The Traditional Breakfast

There was a time when traditional Malay dishes of Kedah, especially breakfast, was out of style. People went more for roti canai, or the all-rounder nasi lemak, However, I am glad to see that dishes like Peknga and even Pukut Ikan Masin is gaining momentum commercially.

Pulut ikan masin was consumed a lot by Malays of yesteryears, but is not a dish originally from Kedah. It is glutinous rice with freshly grated coconut and friend or roasted salted fish. This is a dish most commonly taken by those who labours in the field or sea, such as paddy farmers and fishermen. It is a simple dish compared to rice, and able to last.

Peknga is synonymous with Kedah, or the north. Originally known as Roti Kisot, it is a basic bread dish eaten with fish curry. This is truly a dish that was borne out of necessity and the abundance of resources.

The Malays used to have an abundance supply of coconuts in their kampung, which is why coconut or coconut products, are always present in so many Malay dishes. Ikan kembong was the cheapest source of protein at the time. Beef was expensive, and chicken is a labor-intensive job, furthermore, fish curry was always made in a large quantity where they feed their large families. As there was no refrigeration back then, they had to device a way to finish off the curry the next day. For this, Roti Kisot or Peknga with Fish Curry is able to feed all, using resources they already have to finish off the dish they already have. Simple, economical and satisfying.

On the name, nobody can really say how the name Peknga was devised, but a popular legend has it that it is short for TemPEK dalam BelaNGA (stick it on the pan/gridle). The original name, however, is based on the act of making it: Roti is bread, Kisot is moving around while kneeling/on your knees. It is said that Malay ladies move around on their knees a lot to make this bread as the old traditional wood-coal stove is low and closer to the ground. With the name Peknga getting more commercial, roti kisot has found its name to be a bit more obscure and only known to older generations.

Since I was young, I remember my mother making Roti Kisot for breakfast, with the leftover fish curry from the night before. I cannot talk about today's generations but a lot of my friends in the northern region will talk about their mothers making their best roti kisot/peknga experience.

Unlike the normal bread, Peknga is not made from dough but from batter and basically has young, grated coconut or bananas as the main flavor. The flour is usually combined with water and seasoned to a consistency slightly stiffer than pancake batter, then adding the grated coconut or mashed banana.

Making it on the pan or gridle can be tricky. From personal experience, try not to use a non-stick pan or you might find the work frustrating. The batter is ladled on to the griddle and spread to the desired size with even thickness. Too thick, you might find the peknga batter uncooked inside, too thin and you end up with a crispy dry crust.

A good peknga dish must satisfy both aspects: a good tasty bread and a good fish curry, usually ikan kembong or Atlantic Mackerel. I have been to a few places that serves peknga but usually end up disappointed. Majority of them have good curry but the peknga hardly has the taste of young, grated coconut. I could have sworn one of the places used husk of grated coconut...that place I will never return. One place had a peknga that was perfect in texture, but sweet. Not surprising as they are Pattani Malays.

With all these letdowns, I rarely order Peknga anywhere. However, my friend recommended me Warung Klasik, where traditional Malay breakfast is served, and I was made to understand that place, which is next to his house, was given a slot on Majalah 3 and now very popular. Despite the fact that I avoid mainstream/upmarket places, curiousity got the best of me and I actually had a good experience there.

Finding the place was quite tricky. Located on the Jalan Alor Setar - Kangar, the restaurant is located by the roadside, on the left from Alor Setar and on the right from Perlis. It is about 5km from the traffic junction of Jalan Putra/Lencong Barat/Lebuhraya Sultanah Bahiyah, and about 1.5km from the Kuala Sungai town. The stall is located by the road, with a small signboard stating its name. It's a bit tricky as there are no landmarks for me to describe.

The restaurant is open from morning to afternoon, serving dishes like Peknga, Pulut Ikan Masin alon with rice and its dishes for those who preder something heavy.

