Bak Chang Festival or Rice Dumpling - Zongzi is upon us!

I love Bak Chang or Rice Dumpling Festival, it'll soon be upon us :-) Thanks to Aunty Dr L for the two home-made dumplings :-) SLURP!

Step 1: Steam...


Step 2: Unwrap :-)


Step 3: Enjoy!


Wikipedia
Zongzi (or zong) is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. They are known in Japanese as chimaki. Laotians, Thais, Cambodians, and Vietnamese (bánh tro) also have similar traditional dishes influenced by zongzi.
Zongzi (also known as rice dumpling) is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duanwu; Cantonese: Tuen Ng) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (approximately early to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period.
Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the expansionism of their Qin neighbors. When the Qin Dynasty general Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning the Lament for Ying. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating the poet's body. Another version states that zongzi were given to placate a dragon that lived in the river.

Steamed bread at Tin Loong Suan, is this Hulu Bernam or Tanjung Malim?

The famed steam bread at Kalumpang near Tanjung Malim has been beaten by .... Kedai Kopi dan Arak Tin Loong Suan, at Hulu Bernam! Soft, fluffy, warm, with a generously large fresh-from-fridge-cold piece of butter :-) Enjoyed with a cuppa strong coffee, marvellous!



So, is this Hulu Bernam or TM? Selangor or Perak?
The answer ... is of course on Wikipedia's entry abt Tg Malim :-)
Around 1766, Perak Sultan Mahmud Shah crowned the Bugis prince Lumu as Sultan Salahuddin Shah to establish the Selangor Sultanate. Sungai Bernam is agreed as the natural border and this tiny village happens to be divided by it. Today, the Selangor side is known as Ulu Bernam while the Perak side is Tanjong Malim.

New KFC in town! Tanjung Malim

Nicely refurbished, renovated and re-built KFC in TM town :-) Yay!

Ah... Ice-cold Milo! Bliss :-)

Approx. RM$14 for bag of fries, two drumsticks, and two milos .... No one said that KFC was cheap these days, and it ain't. But what you get is THE BEST KFC original recipe in the world ... ever :-) We ordered a side helping of cheesy wedges, and as Anthony Bourdain and his brethen pointed out, this AIN'T real cheese :-)

I am glad D was well amused by his Delivery Boy toy, left his bro S with the Chicken Chef :-) with "action-omelette-pan"!

Nasi Lemak at Gerai Haji Din, Tanjung Malim police station

Another visit home to TM, means a stop over at Gerai Haji Din opposite the TM police station.


I have returned here many a time since my first visit back in February this year and I am still impressed every time by the simplicity, freshness of the rice and egg, crunchiness of the long beans, and consistency of the sweet sambal. Fabulous!


L had half-boiled eggs instead, less sinful :-)

Return to Wang Chiew, Seapark - SS2

Add: 30, Jalan SS2/103, PJ
Tel: +603 7722 3662

The rather incomparable Wang Chiew was our dinner venue late one evening ... Thanks to A and KT for joining us :-) Beermonster couldn't make it, alas...

Xiong tong Spinach ... bit of soup and vege. Ah ... nice!

Curry tofu ... another signature dish here. Yummy!

Pai kuat wong, always an excellent choice here!

Signature crayfish ... Not as good as on previous nights!

Do make reservations before-hand, you can see they have even prepared a sign that says "FULL" as they are on most nights!

Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

A good value Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon from the Barossa Valley, this bottle retails for RM$55 at your local Jusco.



My verdict ... Light drinking with little body, a good "movie" wine!

Pisang Goreng Ah Sow - Taman Eng Ann, Klang

Not far from Alliance Bank, on the corner of the Eng Ann Klang square, you will spot this humble road-side goreng pisang stall, serving some excellent Pisang Goreng aka Banana Fritters / Fried bananas.

Do you smell what the Rock is cooking .... ;-)

RM$0.30 each ... or get a bag of six for RM$1. Dirt cheap. Bloody good!

Aunty, is a third generation popiah maker, and moved her stall here 13-years ago. She learned the trade from her grandma who was in Sekinchang.

Uncle was making some popiah alongside ... :-)

Kee Heong Bak Kut Teh, Eng Ann - Klang

One very special afternoon a year, three months, and two weeks ago ... I visited Eng Ann Klang's KEE HEONG for the first time, and today ... dad wanted to make a return visit :-)


I am cutting back on the Yau Char Kuey, but dad insisted on having some ...


Fat ... or lean ... The choice is yours :-) Not my favourite BKT, but still decent and well loved by many, I personally prefer Berkeley's, Pandamaran's, Teluk Pulai's and the one near Pawagam Seri Intan Klang.


I figured the very herbal-y test Bak Kut Teh served at Kee Heong is due to the infusion of kei-chee, that's the red spice on top of the right-hand piece of pork below! Had to becareful not to get my Canon G9 too close to the shot, as the macro is capable of a 1cm shot! Shudder... pork-stained lens :-)


You know in most clubs and pubs, if you order a bottle (and you should) of Macallan or similar liquors, and you don't finish the bottle before you leave, you get a bottle custody card, and they store it in a cabinet ... well, similar system here, except the storage is for TEA! Yes, precious tea of the patrons :-) I also noticed a bottle of ABC or XYZ or XKL tablets, perhaps for carbo-burning!!!?

Doktor Cermin - Bintang, Setengah bulan, Mata lembu and Retak

Anything can be fixed ...



Call Doktor Cermin!
Bintang, Setengah bulan, Mata lembu, Retak and more!

Beware! Pregnant Mom on board

A bloke was driving this car, spotted in Klang ... of course :-)



ps - The car sticker on the back windscreen says, "Pregnant MOM on board!"

Ginger steamed fish and superb Pineapple at Hou Moon, Goh Hock Huat - Klang

Another superb makan place in Klang town ...


Add: 34 & 36, Jalan Hip Hing, off Jalan Goh Hock Huat, Klang
Tel: +603 3343 0467
Opening hours: 9.30am - 3.30pm (Monday - Friday) ; 9.30am - 3.30pm & 6pm - 9pm (Saturday / Sunday). Close on alternate Thursdays.


The signature dish amazed me, the deep Bentong-ginger infused steamed fish :-) Glorious! We also ordered some roast duck, which was good, and a dish of excellent fried long beans and brinjal.



Some history from rasarasa.net
IN THE over 20 years since it opened in 1986, Hou Moon has transformed itself almost completely from a roast duck rice restaurant to one selling primarily seafood. Roast duck is still being sold but only at a rather inconspicuous corner. Today, if someone walks in, it is most likely that he is pointed to steamed fish and prawns on the menu.
Hou Moon was located in the initial 12 years along Lebuh Gopeng. It was moved to the present premises in 1998. The owners, Chai Pak Chuen and wife Yeoh Kim Lian, come from a family involved in the food business – which partly explains why Hou Moon could transform so radically so fast. For this reason, one can also expect very fresh seafood here.

Aunt G, with her deep local knowledge, ordered half a pineapple for dessert (aka 2 slices, cut into little chunks) which was incredibly deep in flavour and sweetness despite its lack of colour. Yes, its pale, but boy was it juicy!