Beef Noodles @ Kedai Kopi Lai Foong - KL, Malaysia

If you were to ask me where you can find the best beef noodles in KL, I would have to tell you that, in my opinion, nothing beats the beef noodles in Lai Foong. I know quite a few people who thinks that the Ngau Kee beef noodles in Tingkat Tong Shin is the best ever, but I beg to differ. Sure, it's good. In fact, better than good. We would usually head out there in the wee hours of the morning, right after a night of clubbing and partying. A big bowl of beef noodles usually hits the spot! However, I still firmly believe that the beef noodles in Lai Foong is way better than the Ngau Kee beef noodles. Yup, Lai Foong wins hands down! :D

Kedai Kopi Lai Foong (Lai Foong Coffee Shop) is located at the corner of Jalan Tun H.S. Lee and Jalan Tan Cheng Lock, right smack in the heart of the city. Amidst all the smog, dust from the busy main roads and loud constant honking from the crazy KL traffic is where you will find this little piece of heaven. We would make it a point to head down to the city every time we are back home in KL, just for the beef noodles. Something like my very own beef noodles pilgrimage :P As you can imagine, parking can be a problem. So, there are two ways to go about it. One is to take the LRT (Putra Line) and get off at the Pasar Seni (Central Market) station. Just cross the road and walk up a few blocks and you are there. The other option is to drive to Central Market and park at the Central Market parking lot. Option two is a little bit more expensive, cos parking in the city doesn't come cheap. However, it's more convenient. What we would usually do is, drive to Central Market, walk around for a bit (while picking up a whole lot of souvenirs for the folks back in the States), walk over to Lai Foong for a late lunch and continue down the street to Chinatown/Petaling St after lunch. Yup, that's our usual "Beef Noodle Pilgrimage". LOL!
Kedai Kopi Lai Foong is a pretty cool coffee shop. Walking into that coffee shop is like taking a step back in time. With it's dated tile floors and wall to the marble table tops and wooden chairs, it's definitely from a whole different era. I was told that this historic coffee shop is almost 60 years old. Wow, it's even older than Malaysia! Even though it's really old, it's still bustling with activity. It gets really packed during lunch hour, so the best time to go would be just before lunch or after the lunch crowd. As you can see from the clock on the wall, we went around 2:20pm and managed to get a table without having to fight for one.
Ahhhh, this is the famous beef noodle stall. The guy with the hat and red apron is Thomas, the beef noodle man himself! His dad started the beef noodle stall in Lai Foong back in 1956 and he took over after his dad retired. After all this years, the beef noodles still remains as good as it was back then. The stock is still made with the same 80 year old Hainanese family recipe that was passed to his father from his grandfather. No wonder those beef noodles are so mmm mmm goood!!!
Here is it! The famous beef noodles from Lai Foong. Mannnn, what I would do for a bowl of that now! Tender slices of beef and tendon, yummy beef balls, chopped salted mustard greens, cilantro and noodles in a hearty flavorful stock. Soooooooooo goood! It also comes with a side of home made chili sauce. What I would do is just pour the whole dish of chili sauce into that big bowl of noodles. It definitely kicks it up a notch. The price starts at RM5 (approx US$1.50) for a medium size bowl and it goes up til RM8 (approx US$2.50) for an extra large with a whole lot of extra toppings. It's so good, it's worth every cent! Maybe even more :P So, the next time you are in KL, go check out the beef noodle stall in Lai Foong. Trust me, it's the best beef noodles in KL, hands down!

Kedai Kopi Lai Foong - KL, Malaysia
138 Jalan Tun HS Lee,
50150 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: (603)2072 8123

Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine - Lodi, NJ

After a whole afternoon of eating in Chinatown, we were not really thinking about dinner until about 9PM that evening. I asked Kheng what she wanted to eat and she said more Malaysian! You see, during lunch, she couldn't make up her mind between Nasi Lemak or Hainanese Chicken Rice. I guess the chicken rice was still on her mind :P I did a quick search online and found out that the nearest Penang Restaurant is the branch located in Lodi. Since I have never been there myself, we figured it would be a good time to go check it out. Also, it opens til 11PM, so it was perfect for us.

