Selamat Hari Raya!

Wherever you are: Maaf zahir dan batin! Sorrylah, kalau KLue ada salah cakap ke, terguris hati ke …

Anyway: here’s a little something to keep your hearts warm over the weekend (if the overwhelming amount of kuih and durian isn’t already doing so):

~

(Bonus level: a message from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia.)

6 most photographically-attractive Ramadhan bazaar chicken barbeques!

Ah, chicken. Halal flesh par excellence – if you do it right; here’s a handy guide.

If you have been following KLue’s grand tour of the Klang Valley’s Ramadhan bazaars, you are aware that ayam is de rigueur for breaking fast. However, the fact that they are commonplace – and generally excellent across the board; hard to go wrong with chicken, after all – did not deter our intrepid explorers’ cameras. There’s just something about roasted chicken bits that is just so photogenic.

Here are the best-looking ayam panggang / percik / madu, available daily at your 3pm-to-7pm food bonanzas:

1. While the ayam percik of Kampung Sungai Penchala is only so-so, its honey chicken is salivating. Sedap bah! Note the usage of that elegant term, “bishop’s nose”.

2. The ayam madu of Taman Seri Andalas, Klang is more no-nonsense: you eat cheaper if chicken behinds are your cut of choice.

3. Sabah-style ayam madu at the Shah Alam bazaar (not the famous one), with the right crispy-exterior-to-succulent-interior ratio. Just look at that red glow …

4. Tellingly, the ayam madu of Seksyen 17, PJ, at RM1.50 a wing, go for more than their counterparts in bazaars located in less middle-class environs. Class demographics, revealed through Ramadhan bazaars: clearly, our (mis)adventures carry some sort of academic weight.

5. The ayam percik of Taman Melawati. Note the heaps of meat, in their spicy marinade, roasting on the charcoal barbie. As with many of the bazaars, there are usually several stalls peddling ayam percik; non-indigenous foodies should remember that the natives know best. Head for the most crowded stall.

6. Puchong’s spread of ayam panggang masak rempah – RM3 apiece – much reduced after a day’s peregrination. Our writer arrived late. Don’t make the same mistake.

7 best places to fulfil your daily allotment of rice servings

Ah, rice: the lifeblood of Asian civilisation. Cooked with santan or artery-clogging amounts of oil, piled on with tasty condiments and dishes, fried – by virtue of us a meeting-point between the world’s major cultures, Malaysians have access to a respectable range of varieties.

But, dari banyak-banyak nasi, nasi mana yang best? As our anthropological study of Ramadhan bazaars continues, some preliminary conclusions have surfaced. We present a handful of stalls from which the best rice-based foods may be snagged.

1. The nasi campur of SS14, PJ offers a glorious range of home-cooked dishes with which your rice can be mixed. Be warned, however: the stall is popular, and sits right next to the bazaar’s famous popiah basah seller, as well as an equally renowned lontong spot. Expect a crush of people.

2. Puchong boasts the apex of seafood-enhanced nasi campur: excellent sambal sotong and the fattest prawns ever. Use your hands when eating, for the best effect. Try not to overdose.

3. The sembilang (catfish) at this nasi campur stall in the Jalan Masjid India bazaar is worth it.

4. The famed Nasi Lemak Cikgu of Kelana Jaya, located at the local buka puasa bazaar for your convenience. Protip: they’ve got a website.

5. Steaming vats and lines at Taman Tun Dr Ismail’s nasi beriyani Johor.

6. Azhar Nasi Minang Lauk, at the Taman Dato’ Harun bazaar, may not have the best of presentations, but its nasi padang seem to draw hungry fast-breakers.

7. Lastly, if you’re in the mood for some oily nasi dage – and, let’s face it, who hasn’t had a craving for a cholesterol-fueled binge – Che Nah’s nasi dagang stall in Bangsar is renowned. Once again, the buka puasa bazaar refrain is true: go early, or miss out!

Buka Puasa Bazaar @ Jalan Masjid India

Ok, so technically, the bazaar isn’t at Jalan Masjid India per se, cause I can guarantee that JMI itself is a place for fake perfume and ugly Rolex rip-offs. However if you so happen to be there around buka time and you are walking towards MYDIN, you’re in for one heck of a treat. This bazaar is crazy! With it’s zigs and zags, mixture of mamaks, restaurants, food courts and bazaars, you can eat all night long babeh.

Pay close attention to this stall for nasi campur. It’s in the food court (kind of?) and the sembilang is amazing. Angry woman in the background not included.

I suppose by now your throat would be pretty dry even after the 2 sirap bandungs. And you’d like to take a break before attacking the next fella. So just round the corner from the nasi campur woman is a drinks stall that I think is nice cause the shop keeper is nice. You might think that’s not such a big deal, but after hours of not eating of drinking, I think it’s a great thing.

