere else for food. At Jalan Raja Uda alone you have hawker stalls and restaurants lined up on both sides of the road, which will take you a really long time to try all of them.

While browsing Wikimapia on Jalan Raja Uda, a small box attracted my attention. It was labeled as "Butterworth Red Bean Ice" in Chinese, which is actually Ice Kacang. The description says it is the best Ice Kacang @ RM2.70 with lots of fresh ingredients, and waiting time is long too because of the number of customers.
Roughly remembering the stall as somewhere before a photo shop along Jalan Raja Uda (it's just a straight road), I managed to locate the stall easily thanks to the crowd that made it even more obvious. Little did I know that this Ais Kacang stall is actually a branch of the Penang Road Famous Cendol and Ais Kacang, I was totally clueless about this, lol fail. No wonder it is so popular.

After waiting 10 minutes for a seat, I had to wait another 20 minutes for my Ais Kacang to arrive. Firstly, it looked nothing like the one I had at Penang Road because it had a lot of peanuts and didn't have those small green jelly balls.
That aside, I have to say they really did not skimp on the ingredients as generous amount of peanuts, red beans, grass jelly, sweet corn and atapchi were given. For me it's super valuable. There's simply no way you can purchase a bowl of Ais Kacang laden with so much toppings for only RM3.50 in KL.

The soft shaved ice, sweet tasting with a hint of refreshing Sarsi flavor was a perfect treat in the hot afternoon. Every mouthful taken is met with interesting textures of the crunchy peanuts, tender-soft red beans, smooth grass jelly and chewy atapchi. Just great.

The man responsible for manning the ice shaver also takes orders and remembers them. I watched him doing his work and I have concluded that at least 3 bowls/packets of Ais Kacang or Cendol can be prepared in a minute.
His partner is an efficient worker as well, having to pour like 5 to 6 types of syrups into the shaved ice, then place the toppings. Watching them handled and prepared the onslaughting orders made my wait a lot more bearable. lol it somehow felt like watching a show.

In short, awesome Ais Kacang and I loved it. Only the waiting time is a deterrent. And I felt it was better than the one at Penang Road too, not sure about the Cendol though. Knowing this Cendol and Ais Kacang stall's existence is good news for me because I don't have to drive across the bridge to get a bowl of nice Ais Kacang now. Butterworth also got!
My next quest is to find out the other branch in Chai Leng Park as stated in its signboard. But I guess that quest can only be completed next year, as I will be relocating to Singapore soon for work purpose (sigh).

Direction: Drive along Jalan Raja Uda and look for 'Wo Lai Yeh' dried meat, the Ais Kacang stall is directly opposite across the road. Alternatively, use Raja Uda's Pizza Hut/New Town Kopitiam as reference. If Pizza Hut/New Town Kopitiam is on your right, then the Ais Kacang stall would be on your left about 1km down the road. Lookout for road side the hawker stalls.
Wikimapia Location: Penang Road Ais Kacang (Raja Uda Branch)
Business hours: 2pm onwards, until finish.

Vkeong Mom’s Best: Sweet Sour Crab Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 2:51 AM, in Labels: Vkeong Mom’s Best: Sweet Sour Crab - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Vkeong Mom's Best: Sweet Sour Crab

I am starting a new category on my blog "Mom's Cooking" All entries under this category will feature dishes prepared by my beloved mother. I will update once a week in the weekends because that's when my mother cook something special and nice The first dish I want to share with you is Sweet Sour Crab.

There is a wet market in Perai that sells some special seafood that cannot be found in normal markets. That would explain why my parents would call it a "richman's market" It is also the place where we bought our "Udang Merah" durian last weekend.

You can find really big crabs sold there, price ranging from RM22-25 per kg. The way the crabs are killed is quite brutal: First they were put upside down and struck hard on their bellies by knives, while still being tied up. Then they were tore up to pieces.. ouch!

We bought 7 crabs for RM55 to cook for 5 people. The crabs will still need extra cleaning using an used toothbrush, especially the limbs. Ingredients used to prepare this dish include: Chilli paste, Limes, Sugar and Corn flour.

Claypot Chicken Rice “Meng Kee” Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 2:46 AM, in Labels: Claypot Chicken Rice “Meng Kee” - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Claypot Chicken Rice “Meng Kee”

More food from Kepong to introduce~

I had Claypot Chicken Rice 砂煲鸡饭 for lunch before driving back to Penang on Monday. For Malaysians, there’s no need for introduction to this dish, anyway..

