Project-κ 21: Dry Bak Kut Teh @ Terminal 2

Seremban may not be so famous for its Bak Kut Teh as it is, after all, usually associated with Klang! However, this restaurant called "Restoran Bak Kut Teh Fei Chan" at Terminal 2, Seremban offers a new twist to the traditional bak kut teh! They have DRY bak kut teh and other signature dishes! Now, now.... dry bak kut teh isn't something totally new! Klang apparently had this for centuries (exaggeration here)! And so, to find this in Seremban is really my first. Hence, the need to recommend this place not only to tourists but locals alike!

Besides the said traditional bak kut teh (that is meat in soup) and the dry version, they also have a couple of dishes which are worth mentioning and highly recommended by me! One of it, which is my family's favourite, is the Spicy Burning Meat (for bao yok). I wouldn't elaborate the traditional bak kut teh as seen below as I believe everyone would have known how bak kut teh tastes like. Strong and flavourful with herbs which is perfect to be eaten during these cold monsoon seasons at night! It literally warms you up! :D

The dry bak kut teh..... didn't taste as what I would expect it to be! Haha.... when I heard of the word DRY bak kut teh, what I had in mind was meat (and other common bak kut teh ingredients) being stir fried till all the herbal essence being infused into the ingredients, dry or in thick herbal gravy. Try to imagine the traditional bak kut teh being slow boiled till dry so that the meat in it locks in all the herbal goodness! (OMG! My saliva is drooling!) Hahaha..... :P

But Fei Chan's version was somewhat similar to braised fried pork (char cu yok). Stir fried in onions, dried chillies and ladyfingers. The half fatty and skinny pork chunks are tender and flavourful to taste! It was not bad..... like I said, a change to the traditional type. Worth trying!

Now, the highlight would be the Spicy Burning Meat! I love this! My family love this! We all love this! LOL!!! Pork slices being stir fried with LOTS of dried chillies, bird's eye chillies (cili padi), dried shrimps and salted fish. Then topped with onion slices and onion leaves! It tastes really really good! This is highly recommended! Seriously! Don't be afraid because of the name of this dish... it won't burn your tongue off! I mean.... it's not THAT hot! But hot enough to keep you perspiring and mucus running from your nose throughout the whole meal till you find yourself an air-cond to cool you down! Hahaha.... But really..... it's good! :P

Of course, like any restaurant in their right mind, they do serve greeny vegetables stir fried to your liking and also yau char guai too. Below is a sample of vegetables (bo lei sang choy) I ordered just to complete the healthy balance diet! :)

Also, this restaurant serves Chicken in Rice Wine, Chicken in Hua Tiao Wine, Braised Trotters in Vinegar, and Sauna Bak Kut Teh (recommended by chef) which I have YET to taste them! 

Restoran Bak Kut Teh Fei Chan

31-G, Jalan Era Square 3,

Era Square, Seremban,

70200 Negeri Sembilan.

Tel. no.: 010-2799972

Business hour: 11am - 3pm; 6pm - 10pm

Opens everyday EXCEPT Monday

Project-κ 20 : Pork Belly Noodles (Chu Lam Fun)

Seremban beef noodle is no stranger to anyone now. Come Seremban, the few first things that a local will recommend would be the beef noodle itself, located at Seremban Wet Market. Recently, there's this restaurant made a few adjustment to the famous beef noodle by catering it to the non-beef eater, like me! What they are selling is somewhat similar to Sin Yee Kee's signature dish, only that they replace beef slices with pork belly slices! And beef balls, with pork balls....

The reason why I choose to blog about this place is not because it is exceptionally tasty (it's not bad I would say)...... but I find it to be kinda special... I mean, why in the world it takes people SO LONG to come out with a pork version beef noodle???!!! Padahal, it's just replacing those miserable slices of red meat! >.<

Anyway....... The place is located at Jalan Rahang Kecil, opposite Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Seremban. Right after the traffic lights (if you are coming from Bukit Blossom or Taman SEA) at the flyover, take an immediate left and it's there! The restaurant reads, "Restaurant Hing Hoi", with a big, bright yellow signage.