Ok, once your thirst has been quenched and you’re ready for more, but don’t want to have it too heavy, why not try the lok-lok? All the stuff on the sticks are fresh, the sauces are better than average and it isn’t in the centre of it all. You got some space to hang loose and makan your lok-lok.

Right next to the lok-lokguy is the satay guy. Ok, this is some pretty awesome stuff here. Mainly because unlike most satay stalls now, they leave a the meat on the sticks as they are. No skimming, no super greasy stuff, and loads of meat on each stick great stuff. And the sauce wasn’t too bad either.

Ok, last visit before you retire for the night. There’s this stalled called “Wok power!” And it deserves it. It sells mainly kuey teow goreng and mee goreng but it is really good and the store keeper is extra enthusiastic. All sorts of people out there.

There was so much more but I have to say that I couldn’t take anymore that night. Personally i think it’ll be worth it to go again. Go check it out!

View Jalan Masjid India Bazaar in a larger map

KL Buka puasa: Restaurant round up #1

Ok, so by now, you’ve probably eaten at enough bazaars and hotels thanks to KLue. You probably also fancy something more posh than a bazaar, but not as expensive or as lavish as a hotel. Why not try restaurants? here are some great ones to try out!

Herbs & Spices: A Perfect Burst of Flavour and Colour
Price: RM28.80 | Contact: 03-7728 8720
The Olive Tree Café’s tagline ‘Quality Food at Unpretentious Prices’ is offering a buffet promo this time around

Buka Puasa Dinner @ Passion Road
Price: RM 85 nett/pax. Min. 30pax | Contact: Tel: (603)2166 7111
Break fast in exclusive and private fashion at Passion road!

Ramadhan all-you-can-eat @ The apartment downtown
Price: RM49++ (adults), RM19++ (child) | Contact: 03-2166 2257
Break fast at The Apartment, KLCC with an all-you-can-eat buffet.

5 Longest Murtabak Stall Waiting Lines!

A cursory Wikipedia scan will net you several interesting facts about murtabak:

1. Its name, a deriative of the Arabic “mutabbaq”, means “folded”.

2. Murtabak was first folded on the Indian subcontinent, during Medieval times, and arrived in our archipelago via Muslim trader.

3. The martabak manis of Indonesia is what we Malaysians would call apam balik.

But enough of that. (Speaking of food, even in pedestrian terms, has brought drool out of our cavities.) Below, from KLue’s survey of the city’s Ramadhan bazaars, are the murtabak stalls that attract the longest lines:

1. Azmi Murtabak at SS18, Subang Jaya is generous with its fillings, crispy on the edges, and goes for a modest price – RM2.50 to RM3. You only get syrup-ed onion pickle with it – but you don’t need anything else. It’s that good.

2. During normal times you can find Raja Murtabak’s assembly-line-manufactured murtabaks frozen, at Tesco’s. At the Bangsar buka puasa bazaar, you can request chicken filling, beef filling, chicken and beef filling – or add cheese.

3. The murtabak stall at Kampung Sungai Penchala piles on the product, and barely meets demand.

4. For some reason, murtabak lines are ubiquitous. Seek them out early, or be greeted with disappointment. Here, the Taman Dato’ Harun stall is being courteously apologetic.

5. But if you want to avoid lines, here’s a tip: visit Section 1, Wangsa Maju’s modest bazaar for decent murtabak, sans the typical crowd.

Bonus: considering the recent skirmishes with our Indonesian brethren, we recommend something to sweeten relations. Resist the urge to hoard Pantai Dalam’s delectable martabak manis for yourself.

Buka Puasa Bazaar @ Shah Alam (Part 2)

Wow! We’ve finally found the correct bazaar Ramadhan in Seksyen 13, Shah Alam that people speak so highly of (read our first attempt). I’d suggest if you are heading there from PJ to start your journey at about 3.30pm. Ample time for you to: be stuck in traffic, get lost in the huge/complicated roads of Shah Alam, mistake one Tesco for the other because these were the exact issues I had to encounter before reaching haven! So here’s a tip, head straight to Seksyen 13 from the Federal Highway, do not exit to Pusat Bandar Shah Alam, find TESCO Extra, I repeat TESCO Extra NOT TESCO, go across the road to the stadium and drive to the car park area. If you follow my exact directions you should be there before 6pm and it would be the perfect time to walk around and select your favourites. You don’t want to be too late because most of the stalls close at 7.15pm.

Chicken roasted to tenderness.

One thing I can definitely say about this bazaar is that every single one of the stall operators are extremely camera-friendly. You don’t have to fuss about with camera-shy operators or even bazaar shoppers. I managed to get a couple shots of them posing and chatted with them while they prepared my order.

First up we have the one and only Sarawakian kicap manis perap Ayam Panggang. They claimed to be one of the few offering Sarawakian cuisine in West Malaysia. He sold me the entire bird for just RM6 because it was 10 minutes past buka puasa and they wanted to close the store soon.