Claypot Chicken Rice is usually a dinner dish in Singapore and Malaysia. It is typically served with Chinese sausage and vegetables. More often than not, the rice is cooked in the claypot first and cooked ingredients like diced chicken and chinese sausage are added in later. Some places serve it with dark soya sauce and also dried salted fish. Salted fish, some claim, enhances the taste of the claypot chicken rice. And even where there are no long queues, given the way the dish is prepared, customers have to wait for at least 30 minutes before the dish is ready.

“Meng Kee” 明记 is located along a small lane between an abandoned building (used to be Parkson) and an old cinema in Kepong Baru. The stall is very simple, with 5-6 tables around and a zinc roof as shade. A small pot serving one costs RM4.50, while the bigger port which can serve up to two costs RM8. You can also order “Yau Choi” and soup too. We ordered Siu Bak Choi and Lotus Soup 莲藕汤. I didn’t taste nor taken any photo of the soup as it didn’t look nice. But according to Siang Leng and her family, it was really good! My loss then I guess

The “Yau Choi” tastes good and complements the rice very well. Our bill came to RM22+, RM5+ per person with chicken rice, soup and vege.. I think that’s pretty good value for money if you ask me, especially in KL!

Seafood Dinner At Batu Maung Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 2:42 AM, in Labels: Seafood Dinner At Batu Maung - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Seafood Dinner At Batu Maung

Last night Siang Leng and I went to Batu Maung and had seafood as dinner. The restaurant we went to was called Boon Seng. We ordered:

Belacan Kangkung – RM6

Bukit Tambun Seafood Posted by Thestposter.Food , Monday, April 5, 2010 at 10:51 PM, in Labels: thestposter.food - Bukit Tambun Seafood - thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Bukit Tambun Seafood

Needless to say, anyone who goes to Bukit Tambun for the seafood. Ghee Seng Seafood Restaurant is situated beside a river, diagonally opposite the state's Batu Kawan Stadium.

Fried Mee Tiao – RM 7. No comment, tastes normal. So far I haven't found any restaurant that can fry a very nice plate of mee tiao.. if you know any, leave a message

Steamed Mini Octopus – RM 8. They are tasteless, you need to dip them into the Thai chilli sauce to really enjoy it.

Fried Oyster – RM 8. I have had better lol, oysters given were ridiculously little.

Siao Bai Cai – RM 6. We actually had 2 plates of this because a stupid fly dropped into our first one. The problem with eating here in Ghee Seng is the big amount of annoying flies. You will be too busy chasing them away that you cannot really enjoy your meal in peace.

Satay – RM 9 (15 sticks) The satay was very nice, special too because they are barbecued together with the peanut sauce.

Fried Soft Shell Crab – RM 16.

Sweet and Sour Crab – RM 20 (3 flower crabs) This is the highlight of our meal, the nicest one too. The crabs were very fresh (they were still alive before being cook) It didn't really tasted like how it was described, it was pretty spicy lol.

Fried Buns that come with the Sweet Sour Crab, to dip in the gravy. Actually, if not for the flies, this would be one of my favorite seafood restaurant in Bukit Tambun.

Bukit Serdang Hoi Tong Steamboat Restaurant Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 10:11 PM, in Labels: thestposter.food - Bukit Serdang Hoi Tong Steamboat Restaurant - thestposAterfood

Hoi Tong Steamboat Restaurant

"Hoi Tong" is an eat-all-you-can steamboat restaurant located in Bukit Serdang. Siang Leng just submitted her FYP report and we decided to celebrate it. Moreover, we have been on a light diet since last week because of Unite. What's better to reward yourself after a disastrous and starving night? Steamboat ala buffet style of course
It's easy to spot this big restaurant but it's a pain to find parking. Worse still , the parking space is uneven, narrow and rocky.

So many people leh..
As usual, the restaurant is fully packed and sometimes you may have to wait for tables or end up in a bad spot(at the sides) Lucky for us, there was an empty table for two when we arrived.
The ingredients are placed at the right corner of the restaurants. They include marinated meat, various balls lol, seafood, fruits and ice cream.

Various balls.. no pun intended lol

Fresh seafood oooo. The nicest thing about this steamboat restaurant is that you get to fry your food yourself Abundant banana leaves and butter are provided for you. The satay chicken, pork and curry sotong are a must if you like to fry stuff. The butter is nicely placed on a plastic sauce holder (like those found in McD) in ball shapes.. cute.

