Penang Day 2: Durians

Ming wanted red prawn durians for dessert and so we went back to Penang Ah Teik Durian Stall at the corner of Lorong Susu and Burmah Rd.





Ah Leik and his brothers remembered us and fussed around us, making us very welcome. Ah Leik opened a medium-sized red prawn durian (RM23/US$7 ) and a RM20/US$6 D24 durian with a little durian knife. Before opening a durian, he'd plunge his sharp little knife (looks like a pen knife) into the durian, pull out the knife and smell it. If it's good, he'd open it. I don't know how he kept at it because towards the end of eating three types of durians, my tongue and nose couldn't tell which durian was which.



Ah Leik and his bros worked very fast. In the hour or more that we were there, at least half a dozen people came to doggie-bag his durians, each carrying away about 10 boxes!


The D24 durian: bright yellow, soft-firm, thick-fleshed, creamy and strongly-flavored, sweet and slightly bitter.

The D24 was no match for the red prawn in terms of flavor and fleshiness. When the D24 debuted, durian lovers raved about its flavor (quite intense) and taste (creamy, sweet-bitter). But eat the red prawn durian and you know the Chinese saying "There's always a mountain higher."


The red prawn durian: slight peach blush, firm and very very thick-fleshed, creamy, wonderfully flavored and 100% sweet.


The Green Skin 15 durian: light-yellow color, mushy-soft, thick fleshed, strongly flavored and more bitter than the D24.

Turns out that there's an advantage to food blogging. I explained to Ah Teik why I was taking so many pictures (while my mom grabbed the chance and ate and ate before I could stop her) and he gave me the Green Skin 15 durian for free!


Compare the size of the seeds of the D24 (or was it Green Skin 15?) and the red prawn durian. Don't pay for the seeds and shells!

I'm not so into durian dodol, a fudge-like confectionary (mashed durian flesh cooked with sugar until thick and then cooled and molded into long strips) but when Ah Leik said his durian dodol were freshly made without preservatives and they sell better than hot cakes, I bought 7 of them for RM8/US$2.50 each. Ah Leik threw in another as a gift. He asked me to come back again the next day, and promised me more discounts. I opened one of Ah Leik's durian dodol last Friday and it was the best dodol I have ever tasted. Ah Leik's durian dodol are highly flavored and creamy with just the right level of sweetness, and no bland aftertaste on my tongue after. If you want to give me something from Penang, please DO NOT give me a box of Him Heang cookies. I dislike them and give them to my maid or whoever wants them. I would love a couple of Ah Leik's durian dodol though.


Mangosteens, Queen of Tropical Fruits, are very yummy especially if they are fresh and sweet.

After eating durians (King of Tropical Fruits), which heats up your body, you should eat mangosteens, which cools your body.


Langsat, another yummy yum tropical fruit.

Penang Day 2: Shanghai Ding

(Note (3/10/08): I have received feedback that Shanghai Ding's new branch at Queensbay Mall is very good. I have also been informed that steps have been taken to improve the Shanghai Ding at New world Park.)


The pictures of the 'porky mouse' baos I saw on another website so captured my heart that I kept one meal specially for Shanghai Ding at New World Park, Bayan Indah (near Lorong Selamat). Besides, I felt sorry for my mom who is quite sensitive to hawkers' food, so it would be nice to eat in a restaurant for a change. Hub had instructed me to take Mom somewhere nice for a meal. Ming had wondered to me by now if good food and dirty environment are directly proportional.

Shanghai Ding was still not opened when we got there at 11:30 am, so we went to the New World Park Food Court and had these snacks:


Chinese radish dumplings (back) and taro cake (front).

The taro cake was surprisingly good even though it looked white instead of purplish, and it was pudding-soft enough to be eaten with a spoon.


Cheong fun.

Texture was good but the sauces were so-so. I felt queasy as the guy had used his bare hands to hold the cheong fun before I could even stop him. I should've insisted on a fresh plate. If customers don't complain, the vendors will continue their unhygenic practices.


Baby oysters omelette.

The oysters were fresh and plump but the eggs were overcooked and as is always with this dish, there was too much oil.

Shanghai Ding turned out to be a small, comfortable restaurant, not one of those fancy chain xiao long baos places.


