Shanmuga in Berkeley

Shanmuga in Berkeley.

The best nasi lemak used to be from Shanmuga in Taman Berkeley in Klang. Served hot in a banana leaf and old newspaper wrapped packet, it goes very well with their crispy fried chicken and iced milk tea. With so many gangsters in town, I was surprised no epic fights broke out at the narrow open space car park jammed full of double parkers.

I was also nervous and hoped I don’t see an abandoned and lost dog in the surroundings. Some Klang people are sick people with a fetish for owning a Siberian Husky in our warm tropical climate. They don’t take care of them and the poor dogs end up with yellowish and untidy coat. To make matters worse, they like to bring the dogs out with them in their cars. They lose the dogs and make no effort in finding them. I personally know such irresponsible and callous owners from Klang.

#shanmuga #klang #husky #nasilemak #tamanberkely #tamanengann

It’s A Hokkien Thing

When my mom is lazy, she cooks Tua Chye Perng or Chinese green mustards rice. 大菜饭 The same vege 大菜 is used to make pickled kiam chye or salted vegetable. It was a recipe handed to her by her mother or my late grandmother. It was humble food popular with the poor people of Fujian, China. It is a cost saving meal as no separate dishes are required.

It is similar to yam, pumpkin, long bean, carrots, mushroom, potato and cabbage rice. Collectively, they are known as “kiam perng” or salty / savoury rice. 咸饭Some call it Chinese Rice Casserole when meat such as boneless chicken and sausage are used.

I used to hate tua chye when I was a kid. The mustards smelled terrible when it was cooked. Now it seems worse, I always panic thinking I smelled a whiff of leaking cooking gas. To make it more palatable, pre cooked heh bee or tiny dried shrimps, pork and sauces are added before going into the rice cooker.

Although I still dislike it, I eat it because I respect tradition and think fondly of my late granny.

#rice #tradition #fujian #hokkien

Lemang Bonda Emma

Searching For Bonda

The Proof Of The Pudding Is In The Eating.

Unwrapped the old Chinese newspaper back home and the glutinous rice (pulut) is fragrant with coconut milk and is evenly cooked.

Remember to ask them to split open the bamboo tube. Don’t attempt to do it yourself unless you have a hardy knife and garden gloves. The bamboo tubes can be dangerously sharp.

A banana leaf is wrapped around the rice to add flavour and to prevent it from sticking to the bamboo surface when cooking.

From experience, I find the leaf sticking to the rice instead. In this case, it peeled off cleanly without tearing or leaving remnants.

The lemang comes in two sizes, RM10 and RM8. Go for the smaller one as it somehow tastes better. Even the cook thinks so.

I bought both types of rendang – RM8 per (generically named) tupperware to test. The chicken, unless you specifically request for thigh, is too hard.

Beef is a different story altogether. It is heavenly. It is almost like Indian Kheema, minus the peas. Coarse minced meat size and completely boneless.

Verdict: Lemang Bonda is indeed Awesome. Happy to have one of the most satisfactory lemang and rendang combos for Raya. Thanks again Aidi, for the recommendation.

Directions: The reason why first-timers and outsiders cannot find the place is that even the owners of the stall give a confusing address.

Lot 3424A Jalan PKNS is puzzling. On Google Maps and Waze, look instead for Jalan Bukit Badak, Kampung Melayu Subang. If you come from Pekan Subang, it is near the other end where Petron is.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 1250, f13, 1/60 sec.

#foodphotography #lemang #pulut #rendang #lemangbonda #review #delicacy #malayfood #hariraya #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss

Rainbow Bagels Are Unicorn Poop?

Rainbow Bagels Are Unicorn Poop?

The rainbow bagel, which I first saw last year. at the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar are back again this year, I heard.

Young and old were captivated by the psychedelic bread which originated in The Bagel Store in Brooklyn. Bagels are a bread product originating in the Jewish communities of Poland.

The rainbow versions became hipster Ramadan bazaar food in Singapore. It was made for the Instagram generation.

The Geylang Serai bazaar has over 1000 stalls and lots of new food to try. Find a hotel here, should you visit:
http://www.mycen.my/singapore-hotel-deals-finder/

#ramadan #ramadanbazaar #geylangserai #rainbowbagel #food #rainbow #bagel #hipster #singapore