Delicious Chinese Food at Restoran Makanan Laut Shengee

March 26, 2018March 26, 2018khorhmin Leave a comment

I have always felt that traditional food infused with old-world charm can be readily found in the small towns that pepper our country, and I have never been disappointed. In the capital of Kuala Lumpur, food trends are like fast fashion trends. Every so often you’ll see a new type of dish appearing at a famous restaurant, then it is suddenly duplicated in other unrelated eateries across the city. Not so in the quaint little towns, which hold true to their authentic traditional fare.

I joined a photography outing organised by the Malaysian Nature Society Selangor Branch’s Photogroup last Sunday, 25 March 2018. We set out super early to arrive at Jeram Toi Waterfalls in Negeri Sembilan before the crowds, so that we could set up our cameras on tripods to take nice photos of flowing water in the crystal clear stream, the cascading waterfalls, and the peaceful jungle scene.

After that, the organisers brought us to Mantin for lunch at Restoran Makanan Laut Shengee. The restaurant was full, but we were the only ‘outsiders’. It must be a well-kept secret then. 🙂

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Steamed salted kampung chicken

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Steamed egg with salted egg and century egg

We had no-frills steamed salted kampung chicken, which was infused with the original flavours from nourishing herbs, wolf berries and salt. The chicken was tender and not oily, and the clear soup was a great accompaniment to the hot rice served. However, I would have preferred that the taste of the herbs was stronger.

The steamed egg with salted egg and century egg was also nice. The taste was good and not too salty, although it could have been better if it was a bit softer.

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Curry fish fillet

The curry fish fillet, cooked in the typical Chinese style of curry, was not very spicy. Coconut milk gave the dish a rich and creamy consistency, with a hint of the curry spices coming through. It was full of sliced vegetables, such as ladies finger, brinjal and cabbage. The thick gravy was great enjoyed with rice.

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Claypot pork belly with salted fish

The claypot pork belly with salted fish was excellent. The meat was tender, and the flavours of salted fish and chillies were not overpowering. Usually, restaurants cook this dish with too much seasoning, making it too salty, but Restoran Shengee cooked this dish with just the right level of ‘saltiness’.

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Sweet potato leaves

The sweet potato leaves were cooked well, and not overly wilted. It was not too salty or oily too.

We could taste the freshness of the vegetables in the four heavenly kings dish, which featured four types of vegetables, but strangely, it had no chillies. This dish is usually cooked with pungent spicy sambal and dried shrimp. By Malaysian standards, this is supposed to be an

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Four heavenly kings

appetizing spicy vegetable dish.

These six dishes plus a complimentary soup, white rice and Chinese tea for 20 pax came up to RM263.80 (including GST). For a sumptuous feast, it was a very good price that could not be found anywhere in Kuala Lumpur!

So, if you are going to the Mantin area in Negeri Sembilan, do swing by this shop during lunch time for some satisfying traditional Chinese food. You will not be disappointed.

Restoran Makanan Laut Shengee
No. 1, 2 & 3, Mantin Square,
71700 Mantin, Negeri Sembilan.
Tel: 06-7584803, 012-6887377
Email: shengeemantin@gmail.com

Mei Wei Little Kitchen

October 9, 2016October 9, 2016khorhmin Leave a comment

Authentic Chinese food is supposed to be hot and delicious, yet simple and inviting. Some fancier cooking will have a longer list of ingredients, especially in the sauces, but the most important aspects of Chinese cuisine lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients, and bringing out these aspects, rather than smothering or overshadowing them.

In this regard, I think Mei Wei Little Kitchen excels. The restaurant cooks up delicious dishes that just hits the spot. The ingredients are fresh and the sauces complement the dishes well. There is a warm, homely feeling about this restaurant’s food, and so it is best enjoyed with your loved ones or best buddies. In fact, I think this place will be an excellent venue for a reunion meal, since it accentuates the ‘feeling’ of togetherness. 🙂

The clams in broth arrived first. It was my favourite dish of the meal. I just could not get enough of it. There is something about seafood soup – it has a rich flavour, and there was no exception for the clam soup. The clams were of a good size, and fresh and succulent, not overcooked and rubbery. The ginger was there, but it did not overpower the soup, nor make it ‘hot and spicy’, as ginger sometimes does. I had a few bowls, and it went very well with rice.