There are quite a few other dishes being sold there like Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken rice, Chicken Chop, Century egg porridge; but the only things worth mentioning are its Pork Belly Noodles (Chu Lam Fun) and Paper wrapped chickens (Chi Bao Gai).

Priced at RM4.50 per bowl, its Chu Lam Fun is not bad, really. Just like the beef noodle, it has the usual fried preserved vegetables (char choy), sesame seeds, peanuts and thick gravy! Tastewise, I can't compare to the beef noodle because I don't take beef (remember?). Though not very generous with the pork, the tenderness and flavourful slices made up for it. By looking at the picture, it doesn't look appetising right? Yeah I know.... the cook could have spend some time on presentation! LOL! But it tastes better than it look. You should try it... just for the sake of the owner coming up with this idea! Hahaha.....

Paper wrapped chicken (Chi Bao Gai) is sold at RM3 each! I find it rather pricey. But its their signature dish! The chicken is wrapped in a piece of paper (yes! literally!) and deep fried! So, you've got to tear the paper before eating the chicken. The chicken is less oily if cooked this way. The juiciness of the chicken is retained but the only messy part is tearing off the oily piece of paper.... Of course, this is a favourite among lots of children! :)
I didn't order it this time because I don't feel like eating oily stuff then.....

The place was kinda crowded initially when it opens. But yesterday when I went there, it looks rather quiet. I am not sure why..... maybe it's because of the service... I was shocked when a customer shouted at the waiter for showing attitude when he was short changed. I don't know who is right or who is wrong.... but it wasn't a pleasant sight.... lots of tension I tell ya!
Sometimes, good food but bad service would make a horrible experience.

But for me..... it's OK lar~~~

Project-κ 19: Tai Chow @ Medan Selera Permai (Permai Food Court)

I've blogged about Medan Selera Permai having really good satay before (here), this time... I'll blog about a tai chow (literally translated to "big fry" which loosely mean stir fry) stall situated at the corner of this food court. By day, it sells economy rice while by night, it cooks up a storm with its tai chow dishes. 

Of course, just like a typical Chinese restaurant, this stall is able to cook almost any dishes you can find elsewhere but priced at a lower price. I (or rather my dad) had ordered a few of their specialties a.k.a. chef's recommendations. First up is wu tao kow yok (braised pork with yam), this dish has a distinct sweet taste mixed with a hint of salt and spices. The pork slices in between yam pieces are half skinny and half fat. The fat will literally melt in your mouth! This is definite my dad's favourite dish!

Any youngsters or if you have a sweet tooth, you'll definitely enjoy the next dish - marmite chicken! Bite size pieces of chicken are fried to perfection and coated in thick, sweet marmite sauce!! I absolutely love this! Actually....it's the sauce that I love the most! LOL! XP This dish also comes in pork ribs too! 

Another heavenly dish would be the assam fish! This is a must-have! Every time we dine here, we'll order this! The fish is really fresh and huge! Served with an array of greens like okra, tomatoes, onions, etc. the sour and spicy sauce makes it really finger licking good. And OH! There's pork crackling in it too!! Yum yum~~

I'm not sure bout the price although it is stated on its sign board cause I can't read Chinese. But I think it's RM6 for greens while RM8 onwards for meat dishes! :)

Project-κ 18: Laksa @ Restoran Asia

It's rather chilly these few days with the rain, isn't it? Well, I can't think of any better days to eat a fiery, hot and spicy bowl of laksa other than today! Went for food blogging out of the blues and decided to introduce Restoran Asia in Rahang, Seremban, which is no stranger to any Seremban-ians at all! LOL!

To make things clearer, there is actually another restaurant with the same name located at Senawang. I'm not sure which is the main shop and which is the branch, but I think both serve equally good laksa! 

The one in Rahang is located right opposite the post office. If you are coming from Bukit Blossom, the shop is the 3rd before the traffic lights. You got to keep your eyes wide open as its sign board is kinda faded, so it ain't attention grabbing at all. Moreover it is sort of being blocked by a stall by the road side. 