Xiao long baos RM6.80/US$2.10.

The tips of the baos were hard and dried. How is that possible when we were the second group of customers at 11:35 am, and they had just opened?? Could it be--dare I suggest--that these were re-steamed baos?? Whatever, they didn't impress me. On the way out, I saw the chefs wrapping the baos and the pork filling was more white than pink, meaning there were loads of pork fat. So be warned about xiao long baos anywhere--the meat filling is mostly pork fat to give it that smooth texture and flavor.


'Porky Mice' baos RM3.80/US$1.20.

At last I get to eat the 'porky mouse' baos which look like baby albino porcupines.



What a disappointment! The bright orange-colored custard tasted commercial and the bao texture was dry and rather dense. I couldn't believe it. I've wanted to eat this for so long!


Prawn scallop dumpling RM5/US$1.50.

Very ordinary. By now, I was on guard about Shanghai Ding.


Spring onions pancake, RM3/US$0.93.

Driest spring onion pancake I've ever eaten.



And that's the way the pancake crumbled. Never eaten a spring onion pancake of this texture before. It was crumbly to the point of powdery.


Pork and veg wonton soup, RM7.20/US$2.30.

The soup was pure msg and water. I was quite upset by now.


Braised pork (tung po rou) with baos.

The prices are very reasonable. The bill was only RM42.70/US$13.30, including tea and tax. Aiyayaya. Does anyone have any comment about this place?

Penang Night 1

We waited and waited and waited for the Olympics opening on our hotel room TV. I had called earlier and the operator assured me that the Games' opening would be on. Although the hotel had Astro, they didn't subscribe to the sports channels so we had to rely on the national TV stations, Channels 1, 2 and 7. When the whole world was watching the opening, we were watching Malaysian news. 4 billion people in the world watching and 30 million Malaysian population and our national TV stations did not carry the opening ceremony live. It wasn't until 29 minutes later that TV 1 started the live telecast.

To all those who criticize China, just remember that the country was starving 40 years ago and they opened their doors to the world only 30 years ago whereas the 'greatest' democratic country in the world still had racial segregation policies 40 years ago. China has come a long long way for a communist country and it is trying to change for the better. No easy feat when you are looking at a population of 1 billion spread over a large continent, who were mostly denied an education during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. Look at where North Korea, Cuba and Vietnam are now. Heck, look at where we are now, after 50 years of independence. Sent a man to the moon on a bought ticket. As for the achievements in the Olympics, you may say China has population advantage but hey so does India and Indonesia. In the end, besides talent, it's hard work and determination that gets you the medals.

When the boring marching in of the nations came on, we went to Gurney Dr for dinner. 1/4 of the stalls were closed because people stayed home to watch the opening of the Games.



Skewered meat and veg to be cooked in boiling soup and dipped in a selection of sauces. Used to love this, but the thought of people dunking their half-eaten 'kebabs' back into the soup for further cooking puts me off.



This stall sells dried and soaked cuttlefish with kangkong topped with a peanut sauce, Ming's fav.



This guy is fanning skewered meat called 'satay'. Love it.



Looks like snake skin but is really charcoal-toasted dried squid. Too thin and crispy. Asians tend to eat not only for taste, but also for texture (explains our love for bland food like jellyfish and tendons etc) and fun (melon seeds, unshelled nuts etc).



Assam laksa (RM3/US$0.94) from stall no. 79 (the one closer to G Hotel). It was good, but not as good as stall no. 74 (not so sure about the no):




A pancake called apom. Quite good. RM2/US$0.60 for 5 minis.

















Large bowl of mixed veg stuffed with fish paste, RM12/US$3.80. Soup was clearly laced with plenty of msg.


Oh this char kuey teow was bad! The noodles had gone sour.

After this, we found a durian stall right at the entrance of Gurney Food Court. The durians were being sold at 3 for RM10/US$3! We couldn't eat that many and the seller gave us a small durian to sample (it was very thick-fleshed and delicious but Ming by now prefers red prawn durians to any durian) but I insisted on paying so she reluctantly asked for RM2.

