Johor : Kacang Pool Haji

Have you ever heard about "Kacang Pool"? This kind of food was very famous in Johor. You should try when you reach the southern region as you will taken aback with their deliciousness!

At the kacang pool stall at Selera Larkin, a worker was busy making thick toasts with margarine. Kacang pool is originally from the Middle East. Pak Hj's kacang pool differs from the versions in the Middle East where this dish is eaten with flat bread, similar to naan. In the Singapore version, kacang pool is eaten with French loaf. Only in Johor is kacang pool eaten with thick toast.

The worker making the sunny side up eggs. Again, Pak Hj's kacang pool differs from the Middle Eastern versions in using sunny side up eggs. In the Middle East, some regions use no eggs at all, some use raw eggs and others use hard boiled eggs with their kacang pool but never with sunny side up eggs. So, this is uniquely Johor.

Kacang pool is eaten with a thick dipping sauce. The main ingredient in the dipping sauce is broad beans, the same as in the Middle East. The beans are stewed until it becomes a mash.

Kacang pool is eaten by first squeezing the lime into the dip, and then using a spoon to break the egg and mix it into the beef and broad bean sauce. The chopped fresh onion and green chili are also mixed into the dip.

The dip is tangy from the squeezed lime, sweet from the chopped onions, spicy from the chopped chili and savoury from the minced beef and broad beans.

This restaurant ( Kacang Pool Haji) located at Gerai 3, Medan Selera Larkin, Susur 5, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Johor Baru next to Bomba Larkin fire station. This restaurant opened from 7.00 am untill 1.00 am. So, don't forget to have one of the miracle taste from Johor!

Terengganu Traditional Food : Satar

Last but not least is Satar. I’m pretty sure most of you know what is Satar and how does it looks like. For those who never see Satar, you can see the picture on the left side . Because it was too popular it has well received across of many country. Satar is a kind of snack processed from fish meat. Satar, in order words means deboned fish meats blended together mixed several other items such as black pepper and onions before wrapped in banana leave and left to be grilled above charcoal fire and it has been made in triangular shaped.

RECIPES

There are three process to make Satar. There are mixing, packing and burning.

Mixing

Fish meat mixed with ingredients such as coconut, onion, red ware, red chilies and condiments such as salt, sugar and mix until well blended.

Packing

Dough ready then wrapped with banana leaf cone. Hee-satar then pierced and closely arranged on bamboo blade provided.

Burning

Satar be burned using two ways of using coal or griller. During baking, the distance between the hot coals and satar should not be too close to wrapping not charred and cooked contents.

WHERE TO GET?

It’s hard to get satar anywhere else in Malaysia but Terengganu has the best satar ever tasted beacuse it contains lots of fresh fish meat and the taste is not too sweet. You can get satar easily because mostly the satar will be sell near the roadside in Terengganu. Stop and get some! It is really delicious, once you start eating them, it’s hard to stop.

Or if you want to taste the most delicious satar, you can drop at Warung Aziz Satar in Kemaman, Terengganu. The most famous are the satar from Kuala Kemaman.

Through word of mouth, the place is flocked by locals as well as visitors from other states to get a taste of this delicious delicacy complete with coconut drinks.

NUTRITION FACTS

The nutrition facts of Satar is full with protein. This is because it contains lots of fresh fish meat and the taste is not too sweet. Fish has many benefits for your heart health. Fish can lower the amount of saturated fat in your diet fatty acids in fish have also been shown to be important for your immune system, brain development, eye health and many other functions and organs in the body.

Terengganu Traditional Food : Nekbat

Next food is Nekbat. Have you guys ever heard about Nekbat? Nekbat is popular in Malaysia, especially in the East Coast in Kelantan and Terengganu. People usually called it Nekbat Terengganu and also known as a sweet dessert. This is how Nekbat look a like! Delicious right? :D

RECIPES

Nekbat is made from rice flour and eggs. Nekbat usually made in two phases.  Which is the first phase The mixed ingredients is poured into the bronze mould and covered with its lid. Once the nekbat is cooked, the plain nekbat is taken and cool in another container. The cooked nekbat turns spongy and cream in colour (due to eggs). At this stage, nekbat is plain and tasteless since no sugar added.

So the second phase is to immerse the plain nekbat in the boiling sugary water for a few minutes. The liquid must be enough to immerse or soak all the plain nekbat. If you want your nekbat to taste less sugar, so put little sugar in the boiling water. To make it taste better, you may put pandan leaf to get good aroma. If you wish, you can put a few cloves and cinnamon stick. On the right is the nekbat post immersed in sugary water. This dry Nekbat last longer and can be stored in the refrigerator.

As you can see the picture on the left side is before they are being dip in the sugary water.

The picture on the right, the nekbat immersed in sugary water and you can see the nekbat expanded in size. But if you want to add some colors, you may add any colors that you want. Usually people add blue or red color in it.

WHERE TO GET?

