Tell-A-Tale (Part 56): Sunrise, Sunset...and Borobudur

November marks the second month of the monsoon season in Borobudur. I knew that before clicking on the "CONTINUE" icon on the budget airline's website in May. What I didn't know was that I'd missed an e-mail notifying us on the change of date of last year's Deepavali celebration. And that the first of a few exams was just weeks away. So, I had to take leave and my examination result, as I was informed recently, was far from desirable. But did I ever regret going to Borobudur? Absolutely not.

The pouring rain greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta. Luckily, the pre-booked car to the Manohara Hotel was already waiting for us. The hotel itself was fantastic. Perfectly located within the compound of the Borobudur Park, it's just 300 metres away from the stunning Borobudur Temple. As we'd discovered later, rain doesn't last long in this part of the world. When we exited the town of Yogya and onto Magelang and Muntilan, the sky was bright again. The journey of approximately 40 km took an hour to reach the entrance to Borobudur. Here, the landscape transformed from dusty towns connected by wide and well-kept roads to lush green paddy fields (the fertile land is a gift from the nearby volcanoes) with endless humps and potholes. Accessorizing the view were historical candis that looked like miniatures of the ancient temple.

When in Borobudur, one must witness the amazing sunrise. That's what I was told. At 4 in the morning, the park was dark and humid. The temple, with just a few spotlights guarding the walls, looked as if it was still asleep from afar. With a group of other enthusiasts, we made our way towards the temple. The guide left us at the gate and basically, it was just us, the temple and our complimentary torchlights from that moment on. The steep stairway leading to the top of the temple (about 120 metres tall) was not a challenge, but to do it in the dark meant that speed was greatly reduced.

According to Buddhist cosmology, the way to go about the temple is by ascending the 9 levels that form a mandala in the clockwise direction. Each level represents a different state, with the highest being the state of attaining nirvana. The figures of Lord Buddha on the top level being isolated by the stupas from the rest of the world speak clearly of this. Most of the statutes have been disfigured by earthquakes, rain and terrorism. The sights of headless, armless Buddhas meditating might not be aesthetically pleasing but I feel that perhaps it's more significant this way - that the perfect peace of the state of mind is one that's free from all forms and desires.

Nearing 5 in the morning, the crowd gathered towards the east. As light began to shine upon the misty land below us, so awoke the figures of the 2 most majestic volcanoes in Central Java; Gunung Merapi and Gunung Merbau. However, the sky still looked gray and I overheard a tour guide telling an old Singaporean couple that it might take a while longer for the sun to rise that day. But he was wrong. The sun did rise at the usual time, but the thick monsoon clouds had hidden its majestic rays from us. What's not told to us was the beautiful sunset. Not as grand but definitely worth the experience, especially with a thinner crowd.

When asked of my trip to the Borobudur temple, I would tell my friends that I felt like I've revisited a chapter in our history textbook. The one with the kingdoms of Srivijaya, Majapahit, Langkasuka and Sailendra. Except that this infamous temple was never part of the syllabus.

It's only at quieter times that one can appreciate what lies beyond the extensive structure and intricate details. The Borobudur temple has an unexplained story to tell. A mysterious one, at that. Was it forsaken due to a change of belief? Or perhaps superstitions had caused the people to abandon the temple? Or was it simply covered by ashes and forests through a series of volcanic activities?

Only they will know.

Tell-A-Tale (Part 55): Live your dreams.

The first song that came to my mind when the cordon bleu chef brought us to the Teluk Bahang Fishing Jetty (or The End Of The World) was Telepopmusik's Breathe. There's not much to do but to just enjoy the view of fishing boats and the sea, especially during sunset.

It's beautiful here.

Make it a point to see the jetty in 2010. And visit all the other places that you've always dreamed of.

From the Temple of Luxor, here's wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Tell-A-Tale (Part 54): Monsters...curried

It doesn't matter even if I'd checked my bearing...because I would have forgotten it by now.

But I remember those monstrous freshwater prawns...

...curried, Chinese-style, with lots of shallots and curry leaves.

And steamed bread for dipping.

Followed by an even fresher catch.

Countless prawns, a steamed red snapper and bottles of homemade sugarcane juice later, we headed home, passing the place we would have and perhaps, will explore one day.

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In the past 48 hours, we were the real monsters.

Sai Lam Coffee Shop And Padang Brown Hawker Centre

We’ve made some good decisions during this trip, like skipping Ipoh to make more time for Penang. With that, we were able to take a much needed rest before...

...waking up to a plate of wanton mee at Sai Lam. The first thing I noticed was the absence of dark soy sauce in the dry-tossed version. Replacement came in form of a light stew infused with sweet juice of the beef that topped the springy wanton mee. To have that much of brisket and tendon for a fraction of the price of some well-known beef institutions deserves a mention. Tenderly good too, I must say. A dash of pepper gave the subtle taste a zing.