Fry those yummy satay chicken

This is butter There a two types of soup base available, "ching thong" and tomyam. You are allowed to have both, but I recommend that you eat with "ching thong" because the tomyam soup tends to get very salty. On the other hand, the "ching thong" soup will be really sweet(esp if you add a lot of "lai liu ha" @ Mantis Prawn)

Boiling + Frying in action. The ice cream counter always has people lining up (even uncles and aunties ) Have all the ice-cream you want, it can never run out! 3 flavors are available: corn, chocolate and yam. I always have at least 3 rounds of ice-cream lol.. but warned though, the ice-cream is very very fulling and not recommended to have before you finish your steamboat. Be on a lookout for small kids that do not scoop the ice-cream into the cups provided, they eat from the spoon on the spot! Yuck..

Unlimited supply of ice-cream!

Fruits and jellies to help your digestion. I have been here for 3 times and spent an average of 3 hours every meal. Have it slow, chit-chat with your friends, take some memorable photos, eat more mantis/tiger prawns, oysters and crabs and your RM19.90 will be very worth spent.

GPS Coordinates: N 03°01.534′ E101°41.972′ (malfreemaps)
Hoi Tong Phone Number: 03-89436580 and 019-2582509

Korean cuisine; Beauty makes it tasty Posted by Thestposter.Food , Friday, April 2, 2010 at 9:28 PM, in Labels: Korean cuisine; Beauty makes it tasty - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Korean cuisine; Beauty makes it tasty

It has been a long tradition in Korea to serve important guests - especially from overseas - with food prepared with devotion and sincerity. When the leaders of other countries visit Korea or summits are held in this rich food culture, all eyes... are on the dining table. Guests are amused by the attractive culinary art of Korea and of course, above mouthwatering images will also please your eyes.

1. Cheongju, a clear Korean rice wine, and a traditional liquor from Jeju Island called 'huhbeoksul' were served on the welcome dinner table during the ASEAN summit in June.

History of Kimchi Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 9:21 PM, in Labels: History of Kimchi - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

History of Kimchi

Kimchi-making originated from the natural environment and the traditional food making methods used in Korea. It seems that it was made even before the Three Kingdoms period from the 4th to the 7th century A.D.

Korean people were an agricultural people, and they maintained a diet consisting mainly of grains, with side dishes mostly consisting of vegetables. In winter, to maintain this diet, they devised ways to preserve vegetables.

On the Korean Peninsula, wild green herbs that grow in the mountains and the fields, as well as cultivated vegetables, are used to make kimchi. Thanks to the climate, the vegetables are generally tender and are very flavorsome. The four distinct seasons contribute to the wide variety of vegetables, but in winter they are more or less nonexistent; therefore, Koreans needed to develop the special wisdom of preserving techniques such as drying or salting.

Kimchi in ancient times (before A.D. 918)

Koreans have enjoyed vegetables for a long time. Considering the use of salt and the making of soybean paste and other fermented foods, it seems that in Korea kimchi was made even before the Three Kingdoms period from the 4th to the 7th century A.D. According to the first records about kimchi in Goguryeojeon of Weizdongyizhuan in China's Sanguozhi (The Romance of the Three Kingdoms), written in A.D. 3, the Goguryeo people were very good at making fermented foods such as wine, soybean paste and salted and fermented fish, which supports the belief that fermented foods were widely enjoyed at that time.

Kimchi in the Goryeo period (A.D. 918-1392)

In the early Goryeo Dynasty, the followers of Buddhism suppressed meat consumption, and vegetables were preferred. The vegetables used in kimchi became much more diverse: turnip, white radish, eggplant, cucumber, wild leek, watercress, royal fern, hollyhock, gourd, bracken, taro, garlic, bamboo shoots, wild mustard leaves, lettuce, green onion and ginger roots. Also, juicy kimchi became popular, and the differentiation between juicy kimchi and plain kimchi occurred. Garnished kimchi also appeared, meaning kimchi now had garnishes such as garlic, and spices like Chinese pepper, ginger roots and tangerine peels added to the simple pickle-type kimchi.

