Nothing’s left…

In the late 70s, when I was teaching in Kanowit, I would come home on weekends. I learnt how to make fresh soya bean milk then so I would spend my Saturday afternoons doing just that. Having soaked the beans in water till they had softened, I would pound them using a lesung batu (mortar and pestle). I suppose those who had to make a lot commercially for sale would use a grindstone instead.

After pounding, I would pour hot boiling water into the pulp wrapped in a piece of muslin cloth and then I would squeeze out the milk. This was no easy task as it was very hot. Anyway, having collected the milk in a pot, I would bring it to boil, adding pandan (screwpine) leaves and sugar to it according to taste…and I would have my own homemade very rich and thick soya bean milk to enjoy.

I used to throw away the pulp until my aunt saw that and asked for it. She added thinly chopped shallots and pounded udang kering (dried prawns) and salt…and squeezing it together, she made flat little patties and fried them in a pan. The end product would be something like kuih dhall and they were very nice.

In the town, there have always been people making and selling soya bean milk ever since my childhood days and they would also be selling these at the same time…

These are a favourite of many – a Foochow kuih (cake) that we call tee piang. I’m not too sure whether they use the pulp left over from making the milk but as far as I know, these are also made using soya beans. At one time, somebody started a stall at the junction of Tiong Hua Road here selling tee piang stuffed with meat. Ooooo….they were so very nice and I’m sure it would come as no surprise for you to know that I was a regular customer at that point in time. I’m not too sure if the stall is still there as I seldom go out to town and even less at night…but there is this place…

…along the former Jalan Kpg Pulo, now Jalan Morshidi Sidek – the road leading straight to Wisma Sanyan (opposite Chung Hua Primary School) that opens only in the morning until everything is sold out.

So far, I find that their tee piang is the best in town and they sell those stuffed with meat as well at RM1.00 a piece. Other than these, they also sell other deep fried delicacies…

…including cucur pisang (banana fritters), sweet potato and yam fritters and what I like is that they have taken the trouble to make a low display and storage cabinet covered with wire (mosquito) netting and inside, they would keep all the fried stuff for sale…even though they don’t really need to as the things sell like hotcakes and they would all be sold out before the flies could attack.

If you look at the lady frying the things, you can see that cleanliness is her priority – she even wears a mask…

…which is more than what I can say about the other similar stalls in the vicinity or in other parts of town….or for that matter, the country.

For one thing, should you think of going there to buy and try some of the things sold at the stall, make sure that you go to the right one. There are other stalls in that row of shops where there are no less than 4 or 5 coffee shops and even though they may look similar, don’t bother buying anything from the rest as honestly, they’re not worth the calories…