Exploring Ipoh and its surrounding

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Based myself in Ipoh as I got an offered to help out in a small hostel, so I could go around town whenever I was free. Although Ipoh is the biggest city in Perak region, but it was combined with many different kampong actually, and the main sight mostly cramped east of the train station, a grant British building. The city is full of colony style houses, mosques and temples, side street tattooed with mural by artists that offer great photo opportunity. Ipoh prospered from its tin mine since 15th century. it attracted immigrant worker from different ethnic, and many of them were come from southern China, no wondered I find many people here could speak Cantonese who had keep the language of the ancestor. Also they brought in their own eating culture that enrich the local Malay and Indian cuisine. My main activity to Malaysia this time is to eat, so....let's talk about food(in an amateur way)!! But no...not about bean sprout chicken and white coffee as you might easily find many expertise commentating. And I did followed some article written on line about food in Ipoh, but many of them are just over rated. so I decided to just follow my eyes and nose for the rest of my stay in Ipoh. The very first thing I tried was the ja-leung, crispy dough stick rice roll, I never knew it existed outside of Hongkong, and they made it very good here as well! Then of course the wanton noodle, I did find some shop prepared the wanton with shrimp like we did at home, and it taste almost the same. they served it separated, a bowl of wanton in soup and a plate of noodle floored by crunchy bean sprout soaped up with tasty soya sauce. Dimsum and grilled/roasted products were ok but cannot compared to Hongkong, that was why I hadn't consumed that much cha saau and saau yuk which I would never say no whenever I came across any of those when I was traveling. And the other reason was...there were just so many other thing to eat as there is just so little space in my stomach. The Salt baked chicken is very good though, it was so juicy and tender, and the magic touch of stuffed herb dong gwai added extra points to the dish. I also love the Pounded Tea that come with greenish soup that was made from basil and green tea leaf pounded into paste, and rice top with all sort of crunchy granule, it was a traditional Hakka favor and now only few place in Ipoh would provide. Another of my favorite is the crispy noodle with shrimp, in Hongkong we call it hong-tao-wor-mien and is difficult to find in general restaurant. On a day trip to Anson to visited the 140 year old Leaning Tower, I find another great snack nasi kunyit, yellow rice top with crunchy bbq pork with curry sauce. Stuffed vegetable and tofu, together with all sort of meat-ball serve with noodle are the standard deal on counter in every restaurant in Perak, same like you would find the nasi lemak in every Malay restaurant. Actually I ate a very good nasi lemak in Kuala Kangsar after visited the beautiful Masjid Ubudiah and Istana Kenangan. The hand rolled popiah(we call egg roll) is another must eat item in Perak if you were able to find it. what else...well...there were just so much that couldn't recall right now. Restaurant in Malaysia mean many different stove counter cooking different foods in a canteen that share all the tables. It was a wonderful creation that you can eat all variety in one place. And you pay up once the food landed in front of you, that was great! Gunung Rapat not only has a great market for food hunting, there also the birth place of the famous Ipoh heong bing, you could still find some home factory made their products by hand nowaday, and fueled the oven with coconut shell. All and all...don't end your day without tasting the rojak, the Malaysian dessert and soft cakes that comes with different color and favor.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Malaysia
Nice view