There are 2 types of peknga, the regular or banana, with fish curry for you to dip the bread. For the curry, you can just have the curry, or you can have it with fish, depending on how you like it. The peknga is slightly smaller in size, but think and well cooked - crispy on the outsude, soft on the inside. With the young grated coconut in there, you can eat the peknga on its own. The fish curry is light, which is a typical kampung Malay style, that goes perfectly with the peknga. The curry is not spicy hot, just nice. Mind you, don't be fooled by the size, minutes after eating it, you might find the peknha expanding in your stomach.

The pulut is nice as well. The glutinous rice was well cooked and steamed, with young grated coconut and salted tamban (or something similar) hot off the wok. I am guessing that, not only these dishes were made with care, the young grated coconut plays an important role as well. It gives a rich, sweet and slightly salty taste and texture to the peknga and the pulut dishes. Rice with other dishes are also available there, but I didn't try as it was too early to go for rice. I am confident, however, that the dishes are nice as well as I noticed that most of the dishes were almost gone.

I am glad to see how traditional Malay dishes are becoming popular again. At one time, these type of food were considered by some Malays to be "of low class" and non-commercial. The restaurant, despite its small size, has been packed since early morning, and this is proof that people long  for this type of food. Compared to other places which prefer to take shortcuts in preparing these dishes, such as skimping on the coconut, adding more water to the curry than required, cooking without steaming the pulut, being cheap with ingredients and many other tardiness, this restaurant shows that they are serious in preparing the traditional Malay breakfast of Kedah, an effort I most applaud. I do not mind paying extra for something like this, but the price is already reasonable.

I hope they will preserve the quality of the dishes and will be around for a long time.

Kerabu Daging Mentah: Raw Or Cooked, It's A Meaty Affair

Kedah, like the other northern states in Peninsular Malaysia. has one way or the other influenced by Thailand. Many parts of Kedah, in the past, spoke Siamese on a daily basis. There are also cultural influences that can be found in Kedah, despite the urbanization and modernization today.

In certain village areas, they still maintain the tradition of slaughtering a cow for festive occassions, and the dishes they make for the feast, will have beef as its main ingredient.

I was at a kenduri in Pendang with my family and my mother, and true to its core, a cow was slaughtered in the morning. I was really rearing for the occassion as I was told that they made Kerabu Dagimg Mentah (Raw Beef Salad) as one of the dishes. I spent more than 2 decades hearing about this dish, and missed numerous occassions when they dish was served at a number of kenduris that I missed.

Some might think, "Raw Beef?" or even "raw beef for salad?" but this dish is simply a-must-try. It is traditional, and it is a one of the old Siamese influence in the Malay culinary world.

Kerabu has been loosely translated as salad, popular in South East Asia, particularly in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Singapore. Asian greens and herbs, meat and even seafood are combined and is usually healthy because it uses no oil. The Malaysian kerabu differ slightly from the Thais as it sometimes incorporates kerisik, which is grated coconut that has been toasted and later pounded until the oil appears. The Thai kerabu usually uses toasted nuts or cashews for fat.

I am sure many people have tasted this kerabu, but this is my first, and my relatives seem to notice it. They seemed to enjoy every one of my inquiries on the dish, and from what I gather, the dish is always made using fresh beef. The beef is usually wrapped in paper to absorb the blood. Once that is done, it is blanched in hot water for a very short period of time. I am guessing that this procedure cooks and seals the outer layer of the meat. The beef is then cut fine or minced, using knives. The term "mince" is used roughly here as the beef is, despite being cut fine, it is still chunky, not too fine like the machine-minced beef you might buy at hypermarkets. Onions, lemongrass, galangal and pepper, which have been finely ground is added to the beef and mixed together. Kerisik and lime juice is added as well, along with ground toasted rice. All of these produce a rich, fragrant and delicious kerabu. Maybe the term "salad" used being used too loosely here since the closest elements you get to vegetables in here are the herbs used to mix with the beef. I guess that's the closest I got to the recipe as I couldn't understand some of their slang. They are from Kedah, but living in a kampung where talk with a more Siamese-like slang which can be melodious, but slightly difficult to understand.