Nekbat is popular during during Ramadhan season and they usually sell it at ‘Bazar Ramadhan’. So there is no other place that you can find the nekbat other than ‘Bazar Ramdahan’ because it is quite hard to find during normal day. Nekbat is usually served during Ramadhan as dessert. If you really want to try, you can buy the sugary nekbat from Ramadhan markets all over Terengganu or if you want to try to make it by yourself you may buy the plain nekbat from the market.

NUTRITION FACTS

What do you think about the nutrition fact? Well, nekbat is a healthy food since it is made from rice flour and eggs. As we all know flour contain minerals that helps your bones develop and your wounds heal. Other than that it is also contain minerals that also helps you produce red blood cells and supports your nervous system. For the egg they supply all essential amino acids for humans, and provide several vitamins and minerals. Eventhough we have to add sugar but still it would not affects your healthy because we can still control the amount of the sugar.

Terengganu Traditional Food : Keropok Lekor

When you heard of Terengganu what comes to you mind? I’m pretty sure, there is only one thing in your mind, the most famous local food which is Keropok Lekor. Well, I have choose three types of Terengganu traditional food to share which are Keropok Lekor, Nekbat and Satar.

KEROPOK LEKOR

So I am going to introduce you the famous local food, Keropok Lekor. Some call them fish sausages or fish sticks but in Terengganu they are called ‘keropok’. It is the specialty from Terengganu. It is the snack instead of a proper meal and sometimes is served as the snack before meal. For your information there are three types of keropok.

There are:

The long chewy ones are called keropok lekor. This gives it a fishier flavor but tastes as good as the crispy ones according to some people.

For keropok lekor you can eat it in two ways, it can be 

eaten either when it is steamed or deep fried, both give different taste. Sometime the boiled one will have fishy smell when they are no longer hot. If you don’t really like the smell, then better to eat it deep fried which is the second types of keropok. The picture below shows that the keropok lekor after deep fried.

While the thin crispy are called Keropok Keping, means slice. The Keropok Keping is also made up of larger tubeshaped keropok being and it will be cut into thin slices. After that, it will be dry in the sun thoroughly, then deep-fry in hot oil before eating. 

They are sold in packets and consumers will have to fry them and they are taken. as crackers. It is a great afternoon snack and nice to be eaten with fried noodles or dipping it with the Terengganu’s home made chili sauce.

Numerous keropok stalls are to be found on the side of the highway that passes through coastal communities. Keropok is easily found elsewhere in Kuala Terengganu, from the stalls beside the road to restaurants or market. If you wish to bring home some, go to the Central Market for dried keropok or fresh in Losong who is famous with largest Museum in Malaysia and its keropok. Kak Yah's stall is the most popular at Losong, prof of that is Kak Yah magnificent house located next to her stall. If you come to Terengganu, you may try come to this stall.

NUTRITION FACTS

Keropok Lekor can be a snacks that are high in protein because of the fish.

The main benefit of eating fish as opposed to meat is that fish is far healthier. Fish is very easy to digest. Not only that, but fish does not contain saturated fats, as all meat products and by-products such as butter, cheese and milk do. As you can see below is sme nutritional facts about fish:

• The fattier fish types contain healthy essential fatty acids (omega-3)

that are actually very good for the body

• White fish types are rich in vitamin B12

• Oily fish are rich in vitamins A, B12 and D

• Fish is a high protein, low-fat food
• Small fish bones that may be eaten are rich in calcium

• Fish is a good source of iron

• Fish is very easy to digest and therefore a good food choice for the

elderly or people who are not feeling very well

Pulau Pinang : Assam Laksa, Char Kway Teaw, Passembur and Penang Rojak

Penang is perhaps the most famous, second only to Bangkok, for its wealth of street food. We don’t really understand what street food is and we’re a bit closed minded on the whole affair. Food…from the street?! How preposterous! However the preconceptions of dirty dishes and salacious salmonella are very far from the truth.

Street food is a way of life for most Malaysians. For thrifty backpackers and wealthy world travelers alike, it gives you an affordable way to sample authentic dishes and truly see the real culture of Penang. The thing is, with high-end restaurants and hotel dining rooms, you don’t really get to see the culture surrounding you, whereas street food allows you to get a real taste of Penang’s life; after all, isn’t that why we travel? Also, you can try eating with your hands, which is far harder and much messier than you can imagine!

But which are the best and what should you eat?

ASSAM LAKSA

Assam Laksa is an extremely famous Penang dish. In fact, it might be the best well known; it’s certainly one that most locals will recommend so I’m definitely adding it to this list. It’s a spicy noodley soup with tastebud-tickling sour undertones. So, the traditional dish is kind of a thick broth whereas the Penang version is thinner. It’s poached mackerel that stews in the broth with tamarind, lemongrass, chillies and shrimp paste. This is topped with a big dollop of rice vermicelli. It’s been ranked 7 of the best 100 foods in the world so it’s definitely unmissable.

As I said, it’s super famous so you can find it lurking on pretty much any street in Penang. However, Ayer Itam Pasar is said to serve the best Assam Laksa in the whole world. That’s is a pretty big claimed so it is worth to try it out.

