NORTH STAR

Rice fields flash green and gold as far as the eye can see come harvest time

Kedah is the undisputed 'rice bowl' of Malaysia so it's hardly surprising that rice is a breakfast and lunch staple in this northern state.

Gravy party...nasi lemak drenched with various types of spicy gravy in Alor Setar

Despite its scant resemblance to nasi lemak of the central region, Alor Setar's version of nasi lemak is distinctive by the amount and types of gravy that are drenched over each platter of santan (coconut milk) enriched rice instead of the ubiquitous sambal ikan bilis (anchovies in ground chilli and spice paste) that commonly found in the Klang Valley.

We tried the dish at two different stalls and each time no less than 4-5 types of gravy in varying proportions are spooned over our plate of rice. The resultant platter will end up looking messy but packed with unabashedly complex and rich, robust flavours.

Fried chicken add extra substance to one's nasi lemak dish

The spicy gravy ranges from treacly sweet, smoky and spicy to thick, tangy and briny in red, brown and orangey hues, depending on whether it's core ingredient: fish, red meat, chicken or seafood. We discovered the different mix works cohesively well; similar to crossing nasi lemak with nasi kandar if you will.

Just like nasi kandar, you'd find complementing dishes of fried spiced chicken, fish, dry curried beef or mutton, squid and freshwater prawns, omelette or hard-boiled eggs, blanched okra and dalcha (cucumber, onion and pineapple pickles) available to add substance to one's rice serving.

Edible goodies are sold in abundant at this centrally located market in Alor Setar

For some edible souvenirs to take home, head over to Pekan Rabu, a local market with a congregation of food stalls and small enterprises proffering food, clothes, souvenirs and basic necessities under one roof.

Best things to buy for city slickers like us? Serunding, Malay-style beef, chicken or fish floss perked up with exotic spices that's sold by weight. Samplings are permitted the minute the trader senses your interest. It goes superbly well with nasi impit (boiled and solidly pressed rice cakes), lemang (glutinous rice cakes cooked in long tubular bamboo containers over wood and charcoal fire) or even plain steamed rice.

Certain shops bake and sell dainty egg sponge cakes called bahulu on the spot

Baked in sturdy metal moulds, the spongy cakes look similar to French madeleines albeit lighter in texture

Tidbits galore...take your pick of dried, pickled and preserved fruits, nuts, candies and crackers

We also bought some kuih bahulu, dainty baked egg sponge cakes that look like French madeleines with a lighter, airier texture and packets of rempeyek, fried local crackers studded with fried peanuts and anchovies.

A local speciality that caught our eye is kuih karas, a sweetish snack made from overlapping wisps of sweetened rice flour batter, fried to golden brown. It takes patience and dexterity to make as this lady demonstrated.

  Tied to a baton-like rod, this coconut shell scoop has holes pierced into its base to let streams of the batter through

Moving the hanging scoop in circles, fine streams of the batter flow into the oil-filled wok

The intersecting wisps eventually solidifies as they cooked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden brown pieces of ready to eat kuih karas

Domestic tourists also cart bags of cashews and pistachios, perkasam (moist, salted fish), wrapped  up balls of tamarind pulp, dodol (sticky and sweet confection made from rice flour, coconut milk and palm sugar), traditional biscuits and chilli crisps.

RICE THAT SHINES

Curried crab...the gravy's rich and tasty

Are you drooling already at the sight of the above curried crab pix? I'm happy to say it tasted as good as it looked. Besides this delicious delicacy, we also had several other simple but superbly yummy lauk - main dishes to go with some plain rice at this humble, no-frills and no name nasi Padang shop in Tanjung Malim.

Nasi Padang is a speciality of Padang, an Indonesian town in the island of Sumatra. Renowned for its rice meal, plain white rice is eaten with assorted savoury dishes of meat, fish, seafood, vegetable (usually in the form of curries or simmered in spice and coconut based-gravy) and spicy dipping sauces known as sambal.

View of the glass display cabinet where the assorted lauk-pauk were displayed

It was brought over early migrants from the Indonesian archipelago who settled in the peninsular. Now this popular delight can be found at countless roadside stalls and simpler restaurants in nooks and crannies throughout the country.

When we stumbled upon this eatery via our GPS, lunch was already in full swing and the place was filled to the brim. We managed to snag a table and noticed that all the diners were relishing their food with gusto, oblivious to their surroundings.

The old-school setting made lunch even more memorable

This crispy fried fish fired up our tastebuds with its piquant, roughly pounded chilli paste

Since most of the tables had fried chicken, we ordered a portion from the cook too. One bite of the skinless, lean ayam kampung (village bred free range chicken) with strands of sweet sliced onion made us realised why it was such a hot seller here; we literally picked the bones clean!

Chicken licking good!

We also selected some crispy fried fish that came with some coarsely pounded chilli, fried brinjal with chilli paste, chicken rendang and red sambal to complement our plates of white rice.

Aromatic spices and rich coconut milk give this chicken rendang its bold, deep-seated and complex flavour

Soft but creamy, the brinjal comes slathered in pounded garlic and chilli

More freshly pounded sambal to perk up our meal

I can't recall the exact amount we paid but it was a ridiculously affordable price that left us heartily satisfied and grinning from ear to ear.

MESTI MAKAN IN MALAYSIA

"Mesti makan" means 'must eat' in Malay. For first-time visitors to Malaysia, these local delights should be on their list of things to savour. 

Nasi Lemak

Steamed rice enriched with coconut milk accompanied by sambal ikan bilis (spicy ground chilli with anchovies), sliced cucumber, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, fried crispy anchovies and additional side dishes such as rendang (dry chicken curry with dry-fried grated coconut)
 

Roti Telur

This pan-fried South Indian bread requires the bread maker to 

flatten, stretch and toss the dough several times before it hits the griddle. Sometimes an egg 

is added to make it richer. Once cooked, it becomes fluffy and flaky.

Best enjoyed dipped in lentil curry. 

Sweet & Sour Crab

 This dish of crustacean slathered in sweet, tangy and subtly spicy sauce thickened with wisps of beaten egg gives the Singapore chilli crab a run for its money. Best enjoyed with slices of toasted bread and glasses of ice-cold beer.

Banana Leaf Rice

A South Indian speciality comprising a heap of steamed rice served on a piece of fresh banana leaf accompanied by assorted dishes: spicy meat or seafood curries, fried fish, chicken or squid, mango chutney and side dishes such as rasam (tangy tamarind soup), papadum (fried crackers), pickles, raita (cucumber yoghurt salad), fried bittergourd chips and lentil gravy.

Hokkien Mee

A favourite staple with the Chinese Hokkien community in the Klang Valley, fat yellow egg noodles are gently braised in dark and light soya sauces with choy sum (flowering mustard leaves), seafood and diced pork cracklings to viscous perfection. Ideally the dish should be cooked using high heat from a traditional charcoal stove to give it a deep-seated smoky tinge that connoisseurs refer to as 'wok hei' or the wok's breath.

 

Satay

The Malaysian equivalent to Turkish kebabs, these skewers of chicken, beef or mutton are first marinated in an aromatic marinade of turmeric, galangal and local spices before they are grilled over an open charcoal grill. Ubiquitous condiments include wedges of cucumber 

and onion with chunky peanut sauce.