A typical bowl of laksa is served with half an egg, tofu puffs, fish cakes, and si ham (cockles). Of course, if you prefer, you can opt out the cockles if you don't like them. I know I don't! LOL! Below is the 'normal' bowl of laksa minus the cockles..... They'll give you few pieces of pork to compensate for the lost cockles. :P

I, on the other hand, ordered one with curry chicken in it! 2 pieces were given and it tasted pretty good. But somehow I think it's pretty expensive as my bowl of small laksa with curry chicken costs RM4, which is the same price with a big portion of laksa.

What I like about Restoran Asia's laksa is the hot soup itself! It's rather thick and creamy minus the oily and greasy feeling!! There wasn't much oil in it and I like how the consistency of the soup - some sort like a gravy instead! Taste wise it's HOT!! But not as much as to being unbearable! A very satisfying taste for a chill windy day!

And together with the noodles, oh......before that, of course, like most noodle stalls, you can choose your favourite noodles be it beehoon, yellow mee or kwey teow and can be mixed too......you'll be given a small plate of extra chilli to add to the spiciness and 'omph' you require! I like the chilli too.... it's pretty good and tasty. My aunt once bought their home-made chilli by bottles! Haha... XD

Price are RM3.20 for small; RM3.70 for medium and RM4 for a large portion. Additional of 80 cents will be charged for chicken curry. 

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch right till 2 or 3pm. Notice how blur the writing on the sign board is? So, open your eyes wide guys! :D

Restoran Asia

Jalan Semarak 2,

Rahang, Seremban.

Project-κ 17: Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kawan

Went "blog walking" one day and saw a blogger blogged about this place serving "the best porridge in Seremban". While I do not fancy porridge that much, I didn't bother trying this place out the first time I read it. Then again, since I am being so idle at home during my holidays I've decided, what the heck! Just go and snap some pictures....besides, Project-κ has not been running for quite a while already! So, I went there yesterday with a friend of mine after a karaoke session at GreenBox! :P

Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kawan is situated at Temiang. From Temiang's KFC, go straight and turn right at the first junction. Then at a second junction, turn right again. You should see a Chinese temple on your right and this restaurant is located on your left just 10 meters away from the Chinese temple. It is a corner lot shop. Next to it is Seremban Kee Mei Siew Pow.

We reached at 6pm but the shop just opened and workers are busy laying out chopsticks. Rupa-rupanya business starts at 6.30pm on weekdays and 6.00pm on weekends. According to the blogger, Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kawan is closed on every Tuesday. So we decided to walk about till it's time. 

["The 3 stooges"]....was bored waiting for our order so I snapped this 3 bottles of condiments on our table. We came back at 6.30pm sharp and the shop is already packed! Only 2 tables remained empty!

The "general" look of porridges served. Topped with spring onions and shredded fried noodle-like-thingy.

[My friend's chicken porridge] The texture of this porridge is quite smooth! Served with generous amount of chunky chicken pieces. Taste wise it is flavourful. You don't need "the help from the 3 stooges" at all! LOL! My friend gave a 2 thumbs up for Kawan's porridge!

[My chee cap (pig's offal) porridge] I want to confess, I HATE offals!!! I told me friends, I eat (almost) everything except beef and weird stuff, offals included! I just don't like the taste!! Nonetheless, I brave myself to sample this bowl of offal porridge for the sake of writing this post. Surprisingly it is quite edible! Unlike offals served elsewhere, the offals in this bowl of porridge is (I hate to admit it) quite delicious! There was no smell or weird taste in it! A mixture of tripe, liver, pork and fried intestines are served. I simply LOVE the fried intestine! Simply awesome! Crispy and very very flavourful! My bowl of porridge was even more flavourful than my friend's chicken porridge! Texture wise, it is a little more "rough and rice-y" than its counterpart. And I managed to finish everything! This is amazing considering I don't fancy offals that much! Each bowl of porridge costs RM3.50; accoding to baby_sumo there are fish porridge too. But too bad, on that day, only this 2 are available. 