CHAR KWAY TEAW

OK, another noodle delight for you. This one is usually served with prawns so it’s a littlemore of a seafood delight. Its literal translation is ‘stir-fried rice-cake strips’ and that refers to the big fat, flat noodles that it comes with. Although recipes vary from street vendor to street vendor, the general consensus is that this more sloppy noodle dish contains prawns, cockles, beansprouts, Chinese chives, flat rice noodles, egg, soy sauce, chili, and belachan.

PASSEMBUR

It may seem strange to begin with a salad but that’s the first dish I’m going to highly recommended to you. Passembur is a Malaysian-Indian salad that’s basically a mess of cucumber, bean curd, potatoes, fried octopus, fried crab, turnip, bean sprouts and prawn fritters, dressed in a nutty-spicy sauce. A combo of under-the-sea delights and fresh crisp vegetables, this dish is not only a healthy, scrumptious sweet/sour delight.

Where can you get it? The best and most well-known place is probably Gurney Drive Hawker Centre, which is located next to Gurney Plaza and offers a drove of street food stalls that truly represent the cultural menagerie of food offered in Penang. Street food stalls include Indian, Malay, Mamak, and Chinese cuisine, which give you the opportunity to sample some of the best cooks without having to traipse aimlessly around the city. With all the choice they offer, definitely don’t forget to get your lips around some passembur!

PENANG ROJAK

Rojak is a traditional Asian fruit and vegetable salad. It can be found in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. The term “rojak” means mixture in Malay. Penang Rojak is a typical salad that is similar to a fruit one – cucumber, pineapple, cuttlefish, turnip, but has some other ingredients: guava, squid fritters, honey and sometimes raw mangoes and green apples. This dish has no bean sprouts and fried tofu puffs. What’s most delightful is the very thick prawn sauce.

One of the popular places to eat this local delicate is Hock Seng Rojak (or Rojak king) and I assure you its name says it all. The lady chef is very friendly and she will love to cook your fresh rojak instantly.

Kelantan : Nasi Kerabu

Kelantan Darul Naim is famous it unique culture. The Kelantanese cuisine, heavily influenced by Thai cuisine, is quite popular among Malaysians. The key ingredients are rice, coconut milk, sugar, brown sugar, local ulam, blue pea flower, galangal and pickle garlic. Hence, the curries are richer and creamier in taste. Most Kelantanese dishes are sweet as the use of sugar is a must in the kitchen. Besides sugar, coconut milk is used more than anywhere else in the country. Even their savoury dishes carry a tinge of sweetness.

This rice dish is a regional specialty from Kelantan and sometimes the rice is tinted in blue with blue pea (bunga telang) flower. It is cooked with many types of herbs. Besides that, there are many fresh herbs like daun kesum (Vietnamese mint) bunga kantan (torch ginger), mint leaves and etc. Other ingredients like sliced onion, cucumber, bean sprout, fish floss and fish crackers are added to the dish to make it a complete meal by itself.

Where to get?

Yati Ayam Percik opens throughout lunch until late night

The best bet at Yati? The ‘Ayam percik’ and ‘Nasi kerabu’ of course! Seemingly, they have three varieties of rice to choose from.

The white, blue and a yellow version, served in similar manner; topped with a mix of raw bean sprouts, chopped herbs and finely-cut cabbage, polygonum leaves (laksa leaf), kerisik (fried grated coconut) and a healthy dollop of sambal.

YATI AYAM PERCIK

847, Jalan Long Yunus,

Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Business hours : 12pm – 11pm daily, 3pm onwards on Fridays.

*Yati Ayam Percik has another branch at Mydin Mall, Subang Jaya

Perlis : Pulut Mangga Harum Manis

Harum Manis Mango is very famous in Perlis and when it comes to the season of Harum Manis, the people within and outside Perlis will certainly ruh to get this mangoes. Although the price is quite expensive, which is from RM15-20 per kilo, it is necessarily to grab this fruit each year of the season between mid-April to early May.

In Perlis, the most attractive place is along the way to Sungai Batu Pahat, there are a lot of stalls that sell this Harum Manis mango. To get cheaper price of this fruit, you can have a straight visit to the Bukit Bintang Agriculture Office, Baru Pahat Perlis.

During this fruit season, the Bukit Bintang Agriculture Office will provide” Pulut Mangga Harum Manis and Harum Manis mango juice. The visitors can visit here and try the special delicacies there. The price is really reasonable which is RM4 a plate and RM2 for the juice of Harum Manis Mango

This is how looks of Harum Manis. The mango scent is really sweet compared to other mangoes.

Normally, this stock or fruit is really limited due to its season and high demand of the customers. Thus, the customers who are not get the opportunity to taste the Harum Manis Mango, you can have a short visit to the Harumanis Cafe, Pusat Kecemerlangan Harumanis, Bukit Bintang, Jalan Batu Pahat, Perlis. 

Other than that, the visitors can also go to the Kafeteria Bangunan Agro Pelancongan at the Department of Agriculture  Perlis. 

For those who doesn’t have time to visit to Perlis, you can order through online which is more expensive.