Makan Haus

These king prawn deep fried and then served in a coconut cream based sauce was really quite magical. Sure it took a while to peel off the shells but the juicy succulent prawns worked very well with the dish. The stew was excellent for when mixed in with the rice - it did remind me of a more seafoody Tom Ka Gai. 

Here’s a special one, fresh crab coated with a batter made with salted egg, chillis and curry leaves and deep fried to perfection. Such a simple combination makes for such a tasty dish. The crab of course has an almost impenetrable shell that is cracked with a pair of pliers. The flesh inside is worth getting to - such wonderful seafood sweetness with a fresh bouncy texture. 

Sayur Lodeh is an Indonesian inspired dish that includes cabbage, eggplant, beans, okra and tofu cubes cooked in a coconut curry stew. This is certainly a wonderful and wholesome dish that most satisfying to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. 

Mantou is a chinese bun that is used for dipping in curries and other stews. It is also popularly known for dipping in sweetened condensed milk as a dessert. 

We met with a good friend around his neighbourhood around Jalan Duta where there are some good seafood restaurants dispersed in amongst the local reserve. Some of these outlets are actually quite reputable and well patronised. 

First up, braised tofu with cucumber was a nice an unique twist to what I’m normally used t. The cucumber added a nice juicy bite to the dish and worked really well with the sauce and flavours.

Here we have the Kai Lan vegetable again. Did I mention that it is in the family of the broccoli? This makes it a wonderful vegetable to have for good health as it contains many beneficial vitamins, anti-oxidants and fibre. This dish is simply fried with garlic and a little chicken stock. It tasted fantastic.

Over at a friend’s place, we were presented with these gorgeous bite sized Pineapple Tarts that tasted nothing short of amazing. These are most popular during the Chinese New Year period and places like Malacca churns them out by the truck load. Handmade like these ones are best. The pastry had an incredible melt in the mouth texture and the pineapple filling was so fragrant and rich. Oh, nice guitars too, Sylvin. Thanks to Celine and Sylvin!

This pineapple although visually quite pale is really sweet and tasty. I especially like all the effort my mum in law took to carve this sculpture. Considering the intense juiciness, it must had been a real mission!

Starfruit or Carambola is a mild but juicy fruit that is enjoyed as it is or often juiced for fruit drinks. It has a taste similar to a not so sour green apple but has some citrusy overtones to it. It is not so sweet and really refreshing on a hot day especially when chilled in a fridge. Starfruit is also rich in anti-oxidants and Vitamin C making it an excellent supplement for your dietary needs. 

Ahhh, these are quite fitting after the previous post. Tropical fruit is beautiful at the end of a long humid day. Here we go, it’s the mangosteen (again!), rambutan and the lychee.

There must be something similar between the Rambutan and the Lychee. I suspect they must be of the same family. Red rough skin, a single flesh covered seed and a similar sugary taste must be every Darwinian fan’s point of interest. The taste is similar but not really the same. Rambutan is juicier and tangier and has a rougher texture while Lychee has a distinct fragrance but a smoother flesh. Different fruits in the end but equally enjoyable!

And what have I not said about the Mangosteen? It’s probably worth repeating myself: “yum.”

Ladies and gentlemen, here we have it. The Ramly Burger patties served up by the (in)famous OM burger stall in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. We were looking for the sloppiest and greasiest Ramly we could find and I think we got more than what we bargained for. 

Ramly Burger patties have been around for quite some time already and is a popular street burger that is quite customizable depending on the vendor selling it. These stalls are usually make shift hawker carts that occupy an empty car parking lot in the open. While the burgers are actually quite nice, it really comes down to the street appeal that makes this such an attractive fast food option. 

This one’s so awesome it needs a double post - next post being a video of how it happened. Well, sometimes videos speak louder than words. Thanks Jamie for bringing us there!