We couldn’t help but be attracted to the luscious build of the wantons. Skills are required in ensuring that each piece of skin is filled with a generous spoonful of minced fatty pork without breaking. As we frantically took pictures of the wantons, the elderly wrapper asked if we were tourists and immediately switched to speaking in Cantonese upon knowing that we were from KL. She further explained that they try to speak a few dialects to accommodate their customers from all over the country and beyond. That's cool. Combined with the charm of an old kopitiam, Sai Lam definitely deserves that place in the Lonely Planet guide.

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There were 2 opposing rows of stalls at the Padang Brown Hawker Centre. One side was practically deserted while the other was in full swing, with tables and chairs spilling beyond the shelters. I wonder if geomancy has got anything to do with it. Back at the busy row, the attraction was the popiah stall. What’s interesting was the inclusion of crab meat in the filling which obviously added some umami-ness to the popiah. It came wetter than our usual type at home and apparently, it’s a signature that gives it a good body and taste. The wait was long but was much appreciated as our stomachs were still busy digesting the copious amount of duck meat we had for breakfast.

Into the late afternoon hours, the hawker centre was still buzzing with throngs of weekend faces, all eager to indulge in some solid, local fare. This atmospheric sight alone deserves a slot in any Penang guide.

Sai Lam Coffee Shop
Corner of Chulia Street and Carnarvon Street

&

Padang Brown Hawker Centre
The junction of Perak Road and Anson Road

Penang, Malaysia

Kafe Ping Hooi

In every trip, I look forward to tasting what locals eat on a daily basis and collecting suggestions that they gladly provide for reference. It’s fun to observe how everyone seems to have a different opinion of the BEST version of a certain dish. I find it even more so customary in Penang. To me, Penangites are wise eaters. It’s a complete package of taste and value that they are looking for. Perhaps it’s this very reason that prices are still kept relatively low without having to compromise the quality of food. I like their humorously sour reaction too, every time I bring up names of those overrated tourist eateries in town.

A friend of ours, the cool cordon bleu chef brought us to a coffee shop that, according to him, serves the best char kway teow in town. Given his enthusiastic description, we could tell that it’s his favourite stall as well. Perhaps I’m too obsessed with the black Hokkien mee that I haven’t had the time to notice that duck eggs have now become a welcoming alternative to the usual chicken eggs in char kway teows. I liked the smoky aroma of the fried kway teow here, which also came with a more pronounced egg flavour. Yes, duck eggs do taste richer. So, what’s next? Golden yolks from free-range ducks? I can’t wait.

As I recall the dishes we had that afternoon, I realize that a few were duck-related, including the kway teow tng with duck stock and duck meat slices. The meat came from the same duck used in flavouring the stock and was tenderly good in its own juice. The dressing of fresh garlic oil was a nice touch. There must be a practical reason why duck meat is mostly used in herbal soups. Perhaps it has got to do with the prolonged simmering and their tougher meat. So, to be able to taste a clear stock of duck essence here was a refreshing change. When I first heard of a duck stock, I was expecting a thick coverage of oil but was pleasantly surprised that it was visually not any different from our usual pork/chicken tng.

Ask me of the most memorable dish and I’d say it’s the lor bak – the deep-fried stingray, to be exact. Stingrays are known to be fleshy, soft and flaky. When deep-fried, the encrusting batter provides a crispy contrast to the soft meat. A fun plethora of textures in every bite.

Ping Hooi to me, serves not the typical Penang food that I’d learnt in the past. The out-of-towner me liked both the food and old charm here. I wonder if the locals will agree.

Char Kway Teow With Duck Egg

Lor Bak

Duck Slices

Kway Teow Tng With Duck Meat

Kafe Ping Hooi
At the junction of Lebuh Carnavon and Lebuh Melayu
Penang, Malaysia

Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng And Pork Satay

The rows of houses along the lane are beautiful; colonial architecture with mostly bright shades of paint. At 11 am, the unspoiled tranquility seemed impossible, given the close proximity to the busy Jalan Burma. The atmosphere was a perfect contrast to the colourful plate of Bangkok Lane mee goreng served at the nearby Seng Lee Café. I really enjoyed the Muslim-Indian style of mee goreng here. What makes it different from our usual supper version is the kuah (gravy). The generous pour made it moister (just the way I like it) and more flavourful. I can’t help but to think that they used the same kuah from the mee rebus for this. From what I had, there should be some crushed peanuts, potatoes and some dried spices in the tomato sauce based gravy. Sweet and tad sour, it was one delicious dish. You know it’s true when you can still define deliciousness after 2 rounds of solid breakfast. A squeeze of lime made it even more appetizing. And there's the topping of marinated dried cuttlefish. From the chewy yet soft texture to the sweet and savoury marinade, it's the quintessential component in perfecting both the mee goreng and mee rebus.