It was still early (around 10:30 pm), and Ming wanted more red prawn durians so we took a cab into the city but there weren't any durian stalls anywhere. We then asked to go to Jalan Campbell for almond milk tea and yew char kuey, but the taxi driver insisted the stall was now at Kimberley St. When we got there, the stall had just run out of those items so we settled for the soya milk and soya jelly from a stall famous for it.

When we got back to the hotel, China's gold medalists were carrying the Olympics flag around the track. Then just as the ceremony ended and the fireworks started, TV 1 cut the telecast off and a boring announcer started to re-cap the highlights of the opening. How stupid is that?

Penang Day 1

Everybody told us to go to Balik Pulau for durians, because that's where they are grown. We hired a taxt for RM25/US$8 per hour "for 3 hours and above" and RM30/hr if under 3 hours. When we finally finished the tour, it was 3 1/2 hours later and the driver suddenly became a lawyer. He insisted on RM30 per hour because that was his rate for 3 hours "and part thereof". Not exactly those words but you know what he meant. This is still a much better deal than the hotel's tour of RM50/US$15.60 per person for 4 hours which does not allow any stop in the durian area because they use a bus and I suppose foreign tourists may object to durian stops.

Gurney Dr, where our hotel was, is on the north-eastern part of Penang island. Our tour was an anti-clockwise ride around the island. Beginning from Gurney Drive, we go past the famed Feringghi coast and the tired-looking resort hotels. I wanted to visit the fishing village but the cab driver missed it; I didn't bother to insist. From there it was down the west coast of the island, climbing up a hill slope where Penang's reservoir is (one of the highlights in the hotel's tour, can you believe it). On the left were the valleys where very matured durian trees grow, some of them still with fruits on their branches late in the season.

Durians on trees, Balik Pulau Penang.

Once in a while there were durian stalls but the taxi driver said those were targetted at tourists. so we didn't stop. Big mistake. Besides durians, we also wanted to eat Balik Pulau's assam laksa, which somebody told me was the best. We got to the old market where the assam laksa stall was supposed to be, but the market was boarded up with blue zinc sheets. The corner shop closest to the market had 'assam laksa' and 'curry laksa' signs but I wasn't sure. The driver said we should check out the new market. Big mistake again.

On the way to the new market, we passed some durian stalls. No red prawns durians, so we settled for packaged durian which the guy said was excellent, at RM7 a box. I should've known by now that you get what you pay for (ugwupf--haha). These tasted good at first bite, then they started to taste like good sweet potatoes. Still, in KK, these would've passed for high grade durians.



The new market was hardly occupied, and it was here I made the mistake of going into the toilet. Somebody missed the hole in the squat toilet; memories of my old alma mater, St Francis Convent, and all its toilet horrors, came to my mind and I got sick.

There were hardly anybody walking around in Balik Pulau. Ming described the place as looking like "Tuaran", a cowboy town 25 Km north of KK. (Yesterday, my pastor's mom, who lives in Penang and was the reason I brought my mom to Penang--but she had to come to KK for some matter--told me that Balik Pulau's assam laksa is the best. Based on her descriptions, the stall is the one I saw next to the old market. Regret that I was so near yet so far is a terrible feeling.)

Driver said the best assam laksa is to be had at Air Itam. Now many people swear by this stall, supposed to be the origin of assam laksa. On our previous trip 7 years ago, we made the journey to Air Itam (in the middle of the island if I'm not wrong) and found the famous stall. We sat on the five-foot way next to the stinky drain. Our orders came quickly but the bowls had caked fish flakes on the rim and outside. How can the fish flakes dry so quickly? Did they even wash the bowls because business was brisk, and queues for tables were long? Most of all, the assam laksa didn't impress us. It tasted like those we ate on Gurney Dr, which though good were not blue-ribbon worthy. So on this trip, I crossed Air Itam laksa off my list (although now I wish I had tried it again. Who knows, I might like it now.)

I asked the driver to take us to Pulau Tikus instead because my friend Su emphatically insisted that the best assam laksa is there. We get there, and the driver stopped at a corner shop. They had everything but assam laksa. Just at the moment when we gave up and decided to leave, Su called from KK. Her directions were "It's right across form the Police Station!" Sure enough on our right was the Balai Polis Balik Pulau. She was sure it wasn't a corner shop. I spied a coffeeshop, the 3rd one I think, and went forward and sure enough, there was this tiny inconspicuous stall run by a young couple:




Assam laksa, RM2.80 regular, RM3.60 large.