[Our side order of a quarter of pak cham kai (steamed chicken)] In order to have the "complete experience", we don't wanna miss out on the numerous steamed chickens hanging on the stall. I've read that these chicken are so good that they are sold off in an hour's time! And true enough. It is quite tasty! Priced at RM10 for a quarter, the chicken are so smooth....smoother than those found in the porridge! And you bet....rich in taste too! Definitely one good helping of steamed chicken. May even give famous Ipoh Chicken rice a run for their money! LOL! 

The only stall in the whole restaurant that operates during dinner time. Do give it a try! :)

Of Hakka Chinese and our cuisine

I don't know why, as I sit here doing nothing, there was a sudden urge for me to search the web and get down with a lil' history of my people, the Hakka Chinese, and of course, my interest - its food! Hakka are less known to many people, well at least that's what I think in Malaysia. So, I'll like to bore introduce you guys with a lil' something about my people!

"The Hakkas are a practical lot and have a long tradition of making the best of a bad situation. They have no qualms in moving on to another place in search of a better life and hence earned their name – Hak, which means ''guest'' and ga, ''family''."

Kuali.com; Tuesday, June 03, 2003

"The Hakka people also known as Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and based in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian in China. Their ancestors were often said to have arrived from what is today's central China centuries ago. It is said that in a series of migrations, the Hakkas moved, settled in their present locations in southern China, and then migrated overseas to various countries throughout the world. They have had a significant influence on the course of Chinese and overseas Chinese history: in particular, they have been a source of revolutionary, political, and military leaders."

Wikipedia; Hakka people

 Famous Hakka people include Sun Yat-sen, Lee Kuan Yew, Fann Wong, Yap Ah Loy, Eric Tsang and Chow Yun-fat just to name a few.

All right, enough about our people, now a lil' something bout our Hakka cuisine which are well described by Kuali.com, so I thought to use its description for this post about food.

"Hakka cuisine may be described as outwardly simple but tasty."

"Hakka cuisine in Hong Kong is less dominated by expensive meats, instead emphasis is placed on an abundance of vegetables. Pragmatic and simple, Hakka cuisine is garnished lightly with sparse or little flavouring."

Wikipedia; Hakka people 

1. Yong Tau Foo

~ Traditionally, making the yong tau foo meant stuffing small pieces of bean curd with ground meat, lightly browning them in hot oil before steaming or braising them in a pot. The yong tau foo as it is known in Malaysia today are more likely to be stuffed with fish rather than meat paste. The commercial varieties that we know so well are really a far cry from the Hakka original.

2. Hakka noodle

~ This bowl of noodle needs no introduction! Commonly found in almost everywhere in Seremban. Simple yet tasty plain noodle with only shredded pork as toppings. Seremban's most famous Hakka noodle can be found here.

3. Salt-baked chicken 

~ Another of their notoriously salty dishes is salt-baked chicken in which chicken, often marinated with wine, is wrapped in paper and baked in hot salt in a covered wok till cooked

4. Rice wine chicken

~ A more salubrious dish that the Hakkas are famous for is chicken cooked in a sweet homemade rice wine. It is a simple dish that uses little seasoning – often just ginger and a dash of salt – to bring out the taste of chicken and the quality of the brew so the winemaker’s skill plays a very important part in this dish. The dish is also served to new mothers during their period of confinement.

5. Braised fried pork

~ fried pork marinated overnight in 5-spices-powder and wine, then braised with black fungus for hours.

6. Pork belly (Kiu nyuk)

~ There are two versions of Kiu Nyuk, the most common consists of sliced pork with preserved mustard greens - thick slices of pork belly, with a layer of preserved mustard greens between each slice, are cooked and served in a dark sauce made up of soy sauce and sugar. The other version is cooked with yam or taro. Usually pork belly are used, for its layers of fat and meat. The yam and pork are shallow fried until browned before being steamed with five spice.

7. Lui cha (pounded tea) Rice

~ Yet another dish that demands elaborate preparation is the oddly named Thunder Tea Rice (lui cha funin Hakka); the ''thunder'' possibly is the din created during the cutting, pounding and grinding of tea leaves, vegetables and nuts that go into the making of this extraordinary dish.