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Clams in broth

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The second dish I liked most was the deep-fried squid with salted egg. The squid was fresh, and the batter had the right degree of crispiness. It was not hard and it did not feel oily. The salted egg flavour came through, and it was not too salty or overpowering. The curry leaves were a nice addition, and I enjoyed eating them. The crunchy squid pieces are just so addictive!

The seafood curry with vermicelli was also prepared well. It had a lot of prawns, pieces of fish fillet and squid inside, and chunky vegetables. The vegetables, such as ladies’ fingers, tomatoes and brinjals, were just nice – not overcooked, mushy nor falling apart. This was a meal all by itself! The curry was not too spicy, and it had a bit of sourness which stimulated the appetite for more.

The homemade beancurd with assorted vegetables came in a wok. This dish might be called braised beancurd in claypot. The beancurd was nice. It had just the right firmness, not too soft to just fall apart when I tried to scoop it up.

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The vegetables were nice too. The baby French beans stir-fried with garlic were nice too. The beans were still crunchy, and the garlic flavour shone through. It was a simple Chinese staple, which many shops do not get right, but Mei Wei Kitchen aced it. The beans were more at a ‘teenager’ stage rather than the ‘baby’ stage though.

For the braised chicken and pumpkin, I absolutely loved the pumpkin, because it was soft and creamy, just the way I like it. The chicken was not everybody’s cup of tea though. Maybe it was the so-called ‘kampung chicken’. Next time, we might request for the dish to be cooked with chicken fillet or cubed chicken breast meat.

If you want to dine at Mei Wei Little Kitchen, you have to call a few days in advance to make reservations, because the restaurant is always full. When I was there, two groups of people almost fought to get our table when we were leaving!

Baby French Beans

Braised Chicken & Pumpkin

Homemade Tofu with Assorted Vegetables

Mei Wei Little Kitchen

Address:

No 619, Jalan 17/10

46400 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 012-383 2521

Opening hours:

11:30am – 2:30pm,

5:30pm – 9:30pm

Restoran Makanan Teow Chew

August 16, 2015August 17, 2015khorhmin Leave a comment

My family was visiting on a sunny Sunday, just before lunchtime. We were not sure where to have lunch, as the roads in Kuala Lumpur had changed a lot. At last, after much thinking, my dad took us to a Teo Chew shop. We were Teo Chew after all, so of course Teo Chew food was a favourite.

Located at the ground floor level of a block of old flats, the shop’s facade was unassuming. However, it was a popular eatery, frequented by celebrities and beauty queens. The inside of the shop was clean and the waiters and waitresses were courteous.

View of the shop facade

There was a wide selection of Teo Chew dishes available, and one could enjoy their selected dishes with either rice or plain porridge.

Clockwise from top: pork patties with salted fish, fish ball wrapped in egg, pickled radish omelette, spicy vegetables, crispy fried fish slices topped with tomato sauce, stewed groundnuts.

The pickled radish omelette was just right – not too salty and not overcooked. The spicy vegetables had just the right balance of heat and tartness for that satisfying tangy zing. The crispy fried fish slices topped with tomato sauce were my mum’s favourite – they were crispy, but not too hard nor were they too salty.

Pickled radish omelette

The fried pork patties with salted fish was quite all right, but we thought their flavour would benefit from the addition of more salted fish. Also, I found the stewed groundnuts too salty. Lastly, I thought the fishball wrapped in egg would have a minced meat filling instead, but the fishball filling was quite all right actually.

Tasty teo chew cooking

The shop also offered claypot rice, but it featured pork and not the usual chicken. Although I’m not a fan of pork slices with thick lines of fat visible, the claypot rice was indeed tasty, but we prefer a little less salt in the mix.