The kerabu was very good, and for first-timer like me, I enjoyed it so much, even without rice. The beef was so tender and with all the spices and herbs, you won't even know that the beef is raw. The taste and texture resemble a lot like kerabu perut (cow tripe salad), except for the fact that it uses raw beef.

We had 4 dishes for the white rice, and 3 of them are beef: Beef (with liver) curry, a soup made of other cuts of the cow's meat such as tripe, lungs and other, the kerabu daging mentah and wild bamboo shoot cooked with spices. We were enjoying the dishes while other guests outside were already enjoying their tea time, ketupat and beef rendang.

The dishes are simple, yet hearty. The curry and soup doesn't use much spices in there but I have mentioned before, fresh beef is the star of the show. I would understand that people who takes health seriously will give this a miss. But I always prefer kampung-style kenduris compared to the stereotypical town kenduris where nasi minyak, ayam masak merah are always the main dishes. Even the beef curry was prepared in a typical kampung-style instead of the usual indian-influenced style of the city.

I am glad and happy to be related to people who are still of the Malay-Siam culture. The rich combination yielded many a great thing, especially in the culinary world. I am not sure about elsewhere but I can be sure that kerabu daging mentah is not sold in restaurants. If it is, please tell me where. If you are in a kenduri where they serve Kerabu Daging Mentah, try it.

Traditional Fresh Water Fish Dishes...In Kuala Lumpur?

Fresh water fish is really making waves nowadays. What used to be cheap, almost valueless item sold in the market 30-40 years ago are now some of the most expensive items on the menu. There are even farms breeding catfish, patin and several other types all accross the country that supply restaurants and marketplace.

On my return trip from Kuala Lumpur, I use to stop at R&R Sungai Perak for the Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin, which is my favorite. My friends from Perak and Pahang will criticize my choice as Kuala Kangsar has the dish and much better in taste. I did try the one in Kuala Kangsar, it was very hot so I reverted to the one at the R&R.

Most restaurants that serve kampung-style food in Alor Setar usually have catfish, either fried, grilled or in curry on their menu. It is not surprising as popular fresh water fish in Kedah is more on catfish, haruan and puyu as they were readily available in paddy fields and canals.

I must admit that I am not a fan of eating in KL. I feel that the Malay food there is severely commercialized and lost most of its authenticity. I do feel that Thai food has, in a way, overtaken Malay food in many ways, not to mention the advent of Indonesian food such Bakso and Ayam Penyek. Also, there's not many place there offers fresh water fish on their menu...of course, I could be wrong on this, so I apologize in advance.

My friend, Zaliny, during his trip to Alor Setar, promised to take me to a place that will change my perception about eating in KL. Now Zaliny and I have been friends ever since we were in Form 1 back in MRSM Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang. Just like me, he looks for food that has is really good, with true flavors and authenticity. After completing my business, true to his words, he took my cousin and me out for dinner.

Zaliny took us to a restaurant called Restoran Samudra de Menara Tinjau, located at the Kompleks Pelancongan on the Jalan Ampang-Ulu Langat. I must say that the location is quite a change from the normal urban scenario, being on a hill, past the over-crowded lookout-point. The area is quiet, with a very big parking area. On certain days, the restaurant can be quite packed with tourists. Zaliny has contacted the proprietor in advance and ordered some items that, as I was about to find out, will shatter my perception.

I was made to understand that the cooking is Pahang style, but I understand it, Pahang and Perak's cooking is similar in so many way, only differed in certain preparations.