Kimchi in the early Joseon period (A.D. 1392-1600)

In the early Joseon Dynasty, there was a renaissance of culture, a boom of agriculture, typography and astronomy as well as other industries. Thus, cultivated vegetables became much more abundant. Thanks to typography, books on agriculture could be distributed more widely and the methods of growing vegetables could easily be passed on. During this period many foreign vegetables were introduced to Korea and the ingredients became more varied. The methods of making kimchi progressed as well. The kimchi in this period came in a wide variety, from the simple pickled-type jangajji of earlier times, to singgeonji, which was desalinated and then garnished, to the juicy nabakji, which could be eaten instantly, and dongchimi, which is also juicy but needs time to ferment. During this period, the number of spices used in kimchi increased greatly, and the main ingredient was clearly differentiated from the secondary ingredients.

Kimchi after the mid-Joseon period (after A.D. 1600)

In the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty and onwards, there was an unprecedented growth in trade, and as a result the growth of cash crops became active. Various traditional vegetables, fruits, horticultural byproducts and herbs were made popular and these became kimchi's main ingredients as well as secondary ones.

During the Joseon Dynasty, many kinds of vegetables were introduced from other countries. Pumpkin, red chili pepper, sweet potato, white gourd, apple, and watermelon to name but a few. Red chili peppers, especially, brought about many changes in the Korean diet. From the previously humble and fresh taste of kimchi, there came to be a more complex yet harmonious tasting kimchi as red chili pepper became one of its main ingredients. The number of vegetables used as main and secondary ingredients of kimchi broadened as well. As red chili peppers were used in kimchi, many kinds of salted and fermented fish came to be used. The combined use of animal foods as well as vegetables in kimchi resulted in a great combination of taste and nutrition. It was also in this period that Korean cabbage and white radishes became the main ingredients of kimchi.

Kim Chi at Korean Food Cooking Class Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 9:16 PM, in Labels: Kim Chi at Korean Food Cooking Class - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Kim Chi at Korean Food Cooking Class

There is a saying : "to really understand one country's culture, you must try their food". So, what is the trademark food for Korea ? Yes, Kim Chi or Kim Cee is the most famous Korea food, not only for the local people but also at overseas.

Kimchi actually is a fermented vegetable dish highly seasoned with red pepper and garlic and is served at virtually all meals. Because for its popular, most of Korean Restaurants everywhere in the world are serving Kimchi soup for dessert or main menu.

For tourists who are visiting Korea, don't forget to take the Kimchi Making Lesson. There are many famous Korean cooking classes in Korea, include classes in royal palace cuisine at the National Palace Museum in Gyeongbokgung Palace, classes run by the Tteok Museum, and Yoo's Family's classes in Bukchon hanok village.


Kimchi Festival or Kimchi Contest is frequently hold by Korea governments now. Kimchi was again front and center on the Hansik (Korean food) tour arranged by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK) that took place at the Hanok Village in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla Province)

There are 3 main site for visitors to take Korean Cooking Classes :

1. The National Palace Museum of Korea at Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul.

The royal palace cuisine cooking classes at the National Palace Museum in Gyeongbokgung Palace have become particularly popular since the international success of the Korean TV drama, "Daejanggeum", which was set in a Joseon era palace kitchen. This is a good course for people looking to learn Korean cooking over a longer period. Courses last three months, and participants learn a new royal meal every week. For those interested in partaking, be sure to make prior reservations through the homepage.

Location：
National Palace Museum of Korea Annex 1F

Program :
Learn 12 different Royal Court dishes over a 12-week period (accompanied by a guide)
Experience programs will vary according to the season, so please inquire by telephone or via the homepage.

Course Dates & Times： Fridays (3-month regular course) 6:30pm ~ 8:00pm
Irregular Course: to be scheduled on Saturdays.

Fees for Ingredients:
- Ingredient costs for regular courses will vary from 15,000 to 20,000won
per month. (around 50,000 won total for 3 months)
- Irregular Courses: 4,000 won ~ 10,000 won per class.



2. Tteok museum

The Tteok Museum offers classes in cooking traditional dishes like tteok (traditional rice cakes) and kimchi. During the classes, participants can wear a hanbok, and at the end of class you can eat the food you've made. The programs are only available for groups of at least 20 people.

The museum is a short walk from the front gate of Changdeokgung Palace in the direction of Jongno 3-ga Station, Exit 6. It is open Monday to Saturday, 10:00—5:00 and on Sunday, 12:00—5:00. It is closed on Seollal and Chuseok. Entrance is 3,000 won.