Claypot rice

The shop has received good reviews from customers (4.9 out of 5 stars on their Facebook page), so it is worth a visit, if you are passing through the area. The opening hours are 11.30 am to 10.30 pm daily.

RESTORAN MAKANAN TEO CHEW
Block C-15, Jalan Desa Aman 2,
Taman Desa Aman, 56100 Kuala Lumpur.
Opening hours: 11.30 am to 10.30 pm daily
Type of establishment: Chinese restaurant (Teo Chew dialect)
Facebook page: Teo Chew Taste

Chicken & Carrot Burger Patty

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015khorhmin 1 Comment

It is common knowledge that burgers from fast food joints are unhealthy because they contain ground up fats and skin, as well as mysterious fillers, additives and preservatives, among other things. Since the burger patties are made from ground up meat, it is a bit hard to determine what goes into it, right? This suspicion also extends to the mass-produced burger patties sold in the frozen foods section of supermarkets and hypermarkets.

However, a burger patty is simply a disc-shaped slab of meat, made from chicken, beef, lamb, etc. It can also be made entirely of mashed or chopped up non-meat ingredients, such as sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and peas, the outcome of which is a tasty vegetarian-friendly burger patty.

The challenge in this present day and age is to make food healthier for yourself and your loved ones. When we read health-related articles online, the keywords that keep appearing are ‘healthy’, ‘trans-fat free’, ‘low sodium’, ‘less fat’, ‘less oil’, ‘balanced diet’, ‘fruits’, ‘vegetables’, ‘organic’, etc.

Healthy Burger Patty

A burger patty can actually be healthy if we make it ourselves, because we can control what goes into it. No mystery to be solved. No processed food. No weird additives. No stabilisers. No unhealthy fat levels.

I made burger patties from chopped up lean chicken breasts and a whole carrot today, as well as green spring onions and stalks of flat-leafed coriander. Best of all, they were tender, juicy and flavourful. The fragrant flavour comes primarily from the finely chopped lemongrass, one of my favourite oriental condiments. I love lemongrass! 🙂

Cooling on kitchen towels to help soak up excess oil

Chicken & Carrot Burger Patty

Makes 10-12 patties, depending on size and thickness
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 & a half chicken breasts (minced or chopped)
1 large carrot (grated)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 stalks lemongrass (finely chopped)
1 red chilli (seeds removed; finely chopped)
A few stalks of spring onions (chopped)
A few stalks of coriander (also known as cilantro) (chopped)
A large egg
A tablespoon of corn flour
A tablespoon of tomato sauce
A tablespoon of vegetable oil (such as olive oil; optional)
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for pan-frying

Raw ingredients for Chicken & Carrot Burger Patty. Clockwise from top: A whole grated carrot, Chopped onion, finely chopped lemongrass, finely chopped red chilli (seeds removed), chopped fresh coriander leaves, chopped spring onions, 1 & a half chicken breasts (minced or chopped) seasoned with corn flour, black pepper, salt, and lastly, an egg.

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients together. They should form a paste that can stick together to make individual patties that will not break apart when you put them into the frying pan. If the ingredients can’t stick together to form a ball or patty because the mixture is too dry, you can add a small egg, or a bit of water and some corn flour.
Heat up some vegetable oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, form burger patties with the palms of your hands and put them into the pan. I just use my hands, but if you find that hard, you can form the patties on a flat spatula and push them onto the pan with a spoon, or another spatula. Do whatever works for you.
Fry the patties on one side until browned. Then, flip them over with a spatula to cook the other side. At this point, covering the pan (if the pan comes with a cover) might hasten the cooking process.
When you have determined that the patty is cooked through, scoop it out onto a kitchen towel-lined plate to cool. The kitchen towel will absorb the excess oil.
Serve the patties with burger buns, tortilla wraps, sandwich bread, or even sliced and stuffed in pita bread pockets. They can also be eaten as is.

Bon appetit! 🙂

Freshly pan-fried chicken & carrot burger patty

Cross-section of chicken & carrot burger patty, featured here on top of a tortilla wrap.