After some GPS problems, we arrived at the restaurant at around 10. It has it's own parking lot with ample parking space, so that's a bonus. However, the exterior doesn't look like the typical Penang Restaurants that I am familiar with. Oh, you must be wondering...what GPS problems? Well, the address that we got off the Internet was 334 Main St. When I typed that in, I found out that there was a N. Main St and S. Main St. I wasn't sure which one it was, so I randomly selected S. Main St. Guess where that brought us? A cemetery! I then selected N. Main St and 5 minutes or so later, we found the place. So remember, if you were to go, it's NORTH Main St and not SOUTH! :P

When we walked into the restaurant, I knew that this branch was definitely different than the other Penang branches. The decor looked more like a chic upscale restaurant with low lighting and jazz music playing in the background. There was also a full bar and the wait staff looked more like they belong to a fancy Italian or French restaurant. Definitely not the aunties that I am used to. I also noticed that there were A LOT of wait staff, almost too many for such a small establishment. We were seated promptly (due to the fact that it was almost empty) and they gave us the menu to look through. Hmmm, a quick glance through the menu and I realized that that the prices were way higher compared all the other Penang branches that I have been to (trust me, I have been to a lot of Penangs :P). Not only that, the menu selection was way smaller compared to the other Penangs. Oh well, if the food and service is good, I guess paying a little more isn't all that bad. However, the question...was the food and service good? Well, let me tell you this. There were soooo many wait staff around but we had to wait for at least 15 minutes to order. They were just hanging around in groups, either staring into space or talking to each other. What horrible service! We even tried to get their attention, but they were in a world of their own. At last we managed to place our order and the waiting for our food began.

After waiting for what seemed like forever, our food was finally served. I ordered the Fried Rice Noodles with Salted Fish ($8.95). With the horrible service, I wasn't really expecting a lot from the food. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The fried rice noodles were not too bad actually. Not the greatest, but it wasn't all that bad. There were also generous chunks of salted fish visible. Do I think it's worth the 9 bucks? Probably not. After all, it's just rice noodles, some pieces of chicken, vegetables and salted fish. It's almost sinful to pay 9 bucks just for that.

What did Kevin order? Nooo, he didn't order the Char Koay Teow! :P He ordered his second favorite food, Wonton Mee ($7.95). Again, the noodles wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I would say, it's rather forgettable. I found the wontons to be a tad bit tasteless too. I wouldn't order this again IF we were to ever return.

I felt that Kheng's Hainanese Chicken Rice ($6.95) was the most disappointing out of the whole lot. Not only did it take extra long to be served, it tasted horrible too. After Kevin and I got our food (and we had to wait a long time for ours), she was still waiting for hers. Come on, how long does it take to put this dish together? Just chop up some chicken and scoop some rice into a bowl? How difficult can that be? She gave me a few pieces to try and yeah, I agree with her that it's really not that great. The chicken was tasteless! Just some rubbery chicken with soy sauce poured over.

Since we didn't order any appetizer and our main meal was pretty horrible, we decided to order some desserts. Maybe they might redeem themselves through dessert. Kheng ordered the Chendol ($3.50). The verdict? Just too much shaved ice! Look at the amount of shaved ice. It was just falling everywhere and it was so hard to get to the good stuff at the bottom of the bowl. To be fair, the chendol tasted pretty good though. Just that there was way too much ice on top.

Kevin and I shared the Peanut Pancake with Ice Cream ($7.95). This is our all time favorite Penang Restaurant dessert. Crispy roti canai stuffed with 'ban chang koay' peanut stuffing. I'm glad that it wasn't a disappointment. Good as always. However, I am a bit cheesed off that the peanut pancake was served with ice cream. Usually (in all the other Penang branches), we could choose if we wanted ice cream or not. It's usually $5.95 just for the pancake. Two bucks for a scoop of ice cream seems ridiculous. Looks like it's all about making money in this Penang branch.

As you can see from the bill, our whole dinner for 3 people came up to $50.40. Way way way too expensive for some mediocare tasting Malaysian food and really bad service. Would I return? I really don't think so. The next time I am in the mood for Malaysian food, I would either to go the city or take a drive to the Penang in Edison. It might be a little bit further, but the experience will be a whole lot better.

Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine - Lodi, NJ
334 N. Main St,
Lodi, NJ 07644
Tel: (973) 779 1128
Web: http://www.penangcuisine.com/

Mamak Mee Goreng (Indian Fried Noodles)

I had a packet of yellow noodles and some fried tofu sitting in my refrigerator a while back, so I decided to try and cook up some Mamak Mee Goreng aka Indian Fried Noodles. Despite it's name, this dish didn't actually originate from India. It was created by the mamak (Tamil Muslims) community who migrated from South India to Malaysia (and other South East Asian countries) centuries ago. Sold mainly in mamak stalls all across Malaysia, the Mamak Mee Goreng has since become a favorite among Malaysians of all races. Here is my version of the Mamak Mee Goreng.

Start off by adding some oil into a wok or large pan. Once it's hot, add in some chopped garlic. Saute the garlic for a bit and when it starts to turn light brown, add in some chili paste. I have only added in a little because we are not really fans of super hot stuff. You can add in a little bit more, if you like.

Next, add in some fried tofu (taukua) that has been cut up into smaller pieces. You can easily find fried tofu in any Asian grocery store. If there are no Asian grocery stores near you, you might be able to find some in the produce section of your local grocery store. They should be by the chilled organic foods section.

After the fried tofu, add in some potatoes that have been boiled and cut up into smaller pieces. Then, in goes some tomatoes (that has also been cut up into smaller chunks). At this point, you can add in some mustard greens (sawi) is you like.

Stir everything together and allow it to cook for a bit. Then, add in some large white shrimp that has been peeled and clean. Apart from shrimp, you can also add in some squid that has been cut into rings.

Once the shrimp is almost cooked, throw in about a handful of yellow noodles.

Then, pour in some sauce to add flavor and color to the noodles. It's pretty easy to prepare the sauce. Just add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and 3 tablespoons of tomato ketchup. Then, add in some sugar and mix it all together.

Just stir fry everything together for a bit and it's ready to serve! At this point, you might want to add in some beansprouts. Since I didn't have any in hand, I just made do without. If you added in some beansprouts, just stir fry for a little bit longer and you are done. Remember, everything must be fried in really high heat. If not, it won't taste that authentic.

Now, if you would like to add in an egg to your noodles, this is what you should do. Make a hole in the middle of the noodles and add in a tiny bit of oil. Then, crack in one large egg and allow it to cook for a few seconds. Then, break the egg up and scramble it a little. Once its almost cooked, mix it with the rest of the noodles and stir fry everything together. Then it's ready to serve! You can serve the noodles with a few wedges of lime and some fried onions on top. Some people would also sprinkle on some fresh shredded lettuce on top. It's entirely up to you. Enjoy!

Tean's Gourmet Curry Laksa

If you don't already know by now, I am a huge fan of Tean's Gourmet products. So far, I have tried quite a number of their instant curry paste/mix and found that they are really authentic tasting. Not only that, it's really simple to make and you can pretty much whip up an authentic tasting Malaysian dish in minutes, without any hassle!

When I was back in Malaysia, I bought a few packets of Tean's Gourmet Curry Laksa to bring back with me to the US. Last week, I was in the mood for some curry noodles but wasn't really keen to spend hours just trying to make something from scratch. So, it was the perfect time to whip out one of those Curry Laksa instant paste packets and try it out.

It's really simple and quick to make. Start off by boiling about 1500ml of water.

Once you have brought the water to a boil, add in the Curry Laksa paste.

Give it a good stir and add in about 150ml of thick coconut milk.

Next, drop in some fried tofu puffs. Allow it cook for a bit and the curry laksa soup is done! How easy was that? It took just about 15 minutes or so.

Now, it's time to prepare the noodles. Just blench some beansprouts, yellow noodles and rice noodles in the soup until it's cook. Do not overcook, it shouldn't take more than a minute.
Once that's done, place it in a big bowl. Add some slices of shredded chicken meat and cooked large shrimp (you can also add in some hard boiled eggs, fishballs and mint leaves) on top of the noodles. Pour the hot curry soup into the bowl of noodles and it's ready to be served! I must say that it tasted pretty awesome, especially for something that you can whip up in half an hour or less. Kudos Tean's Gourmet, you have done it again. Two thumbs up!

Hokkien Char Beehoon Mee

Char (fried) Beehoon (thin rice noodle) Mee (yellow noodles) one of the easiest and fastest noodle dish to make. It's a full complete meal, with a little bit of carbs, protein and vitamins - all in one dish. It's also one of the most common dishes you can find at parties/gatherings/pot lucks in Malaysia. Not only is it easy to whip up and affordable to make, you can also pretty much serve it anytime of the day, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper! Here's how you make it.