3. Yoo's Family

At Yoo's Family's cooking classes, visitors can learn Korean dishes like kimchi, bulgogi, pajeon, and tteokbokki, which are popular among foreigners. Minimum of 2 people required per class. English and Japanese interpretation provided.


Some photos of Korean Cooking class like Kimchi and Tteok, and lesson at Korean Palace :


Kimchi, a pickled and fermented dish, is displayed in the Pulmuone Kimchi Museum in Seoul



The Hansik tour group is learning how to season kimchi



Cook Traditional Royal Court Delicacies at the National Palace Museum of Korea (Gyeongbokgung Palace)



The newly opened Gogung Tteurak Café, located inside the National Palace Museum of Korea, presents the ambiance of traditional Korea. The facility is divided into a souvenir shop and a café, serving traditional teas.



Tourist trying in making Utgitteok, an abundant pile of rice cakes topped with elegant decorations usually prepared for large events. We were also able to easily follow directions for Saektteok (colored rice cakes), which feature beautiful colors and shapes, often called Kkotsanjeok (meaning a mountain of flowers).



Famous Korean cooking classes, include classes in royal palace cuisine at the National Palace Museum in Gyeongbokgung Palace



Rice cake or TTeok. Tteok Museum teaches the history and tradition of Korae's Most Important treat



The group is listening how to make kimchi at Dongrakwon, Jeonju Hanok Village in Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla Province)



For most of the participants it was their first time to make kimchi, and they were intent on following the given instructions as precisely as possible, slicing the radish and mixing it with other seasonings.

Fresh Own Made Noodles * SS15, Subang Jaya Uncle Seng. Posted by Thestposter.Food , at 9:15 PM, in Labels: Fresh Own Made Noodles * SS15, Subang Jaya Uncle Seng. - Thestposterfoods / thestposter.blogspot.com / thestposterfoods.blogspot.com

Fresh Own Made Noodles * SS15, Subang Jaya Uncle Seng.

I read from some blogs saying that Uncle Seng Fresh Own Made Noodles @ SS15 Subang Jaya is pretty good and worth a try. So last weekend on the way to Kepong we made a stop for lunch there. I was shocked by the number of customers crowding the place, from students to families. Usually this would be a good sign of things to come. But unfortunately it turned out to be a disappointing experience.
I bet many are going to disagree with what I am going to say about Uncle Seng's noodles. But first, lets just agree that we all have different taste buds – and I am in no way saying mine is better. I've never been a food critic and I will never be one. Criticizing food has never been the reason I started this blog. Anything about me disliking a particular food is just my sole opinion and please don't get offended even if you 101% disagree with me.

Types of noodles offered here range from Char Siew Wan Tan, Braised Pork, Chicken Feet Mushroom, Curry Chicken etc – you get the drift. Combination like Curry Chicken and Char Siew is allowed as long as you are willing to pay extra. The price for a bowl ranges somewhere from RM4.60 to RM7.80.
This is my Braised Pork Noodle @ RM6. The braised pork itself was tender and flavorful, nothing to complain about. But when it comes to the noodle, which is supposed to be Uncle Seng's main selling point, it was just a total let down. Totally bland and not springy at all, there's hardly even any texture.

Next, Char Siew Wan Tan noodle @ RM4.60. We quite liked the char siew and wan tan but the noodles was totally out. We had to season our noodles with A LOT of ground white pepper and light soya sauce just to make it more flavorful.

It looks appetizing alright.. but looks can be deceiving.

I poured lotsa these stuff…

Sensing our displeasure, the cashier (whom I assume was Uncle Seng himself?) came over and suggested to us that we should mix the chili sauce into the noodles for a better taste. I tried it and still, I didn't like how the taste turned out.
To describe the taste, imagine chicken rice's chili sauce – thicker and sweeter, then imagine mixing tablespoons of it into your Wantan Mee. There are even suggestions that you POUR the chili sauce GENEROUSLY on the noodles.. wtf? Am I eating some sort of Chinese spaghetti now? Oh well, enough said.

This was my first time encountering a noodle so lacking in confidence in its own taste that required so much additional seasoning to make it taste better. And the better here actually means less sucky. Definitely not a returning customer here.
Again, the above are only my personal opinion and not meant to hurt any individual or business. I am just an ordinary person who happens to blog. And it so happens that I blog about food. By the way, I think this post is quite funny in a way lol.