We were actually in this part of town for the pork satay that operates from a mobile stall not far away from Seng Kee. Perhaps it was more of an instinct than interest that led us here, like how we must try that particular pork burger in Thailand. Indeed, turmeric gilded grilled pork is a sight to behold but without sufficient seasoning, it can never taste as good as it looks. But of course, the skills of a pair of experienced hands ensured that the meat be well-cooked. I didn't get the sauce that was powdery and bland or the margarine laced bread. It was very kind of the proprietors to cross the lane to send the satay over from their stall though.

The mee goreng here is certainly a delightful change from the boring versions I had back home. In fact, is there ever an exciting one to begin with? Enlighten me, please.

Bangkok Lane Mee Goreng @ Seng Lee Café
270, Jalan Burma
10350 Georgetown,
Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.

The pork satay stall can be found along the rows of houses.

Kedai Kopi Swee Kong

It’s perhaps here that I found some really inspiring moments during the trip. From the photo above, I guess some of us must have thought that I’m going to tell a story in relation to strength in unity. It’s more intricate than that, of course.

Inspiring moment number one came when Boolicious brought to our table THE last bowl of the infamous Hokkien Mee (prawn mee) from a stall in Swee Kong. At the point of our arrival (I believe it was only around 9 am), the lady boss had already started informing customers that they had run out of prawn stock for the day. Needless to say, we were disappointed. Judging from the size of the cleared aluminium pots (I think they can easily fit 3/4 of my body) that were, in a few hours earlier, filled with boiling, delicious prawn stock, it doesn’t take a statistician to figure out how good the business must have been. Or how delicious it is. To be honest, I’ve never heard of this coffee shop nor this prawn mee stall. And that made it even more disappointing to not be able to have a taste of it. But Boo changed all that. She managed to persuade the lady boss to give us the last, less than a full portion of the prawn mee. The whole conversation took a good few minutes. And mind you, none of us could speak proper Hokkien (or Mandarin). It must be her sincerity that touched the boss. We, the lucky ones, watched Boo worked her magic while slurping wanton mee from another stall. She even stayed on to take some shots of the stall. Perseverance, my friends, is one virtue to be practised for life. Rewards include a bowl of Hokkien mee bursting with savouriness of prawns. In fact, I would prefer to call them shrimps instead. Not that it’s a bad thing. The key here is freshness, not the size of the prawns. The plush stock convinced us that they don’t dilute, even to the last bowl. Pair that with aromatic fried shallots, crunchy beansprouts and mildly hot chilli paste - a winner.

The wanton mee is worth a mention too, as it was very different from what we have back in KL. Instead of sweet dark soy sauce, it was poured with gravy of smooth, light starch and eggs. If it was stir-fried with the noodles, I would have mistaken that for our usual Cantonese noodles. The springy texture of the wanton mee plus a good amount of pickled green chillies made it even more enjoyable.

Joining the Hokkien mee folks, the famous sweet apom stall was also enjoying an early closing and had started clearing up when we finally found a table in the crowded coffee shop. We returned the next morning, not much earlier than the day before, to take away some before heading to another breakfast hotspot. We were grateful that they still had some to offer and more so for being ahead of the next customer who ordered 50 pieces of apom! What’s so great about 50 pieces? The waiting time can get really long because cooking involves a few steps. Preparation of a single piece takes up a few minutes – the charcoal-fueled claypots are firstly poured with a thin layer of batter, swirled, let sit to cook, the solidified batter flipped and covered for a good minute or so to complete the process. And there were only 2 guys manning the pots. In this age, the amount of labour and time put in to the make that tiny piece of apom have surely opposed all the modern principles of entrepreneurship. In other words, not cost effective. That brings me to inspiring moment number two. To operate around those hot stoves, refilling the charcoal to maintain a constant supply of heat and maneuvering those heavy pots must have meant more than dollars and cents to these friendly guys. I believe it's pride and passion that keep every piece of apom identically golden brown and none burnt. Respect.

The car was parked near the police station on the opposite side of the road while a few of us went to buy the apoms. As we were getting back to the car, I hurriedly sampled one because I was told that apoms are best eaten while they are still hot. And that I was mostly hungry. I found an unexplained sense of joy as I took a bite of the light, crispy skin and rich coconut taste of the soft inner. This is how enlightening must be like, I kid you not. Growing up in a multi-ethnic village, I'm used to having apom, be it sweet or salty, for breakfast. But none could match the perfect texture and taste of the apom here. The generous amount of coconut milk and eggs used brought about sublimity while sugar was wisely minimized as to not empower the overall taste. In the 50 over steps leading to the car, I believe I had at least 3 pieces.