Chicken & carrot burger patty sliced in half and wrapped in a tortilla wrap

Curry noodles @ Xin Quan Fang, Ipoh

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014khorhmin Leave a comment

Curry noodles is a dish unique to Malaysia, and a favourite among Malaysians from all walks of life. The spicy curry soup gets its flavour from a combination of coconut milk and chilli. Some hawkers will add a kick with sambal or their own secret blend of ingredients. Besides noodles, the dish will have a combination of some of the following ingredients – dried tofu, small to medium-sized prawns, chicken meat slivers, hard-boiled egg slices, mint leaves and cockles. The choice of noodles available include the thin yellow noodles, string-thin rice noodles, flat rice noodles and lo shi fun. Lo Shi fun are short, fat rice noodles. The Cantonese name literally means rats’ tail noodles – not the most appetizing name, I know.

Ipoh is a favourite place for many people to look for yummy things to eat. To me, Penang ranks No.1 on the Malaysian foodie paradise list, but Ipoh ranks a close second. Well, at least in terms of Chinese food. A famous curry noodle shop in Ipoh, called Xin Quan Fang, is one of the must-see places for every foodie dropping by. Legend has it that this curry noodle business has been around for decades, and was previous located near to the police station in the area. The relocation to its present shop was a rather recent development. Its fame is prominently displayed on the aged shop walls in the form of multiple framed newspaper cuttings featuring articles of various sizes, all detailing the shop’s famed delicacies and singing its praises.

Since it was a long holiday weekend, we had to stand around tables waiting for somebody to finish and leave before we could sit down and order. That took 10 to 15 mins. Then, we sat down and waited for the boss to come around to take our orders. That took another wait of 10 to 15 mins. If one were to lose patience and demand to order at the counter or at the lone stall at the store front, prepare to be ignored. At last, we ordered four bowls of curry noodle soup and a bowl of dry curry noodles, as well as a bowl of extra ingredients. Our food came maybe 15 to 20 mins later. So, if one were easily prone to boredom or fits of rage, please bring some forms of entertainment as distraction, like a smartphone, iPad or other gadget with various gaming apps installed, or Internet-enabled to watch random YouTube videos.

Curry noodles featuring flat rice noodles at Xin Quan Fang, Ipoh

Our patience was duly rewarded. The curry noodle soup was not too spicy, but thick and richly flavourful. The curry leaves in the soup lent the concoction its authentic fragrant curry aroma. The flat rice noodles were thin, soft and smooth with a slightly chewy texture, which the Ipoh-made rice noodles were famous for. However, this shop’s curry noodles did not come with cockles, which is a staple ingredient in most curry noodle dishes served elsewhere.

The bowl of extra ingredients consisted of slices of chicken meat, roast pork with crispy skin, BBQ pork slices (char siew) and bean sprouts, topped with shelled prawns. The bean sprouts are located right at the bottom of the bowl.

Bowl of extra ingredients

The extra ingredients came with individual servings of special dipping sauce. The sauce is made up of thickened curry soup mixed with chopped garlic and laced with zesty lime juice. Only this shop serves this kind of dipping sauce. On another note, if you feel your bowl of curry noodles does not have the adequate level of heat, feel free to pour your dipping sauce in to up the level of excitement.

Curry dipping sauce at Xin Quan Fang, Ipoh

All in all, the curry noodle shop lives up to its name of being one of, if not the best, curry noodle shop in Ipoh. Do try it if you are passing through Ipoh and have a bit of time to spare for breakfast or brunch.

Curry mee hoon (front); curry dipping sauce (middle); bowl of extra ingredients (back).

Curry mee hoon soup (front); curry dipping sauce (middle); bowl of extra ingredients (back).

XIN QUAN FANG CURRY MEE (non-Halal)
174, Jalan Sultan Iskandar
30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Tel No : +6016-531 4193
Business hours : Starts 7.30am and finishes around noon (Please arrive early to avoid disappointment)
GPS Coordinates : 4.593135,101.08422

Hui Min's Kitchen

Food. Desserts. Beverages. Recipes. Reviews.

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