8.  Sohn Pan Tzai (Abacus beads)

~ The daintiest of Hakka dishes is perhaps the suan pan ji (abacus beads), so called because the button-shaped taro snack resembles the beads on the Chinese abacus. A dough made of mashed yam is boiled and then stir-fried with minced meat and chopped vegetables to make a tasty snack.

9. Pig trotter vinegar

~  Trotters are often served whole with the skin fried to a crisp or chopped into big chunks and stewed in sweet black vinegar. The Hakkas also waste no parts of the pig and are known for their skills in turning offal into delectable nibbles.

10. Poon Choy (Big Bowl feast)

~Poon Choi includes ingredients such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, abalone, ginseng, shark fin, fish maw, prawn, crab, dried mushroom, fishballs, squid, dried eel, dried shrimp, pigskin, beancurd and Chinese radish. Poon Choi is special in that it is composed of many layers of different ingredients. It is also eaten layer by layer instead of "stirring everything up". Traditional Village Poon Choi is served in large metal washing bowls with a perforated metal plate at the bottom to keep food from burning, as it is kept warm on a portable stove as it is being served.

11. Black Tortoise Kueh (Cake)

~ The 'Orh' (Black) Ku Kueh or Black Tortoise Cake which I have here could have been a Hakka snack. I am just guessing as these black ku kueh gets it black hue from the leaves of the Rami, Choy Yip or Mugworts plant. These leaves are favored by the Hakkas and widely used in their traditional cakes to give them their distinctive black and I believe, for their medicinal properties too!

So........these are but a few of Hakka dishes which are more famous..... There are some desserts and home-cooked food that are worth mentioning but I just can't find pictures to show. Hmm.....I guess this will do and hope you get an insight of the Hakka peeps! ;)

Project-κ 14: Prawn Noodles @ Sam Kok Tei

Another must-try when you go to Sam Kok Tei (triangle square) at Jalan Yam Tuan in the evening, is the prawn noodle sold near the main junction, right opposite Domino's pizza and almost next to the silky, smooth Tau Foo Fa at the bus stop.

Sold at RM 4.00 per bowl, this, I swear, is probably the best prawn noodle in......*let's be modest*.....Seremban, will do. LOL! Famous blogger VKeong recommended his best prawn noodle in the Klang valley but I would say, our local prawn noodle beats his F-L-A-T!!!

One can choose from the different types of noodles available and each is served with fishballs, fu chok, kangkung, beansprouts and of course, the superb, spicy-sweet, lip-smacking, big-sized prawns!

The prawns are worth your every penny and highly recommended by me! Try it! It is so good that I ate the whole thing including its head AND shell! LOL! Also, do sample their homemade chilli paste for the ultimate taste of the noodle. I scooped spoonful after spoonful of it onto every bite of my noodles. It's soooooooooooo good! Yes, it's spicy, but there's a hint of sweetness in it too. I think it's the same marinate that they use for their fabulous prawns.

The stall is managed by an old couple. They told me that they had been in this business for more than 30 years already! Due to their old age, they confessed that they can't cope with too many customers at once. So, please be patient if you were to wait long after ordering. Haha....

Closed on every Wednesday and Thursday

Opens at 6pm - finish (usually 11pm)

Note: Also closed for the whole stretch of Chinese New Year (15 days)

Project-κ 13: Curry Leaf Restaurant

Besides Top Curry House, there's also another great place to go for a decent Indian meal in Seremban. More popular among the Chinese, maybe because it was managed by an Indian-Chinese couple and has more Chinese-style dishes amongst its array of available choices. But don't get me wrong here, the spiciness and that "Indian taste" to their food are not compromised nonetheless. Which is good news for Indian food lovers like me! *wink wink*

Curry Leaf serves almost all types of Indian food imaginable: from banana leaf rice to nasi briyani; roti canai, thosai to naan bread; tandoori chicken to varuval mutton; different different types of vegetarian dishes; your regular teh tarik or teh halia to a refreshing lassi drink that comes in assorted flavours! Below: Mango lassi priced at RM3.50 per glass.