So, perseverance and passion make life tastier. Some snacks for thought there.

Kedai Kopi Swee Kong
Junction where Moulmein Close meets Burma Road
Pulau Tikus, Penang
Malaysia.

Tell-A-Tale (Part 53): 48

...and we crossed the Penang Bridge.

We must have chee cheong fun before checking into the hotel.

17 July 2009, 10:47 pm
Pulau Tikus Night Market, Jalan Pasar

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Shower us lard.

18 July 2009, 01:56 am
Pork-filled Hokkien Mee - Green House Hawker Centre, Burma Road

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Ohhh, look at the queue. We have to join in.

18 July 2009, 08:59 am
Ban Chang Kueh - Near Kafe Sin Hup Aun, Lorong Pasar (Pulau Tikus)

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This looks good. BUY.

18 July 2009, 09:05 am
Adam's Chicken Curry Puff - Kafe Sin Hup Aun, Lorong Pasar (Pulau Tikus)

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Uncle Guan, you and your banana apong rock!

18 July 2009, 11:45 am
Apong Guan - Jalan Burma

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Hello, no spoon here. Use the shell to scrape the flesh.

18 July 2009, 04:36 pm
Pandan flavoured coconut drink from Anba Coconut Trading - Lorong Abu Siti, Georgetown

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Somewhere between wooden houses...and darkness.

18 July 2009, 09:30 pm
Baked oysters with cheddar cheese, Fishing Village Restaurant - Teluk Bahang

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We must have chee cheong fun before checking out of the hotel.

19 July 2009, 09:05 am
Chee Cheong Fun at Seow Fong Lye Cafe - Lebuh Macalister

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How can we forget?

19 July 2009, 09:41 am
Ah Leng Char Koay Teow with duck egg and crayfish - Jalan Dato Kramat

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There's more.

Lung Seng (for gigantic freshwater prawns)

Back in my school days, we were taught that udang galah in Bahasa Malaysia meant lobster. I had no reason not to believe. Afterall, this was not from the teacher who told us that "leopard" was to be pronounced as leo-pard instead of lear-perd. We still make fun of her in our gatherings. Apparently, there's another meaning to udang galah - giant freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). So, what is what? I don't know if there's such a thing as a freshwater lobster but one thing's for sure - it's darn delicious.

I come from a family that avoids ordering prawns in restaurants, Chinese especially, because it's exorbitantly priced. And that it's usually not as fresh as what we get at 5 am in the wet markets. Therefore, it's not surprisingly that we are not amazed by some of the famous (a.k.a. expensive) restaurants specializing in freshwater prawns in town.

This one's different. For that, I have some food blogging friends to thank. It was the only stop we made (apart from Kellie's Castle) en route to Penang, for our Nirvana Food Trip. Despite the name, it's not a vegetarian weekend excursion. In fact, I think we hardly touched any vegetable in that 48 hours of makan madness.

What we ordered were the typical cooking styles of prawns, as recommended by the restaurant. Cereal and butter prawns are all the rage for quite sometime now, but how often do we get good gorn jin (dry-fried in Cantonese) prawns these days? This is one old school dish that I've almost forgotten. Loved the aroma (mostly contributed by the amount of heat and oil applied) and like how olive oil is used for everything under the sun, the oily sauce was good enough to coat some white rice for some carbo indulgence. Of course, the sauces and ingredients can only enhance the dish that much. Ultimately, the prawns decide if it's worth the detours and slight fear of getting lost in an unchartered territory. Okay, not that serious lah, since Lyrical Lemongrass provided us with some love stories that took place in this little town along the way.

Growing up, I was told not to eat the heads of prawns. Not that it'll shrink my brains (like how eating pig brains is supposed to make me any cleverer) but because it's dirty. Here, not eating the head is a sin, I'd say. This is where the good stuff is! Addictive, smooth orange roe that will have you sucking like a hungry baby given a bottle of warm milk. The prawns were perfectly cooked too, proven by the tender and succulent flesh. I saw blocks of ice floating in the tanks where the prawns were kept. This must be another reason why the prawns tasted so fresh and alive. The dainty crabs are worth mentioning too, for that real umami taste.

We definitely came a long way in every sense but when everyone glowed at the first bite of the prawns, you know it's all worthwhile. And good omen too, of what's to come in the next 2 days.

Thanks again, Lyrical Lemongrass and Bald Eagle for organizing this wonderful trip. Masak-Masak did an excellent job in planning the makan itinerary. And Lotsofcravings, thanks for enduring my snores!

It's going to be Penang all this month, right here.

Gorn jin prawns

Butter prawns

Orgasmic roe in each prawn

*Burp*

Lung Seng
10, Jalan Besar
31800 Tanjung Tualang
Perak, Malaysia
Tel: (+605) 3600735