For dinner, Zaliny has ordered rice accompanied by these dishes:

1) Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin
I am so used to the version at the R&R Sungai Perak (northbound), which is quite watered-down and modified to suit the pellet of travellers. This version however, spares no quarter. The fish, caught wild, was fresh and firm, leaner as it is not too oily compared to the bred one used at the R&R. The spices were wholly complete and a lot of tempoyak is used, and as a result, the gravy is thicker and richer which we can either eat with rice or take it in like soup. The flavor of the fish is there and the gravy is sourish, slightly hot and slightly sweet, as it is supposed to be. We ate it with rice, and later, as soup. Simply irresistable.

2) Masak Lemak Ikan Baung with Rebung (Bamboo Shoots)
I am familiar with masak lemak, although I skip this dish in stalls and shops as they proproeters seem to be stingy on the coconut milk. Anyway, all the masak lemak I have tasted before never had fresh fish. The masak lemak is rich in flavor: spices, herbs, bamboo shoots, fish and coconut milk. The bamboo shoot is almost sweet, without much smell.

3) Grilled Ikan Krai

In some places in KL where they boast of Ikan Bakar, I find them disappointing. This was because of the lack of spice used, and sometimes when the spices are right, they were too stingy to dab them properly on the fish, maybe for cost purposes.

This dish, with a very healthy dose of spices and herbs, lathered richly onto the fish and grilled to perfection, is the most outstanding. I can just eat the fish without bothering for rice. The firm flesh, the jubilant smell of burnt spices on the fish adds richness to the eating experience.

4) Udang Galah Fried With Sambal Petai

Udang Galah is a species of fresh water prawn, and it is such a delicacy, especially in Kedah. Although it was abundant in Kedah, the 1980s saw its decline and the udang galah could not be found in the rivers in Kedah anymore nowadays. Back in the 1960s to mid-1970s, I had a grand-uncle who operates a stall in a kopitiam beside Masjid Zahir, selling a noodle dish simply called Mee Kakak. The name was derived from his nickname "Syed Kakak" where in Palembang, kakak means brother. To make his dish, he would go and catch udang galah himself.

Back to the Udang Galah at Restoran Samudra, the firmness of the flesh defines the freshness of the prawn. Despite the fact that the prawn was marinated with spices such as tumeric and chilli, the spices never over-powered the taste of the prawn. Combined with the traditional style dry sambal petai, it is a dish that you could not stop going back for more.

4) Ulam with Sambal Belacan and Tempoyak.

What's a Malay traditional dinner without ulam? Fresh ulam, consisting of cucumber, bitter-gourd and some other leafy green; now that perfects the feast. A dab, or more of tempoyak with your ulam and perhaps mix it with a little sambal belacan fills your moth with an explosion of taste and flavors. The tempoyak, or fermented durian has a sweet and sour taste, and a perfect combination will be with the sambal. You can just sit there, listening to the crunching sounds from everybody's mouth.

Despite having fresh water fish, I must say that none of them smells like grass. I guess they really know how to clean the fish perfectly.

Many years ago, I used to go to village areas such as Pendang and Kuala Nerang where they serve fresh water fish as kenduri dishes. They were very good, but they were not as rich as the dishes served at Restoran Samudra. I think I can safely say that these dishes are fit for kings, rich in tradition, overflowing in taste and flavor and a very tight quality control. Mind you not to burp in the car after the meal, unless you have a very strong air freshener.

Zaliny was right, I can get good food in KL, and what's more surprising, the cooking is traditional. Now how can I compete with that? In Alor Setar city, food outlets label themselves as "Kampung Style" just because they have Daging Bakar, Catfish dishes and ulam, the rest remains a fusion of almost every state in Malaysia. At Restoran Samudra, when they say traditional cooking, they really mean traditional.

If you want to try the dishes there, make a start to Restoran Samudra de Menara Tinjau located at Kompleks Pelancongan, Jalan Ampang Hulu Langat. If you're coming from Ampang, it should be on your right, you can't miss it. It is time to eat traditional.

I would suggest calling ahead to know what are the fishes available on that day, and perhaps cut back on the waiting time for the food.

Samudra d' Menara Tinjau is on Facebook, at this link