FRUITFUL TIME IN RAUB

Durians, durians everywhere...

Off this beaten track lies a durian orchard

Durians, durians, durians! Although the season has yet to reach its peak, our recent trip to Raub proved fruitful enough.

At the entrance of Eddie's durian orchard

Fruitful visit to Raub!

Raub Durian Orchard owner, Eddie Yong was kind enough to meet us in the heart of Raub town and led us to his verdant plantation. Without wasting any more time, he proceeded to open up some durians for our group.

Mau Sang Wong or Musang King or Raja Kunyit is characterised by
its faint starburst lines on the thorny skin

The ingenious guy even invented his own durian-opening implements! Some of our group members even tried their hands at it without breaking out in a sweat.


Since it's early days of the durian season, we only savoured 3 varieties: Ang Heh (Red Prawn), D24 and Musang King (also known as Raja Kunyit or Mau Sang Wong). My personal favourite was the creamy Ang Heh which has a muted bitter aftertaste.

Then Eddie led us on an uphill trek around his orchard where passion fruit and rambutans are also grown. He even has a 'bird's nest' hotel where swiftlets were lured to roost and build their precious nests inside the building.


Too bad we missed out visiting the groundnut and soyabean curd factories since it was late afternoon when we finally finished. But we managed to stop and buy packets of groundnuts to take home.

Our leisurely drive to Raub turned out to be pleasant enough and surprisingly short - only about 1.75 hours from KL. We departed after a sumptuous seafood lunch at Mei Keng Fatt. Feast your eyes on what we had!

The piquant Four Heavenly King vegetable dish

Lotus Leaf Garoupa reeled in loads of compliments from our guests
Tender frogs legs steamed with minced gingerMarmite crabs are just slurpilicious!

Dinner was in Bukit Tinggi - there were some hits and misses but still good nevertheless. Among the notable dishes were Steamed River Fish with Soya Sauce & Ginger, Fresh Water Prawns with Glass Noodles in Claypot and Beancurd with Minced Meat & Pine Nuts.

BACK TO NATURE

It's a food tour that took us back to Mother Nature.

Once you've set foot in Sekinchan and admire the lush, expansive fields of paddy waiting to be harvested, listen to the humble toil of a corn farmer and observe how fisherfolks land their precious catch after a strenuous day at sea, you'd think hard and deep about wasting food ever again.
A Kuala Selangor local resident graciously permitted to park our cars in front of his house while we trudged to the jetty for a first-hand look at how cargoes of fresh fish, squid and prawns were offloaded from the fishing boats.

We also stumbled upon a little shed where several ladies were busy stuffing beancurd with fish paste and producing fish paste wantans.


Directly opposite was another group of workers who were busy sorting out loads of dried salted fish.
Then we visited a rice processing plant in Sekinchan where the marketing lady delivered a brief overview on how all the paddy harvest is now mechanically gathered, threshed, de-husked and packed into bags of 5 and 10 kilos for sale. She also allowed us to walk around the plant premises after gently reminding us not to take any unprocessed grains home as each handful 'taken' means they have to bear the loss.


Our visitors from down south were also excited to see real corn plants. Mr Chew was kind enough to guide us to his plantation and explained to us the different species of corn, how long they take to grow and how to tell when the cobs are ready to be plucked. After listening to his lengthy explanation, we now know better than to look down at the humble corn and realise just how little the farmer earns in return for his efforts.



Naturally no visit to Kuala Selangor would be remiss without a seafood dinner. Much as we wanted to steer clear of the touristy eateries, we had little choice as the restaurant that my friend patronised on her last visit was closed.

The evening culminated with a noctural river cruise where thousands of fireflies put on a spectacular light show for us. From afar, the insects' twinkling lights amidst the swampy bushes can easily be mistaken for fairy lights. According to our boatman, we were extremely lucky since the clear but moonless night with high tide is perfect condition for the fireflies to converge and socialise.

It was a surreal scene but certainly one night to remember.

Book Review

In case you're wondering if I'm a genuine foodie who has enough experience and expertise to share with you Kuala Lumpur's best eating spots, here are a few links to check out:

Read what veteran New Sunday Times food reviewer Tan Bee Hong has to say about my food guide:

http://www1.nst.com.my/Current_News/SundayPeople/article/Savours/20081115131603/Article/index_html

Read what Malaysian food bloggers think of my maiden book attempt:

http://www.iamthewitch.com/2010/06/03/not-just-a-good-food-guide-kuala-lumpur/

http://www.foodpoi.com/2010/05/not-just-a-good-food-guide-kuala-lumpur-makan-book/

http://www.sloppychic.com/short-review-not-just-a-good-food-guide-kuala-lumpur-by-alice-yong/

http://www.travelfoodies.com/2010/06/not-just-a-good-food-guide-book-of-kuala-lumpur/

Not Just A Good Food Guide Kuala Lumpur is sold at major bookstores like Times and MPH (refer link below).

http://www.mphonline.com/books/nsearch.aspx?do=detail&pcode=9789833346356

Your Culinary Adventure Starts Here...

For the uninitiated, below is a sample of a food tour itinerary to pique your interest...


Please note that the specialities listed are suggestions only. Interested food hunters can opt for a half day or full day tour based on their personal food preferences, desired budget and tummy space!

Itineraries can also be customised to give an overview of what Malaysia has to offer i.e. it can be multi-cultural affair or devoted to Chinese, Malay, Indian or any other cuisine that is of interest.

TIME	ITINERARY
8.00 am	Malaysian Breakfast option : A choice of : Kaya Toast, Half Boiled Eggs & Local Coffee/Milky Tea @ a local kopi tiam (coffee shop in the Chinese Hokkien dialect) OR Wantan Mee (egg noodles tossed in dark soya sauce with sliced barbecue pork) OR Nasi Lemak (steamed rice with coconut milk accompanied with spicy sambal accompanied by fried peanuts, sliced cucumber, hard-boiled egg) Visit to Imbi/Bukit Bintang pasar (local wet market - optional)
10.00 am	Time for Oodles of Noodles Curry Laksa (noodles in rich curry gravy with beancurd puffs) Asam Laksa (noodles in tangy fish broth with chopped ginger flower, cucumber & pineapple strips, prawn paste & mint leaves)
11.00 am	Chill out time...Ice Kacang (shaved ice dessert of red bean mash, sweet corn kernels, black, red & green jelly dices, evaporate milk, rose syrup & palm sugar) ]
12.00 noon	Lunch: Ikan Bakar (your choice of grilled fish with assorted Malay dishes with rice)
3.30 pm	Tea: Pasembur Rojak (Indian-Muslim salad of shredded cucumber & yam bean with fried prawn & onion fritters in peanut gravy) Cendol (shaved ice dessert laced with coconut milk, palm sugar & green bean flour strips)
6.00 pm	Dinner – choice of Nasi Kandar or Indian Banana Leaf Rice (both offerings comprise rice accompanied by a plethora of curries and other complementing dishes such as fried chicken, dry beef or mutton curry, pickles & chutneys)
9.00 pm	Supper – Chinese Dim Sum