Prawn kebab. Taste and looks wonderful.

There is also a fantastic panggang stall where you can choose your own fish to be grilled.

An itik panggang stall with juicy golden roasted ducks displayed. This guy was urging me to take a photo of him and the stall! I did not buy from him but he was so happy to be snapped.

Moving onto some the sinfully deep fried. There were all sorts to choose from - nuggets to fishballs to chicken skin to chicken liver to prawn fritters. Very cheap indeed when I got two sticks of chunky chicken liver for only RM2.

I was so fascinated by the kuih-muih stalls because they have tons of variety to choose from and all the pieces comes in a mixture of colors. But I have to limit myself; I cannot be deceived by the prettiness of it all.

I also bought kuih bangcang which tasted so different from the usual ones you find in coffee shops. It had a little banana-sweetness to it with peanuts sprinkles.

Crispy lekor, a big packet for RM2 only.

Assorted rainbow coloured drinks.

Soya bean and Tau Foo Fah.

Here’s a map we’ve provided. Bring it along, trust me you’ll need it for the roads of Shah Alam.

View Buka Puasa @ Seksyen 13, Shah Alam in a larger map

We’ve spotted the 6 best kuih this season!

Okay! We’ve been to quite a lot of Ramadhan bazaars so far, so I’m gonna tell you where to get the best Kuih. From seri muka to kuih talam/sri pelita and assorted jelly, we’ve got it all.

The kuih-muih list in no particular order:

1. Adorable green balls of Ondeh-ondeh filled with gula Melaka and coated with coconut at Seksyen 17, PJ.

2. Sri Pelita also found at Seksyen 17, PJ.

3. Sugary Kuih Keria from a random Malay stall from where the Ramadhan bazaar is in Seksyen 17.

4. Beloved Seri Muka from Seksyen 13, Shah Alam. I’m very picky when it comes to this other green and white kuih because I’ve tasted some bitter ones (not a very good experience!). So it really means this one in Seksyen 13 is delish! You might want to try the kuih koci look alike and rempah udang.

5. Another personal favourite would be Ban Chang Kuih also found in the huge Seksyen 13, Shah Alam Ramadhan bazaar.

6. Bingka Ubi Kayu from Seksyen 14, PJ. The brown crust is baked to perfection!

Buka Puasa Bazaar @ Taman Seri Andalas, Klang

The Andalas Bazaar in Klang is one of the largest I have visited thus far, and though Klang may be unfamiliar territory for most people in the city, I can assure you that you’ll return with a sizeable harvest of gastronomic goodies if you’re willing to take a little adventure to the Royal Town.

To get to the Andalas Bazaar, make your way to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (Klang General Hospital). There are plenty of signboards once you exit the highways no matter which one you take, so don’t worry about getting lost. Once you get to the hospital landmark, make sure it is on your right hand side. Go a short distance down the road from the hospital, and you’ll see Taman Seri Andalas on your left. When you’re in the area, just follow the long queue of cars heading towards the bazaar and you won’t go wrong.

This bazaar is nestled within an area of shoplots, and the good thing is that there are ample parking slots around and even a dedicated parking lot a walking distance away, so finding a spot to park is not much of a problem. The bad thing, however, is that you’ll find yourself sighing in frustration at the heavy traffic leading into the area.

But fret not, for you’ll soon forget your on-the-road woes once you set eyes on the plethora of food choices available at this bazaar. Here’s what I found:

One of the first few stalls to greet me was this kuih talam stall, which attracted so many people I had to jostle for space to take a picture.

Well, at least I got you a number!

Scrumptious ikan bakar with belacan.

A seemingly never-ending stretch of fried goodies.

Once you’re done picking your share of these oil-saturated treats, stop by next door at the drinks stall for an array of refreshments you can’t say no to.

A special ayam madu recipe from Sabah. You get a cheaper rate if you pick the chicken backsides!

A huge barbeque pit with whole ayam madus roasting above it. Good enough to make anyone salivate.

A little boy manning the Din Cendol stall smiling for the camera.

I also found kebabs on sticks. The chicken pieces in this picture are uncooked, but if they already look so appetizing now, imagine how superb they would be once they’re done!

Aside from regular Ramadhan fare, there are also some other selections for those who want variety, such as these:

Pizzas and Chinese faves, tau foo fah and yau char kwai.

View Buka Puasa Bazaars in a larger map

More Ice Cream = More smiles. New Zealand Natural Knows this.

From now till the 29th of September, New Zealand Natural will be giving a free regular take home pack with every purchase of 2 take home packs as a Ramadhan Special promotion.

Participating New Zealand Natural outlets: Ikano power center, The Gardens Mall, Suria KLCC, KL Convention Centre, the Curve, AEON Bukit Tinggi, Centro Klang, Sunway Pyramid, The Waterfront at Desa Parkcity, Sunway Carnival (Penang)

So you see, there’s plenty to go around.