One of my all time favourite is their fried squid - perfectly deep fried in red flour batter, sprinkled with sesame seeds, with a squeeze of lime, topped with ringed onions and of course, curry leaves! It is very crispy with a slight sweet, spicy and sour lime juice flavour which makes this a perfect dish for anything you are eating especially rice.

Another notable dish is their fried chicken. Bursting with flavours, crispy batter on the outside and tender meat on the inside! Tell me......who doesn't like fried stuff?? LOL!

At RM5.00, you get to enjoy their banana leaf rice. Comes with 8 vegetarian side dishes (yes guys, you read that right....8 side dishes!) - pumpkin, varuval potatoes, brinjals, long beans, sambal tofu, cabbage, bittergourd just to name a few; papadams; a choice of hot fish, chicken or dhall curry, this is one heck of an economy rice! Taste wise, it is definitely your above average type of banana leaf set! Just nice for the Chinese palate and tastebuds.

Their naan bread also deserves some limelight too. I've ordered a garlic naan here. Naan is a healthier version of bread as it is baked in a terracota clay oven and not fried - ideal for weight watchers. Haha.... It is non-oily, topped with a generous amount of chopped garlics and and has a strong buttery taste that can still be tasted even if you dip it in your choice of curries! I totally enjoyed this - very much!

********************

Curry Leaf Restaurant

No. 1274 & 1275,

Jalan Rasah, Seremban

Best Lou Poh Peng (Wife's Cake) in the world!!! Fresh from Hong Kong

My grandaunt from Hong Kong just touched down at KLIA on Friday; and she brought me one of the world's best (and of course my ultimate favourite) Wife's Cakes (lou poh peng in Cantonese) along!!!!!!

Together with the Wife's Cakes, she also got me a box of Century Egg Cakes (pei tan sou) too! Which is ALSO my favourite! XP

The Wife's Cakes is different from those made in Malaysia (typically Penang). I'm being very just in my opinion, I think these Hong Kong's Wife's Cakes are so much better than local ones! It's crispy crusted on the outside with soft and just-the-right-sweetness (very lightly sweetened but enough to give you that harmonious feeling ~ If you know what I mean. :P) glutinous rice filling that makes every bite a jolly good one!

The Century Egg Cakes are also worth mentioning! They are very different and special - imagine, half a century egg being stuffed inside lotus paste fillings and baked till the skin is crispy! OoooOooooOOoohhh.... simply divine! I simply love these cakes! XD

I almost ate half of both boxes of cakes on my own! LOL! For something this good, I'll have to wait for my grandaunt's next visit or simply fly to Hong Kong to buy them! XP

Project-κ 12: Dim Sum @ Min Kok Restaurant

Occasionally, we get cravings to go for something a lil' more expensive for breakfast - dim sum! So, where better place to go in Seremban, if it's not Min Kok Restaurant?

Serving, what I think is, the best egg tarts, this is the perfect place to be for a lazy late Sunday breakfast.

Their egg tarts are kind of special because it is layered with a base of kaya! Imagine the taste of sweet kaya and smooth egg filling together with the crispy-easy-to-crumble crust! This is no doubt one of my favourite egg tarts in Seremban. I can't find these anywhere but here. A must order if you are having breakfast here! Erm-em!!

Other dim sum are quite good too. There are a lot of varieties and price wise? Pretty much dim sum pricing....not very expensive, really. And not very cheap too. XP

Steamed char siew pow

Crispy yam dumplings! (Woo kok)

Fried fu chok with fish paste; Char siew chee cheong fun; variety of fried pork, char siew and tofu

A handful of dim sum available. These are just a few from the many served.

The restaurant - front view

How to get there??? Map below:

Restoran Min Kok Sdn. Bhd.

Min Kok Dim Sum Sdn. Bhd.

No 7645, Lot 5990,

Jalan Labu Lama, (Terminal 2),

70200 Seremban,

Negeri Sembilan.

Tel : 06-7618458, 06-7619717, 06-7615157

Fax : 06-7615428

http://www.minkok.com/

Opening hours (7 days a week):

Dim Sum

7.30 am - 2.30 pm

Restaurant

12.00 pm - 2.30 pm

5.30 pm - 10.30 pm