Start off by heating some oil in a large pan or wok. Once the oil is hot, throw in some chopped garlic.

Next, add in some sliced pork balls. If you do not like pork balls, you could add in fish balls, fish cakes or shrimp balls too.

Then, add in some straw mushrooms. This is optional. If you like, you may also use shitaki mushrooms.

Stir fry the balls and mushrooms for a bit, then add in some thin chicken slices that has been pre marinated with some soy sauce and pepper.

Once the chicken is almost cooked, add in some jumbo shrimp.

Stir fry all the ingredients together. Next, in goes the noodles. You can also use just one type of noodle, be it the yellow noodles or rice noodles, it's entirely up to you.

After mixing the noodles with the rest of the ingredients, add in the soy sauce mixture. It's actually one part dark soy sauce, two parts premium light soy sauce and some water.

Allow it to simmer and cook for a bit.

When it's almost done, add in some green leafy vegetables. You can pretty much use any green leafy vegetable, like mustard greens or baby bok choi. I used some baby bok choi tops.

Stir fry for another few minutes and we're done! One huge wok of char beehoon mee!! I think it's enough to feed at least 8-10 people. Just dish it out into individual plates and we are set to dig in. I served it with a side of sambal belacan (chili paste with toasted shrimp paste), just like how Penang people would eat a plate of Hokkien Char Beehoon Mee...mmm mmm mmmmm :D

Malaysian Chicken Satay

Kevin and I (Kevin especially) love satay. Apart from Char Koay Teow, I can safely say that it's one of Kevin's all time favorite Malaysian hawker/street food. Back when we were still living in Malaysia, we used to order satay almost every time we go out to coffee shops or the mamak. We can get satay here too but it's really really expensive, compared to what we can get in Malaysia.

My parents sent us this packet of satay marinade seasoning mix along with all the other seasonings that they sent us a while back. So, I decided to try and make some chicken satay at home!

To make chicken satay, you have to start off by cutting skinless chicken tenders ( you can also use breast or dark meat, but tenders works the best) into tiny bite size pieces.

Then, sprinkle on the satay seasoning mix.

Next, add in some oil and mix it together with the chicken and marinade. Allow the chicken pieces to marinade for a couple of hours but I left it in the refrigerator to marinade overnight (the longer, the better).

Ketupat (some sort of Malay rice dumpling) is always served with satay. Originally, the ketupat is made by filling a woven palm leaves pouch with rice and boiled. Since I do not have excess to palm leaves or know how to wrap a ketupat, I bought the instant version. It taste just as good!

Just boil a big pot of water and add in some salt.

Then, drop in the pre packed rice packets.

Cover the pot and allow it to boil for about an hour or so.

Once it's cook, remove from the hot water and allow it to cool for at least 4 hours before cutting. To speed up the cooling process, you can put the ketupat in the refrigerator. It is really important that you allow the ketupat to cool fully before cutting. If not, you will be left with a sticky mess :P

Now it's time to skewer the chicken. It's really easy, just skewer the chicken pieces about half way into the skewers.

Here we go, a big plate of chicken satay, waiting to be grilled.

Ideally, satay should be grilled outdoors on a bed of nice hot coals. Since we live in an apartment, we had no choice but to just make do with our George Foreman grill :P You can brush on some oil just before you turn over the satay skewers.

Satay is always served with a side of peanut sauce. Well, certain places in Penang serve it with potato sauce and certain places in Malacca have their own belimbing sauce. However, satay is generally served with yummy and oily peanut sauce. I didn't make the peanut sauce from scratch. I just bought the instant chunky satay peanut sauce from the Asian grocery shop and reheated it. Tasted very authentic and good!

Once you are done grilling the satay, serve immediately. Here is the end product after assembling everything together :P Some nice juicy chicken satays with a side of ketupat, cucumbers (you can cut up some red onions too), peanut sauce and some toast (people from Penang sometimes like to dip toast in their peanut sauce, it's yummy!). I can safely say that it tasted very authentic, it even received a thumbs up from my satay loving husband :P No more spending senseless money on expensive satay appetizers in Malaysian restaurants from now on. I can't wait to make my next batch of satay! Maybe beef and pork satay this time? :D