This was a regular bowl. This was the first and best bowl of assam laksa we ate on our trip. Chunks of very fresh fish and fresh, smooth laksa noodles in an excellent soup (love that flavor!) that was wonderfully thick. Only thing is, the soup was slightly too sweet; I asked for kasturi limes and the guy looked surprised. Looking at the picture, I don't see any mint leaves. Pineapple was hidden. But really, the consistency of this soup is great. I cook assam laksa and my biggest problem is not the taste but the body of the soup, which is hard to thicken. Most assam laksa soups are thickened with fish flakes and onions but this soup is nearly sugar-syrupy. I'd love to hear from Penangnites if they like the laksa at Sin Hwa , which I suspect is still off the beaten path of tourists.


Char kuey teow from a stall in Sin Hwa.

It was bleh and it put Ming and I off CKT for the rest of the trip. I can eat tons of assam laksa but not greasy undelicious CKT. You can imagine that by this time my eyes and tummy were bursting. This was only 4 pm on Day 1. Ming and I were groaning but my mom was pretty happy. Her appetite was/is ferocious!

Crashed Hot Potatoes

Note: I am having problems editing my posts (anything I change goes back to the original version when I publish it. I keep getting an 'autosave failed' sign and a red 'error' alert across my screen) and my flickr photos can't be uploaded onto blogger. This is a post I did before I left for Penang. Please look up Pioneer Woman's on my links.



My daughter is a fan of Pioneer Woman. She thinks she's (Pioneer Woman) damn funny and a great photographer plus a pretty good cook, in that order. Which means I shouldn't be so jealous of her because I'd like to think I 'm the reverse order of the woman. So, feeling less threatened, I checked out PW's website recently and immediately drooled over crashed potatoes.

Tonight's dinner has completely ruined my whole week of dieting. I have been dieting to get ready to eat in Malaysia's food heaven, Penang, this Friday and Sat. I actually lost 2" off my waistline and the last couple of hungry nights have been worth it. I have this plan to start eating the minute I'm out of the airport because someone told me of a good place for Hokkien prawn mee 5 minutes from the airport. The only bummer about this trip is I will have to decide between eating dinner out and missing the Olympics opening, or eating in (oh no, hotel food!) to watch the show. What do you think I'll do? Hub bets I'll forgo the Olympics.

Like I said, dinner's tonight was great. We had the crashed potatoes (love the crispy potato skin, plus the intense aroma of the olive oil and herb baked into the fluffy spud) with tenderloin steaks and a summery leaf salad. It's been scorching the last 2 weeks. While I'd hate to live through Canadian winters (and their springs and falls, which basically leaves 3 months in a year to enjoy life), I'd also hate to live inferno desert days which is what it feels like here now. I want rain, rain! Oh if I'm rambling it's because of that cabarnet sauvignon that's racing through my veins and my brains as I type. Before I pass out, here's the recipe for PW's crashed pototes. You should also check out the lady's posting on this recipe because as usual she has fantastic step-by-step pictures of her cooking.


Crashed Potatoes (serves 3)

9 to 12 new potatoes
1 t (or more) coarse sea salt (or kosher salt)
1 t herb (thyme/rosemary/chives/basil/dill/garlic etc)
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

1. Scrub the pototoes, do not peel their skin. Boil them in salted water until tender; if not soft enough, it will crack into half because you'll need to press too hard to crush it (test with a skewer which should go through easily). Drain.

2. Heat oven at 230 C.

3. Drizzle olive oil all over your baking sheet and place the potatoes well spaced apart on it. Using a potato masher, press down on the potatoes until they are about 1 cm thick; do not press them too flat.



4. Sprinkle the ground pepper, herb (I used thyme) and coarse salt over the potatoes. Brush the potatoes generously with olive oil.

5. Pop tray of potatoes into oven (upper middle) and bake 20 minutes (I baked 20 min middle of the oven but next time will put rack on the upper level towards the last 10 min to get a browner skin).

6. Take out, sprinkle with fresh chives or spring onions. Mmmm.