I was out early on Monday morning to go and top up the petrol in the car prior to making our way to Selangau and beyond to send my girl back to her school in the jungle after the long weekend. Somehow, I feel a lot more comfortable travelling long distances with a full tank and I would always check that my tyres have enough air and everything.
I stopped by this Malay kueh stall, now a shop, at Bandong here on the way. Usually when I dropped by, it would be mid-morning already and most of the things would be sold out. Since I was early that day, around 7.00 a.m., there were a lot of things to pick and choose.
However, my attention was drawn to the Kelantanese delights, from the East Coast of Peninsula/West Malaysia. My girl loves their laksam (RM3.50) a packet and there were only two left so I grabbed both of them.
When I got home, I opened one packet to try. Inside, there were these…
…something like chee cheong fan or kway teow, all rolled up and sliced, and also the raw vegetables – cabbage, taugeh (bean sprouts) and long bean…
…and also the rich and lovely fish/coconut milk gravy…
…and last but not least, there was the sambal cili (pounded chili paste)…
I mixed everything together…
…and ate. Yes, it was very nice and I sure would not mind having that sometimes for a change. My girl took the other packet and had it for dinner at her quarters and she complained to the mum that she enjoyed it so much that it left her craving for more. This was one of her favourites when she was at the teacher-training institute in Sg Petani, Kedah. Hmmm…it sure looks like I would have to go again this coming weekend and hopefully, this will be available.
For one thing, not all the things sold here are available on a regular basis. They merely sell whatever those people cook at home and deliver there so if none is forthcoming, then there will not be any….like the nasi kerabuย (RM5.00) that morning…
…another Kelantanese specialty from the East Coast. We had that for lunch and even though the portion was rather huge, my girl was able to finish all of hers and enjoyed it to the max (and that was the very reason why she kept the laksam for dinner). We love the one here but that one is only available on Saturdays and this one is just as nice…and cheaper too, with the whole works and two pieces of fried ayam berempah (spiced chicken)…
Well, if there is any available this weekend, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would be grabbing a few packs to take home…again!
From the West Coast of Peninsula/West Malaysia, there is the Penang asam laksa which is also available here and this is on a more regular basis, alongside the Sarawak laksa. I do buy these for my girl sometimes and yes, she likes the ones from here too. I don’t know of any shop here selling the laksa, Penang style…or maybe, I never ever took notice but if I should stumble upon one, I sure would like to give it a try and blog about it…if it is any good.
MAK MET BREAKFAST STATION (2.314111, 111.825678)ย is located at the shops along Jalan Bandong behind the stalls by the roadside along Bandong Walk, across the road from SK Pendidikan Khas, to the right.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Talking about full tank petrol, let me tell what happened to us during our recent trip to Penang. It was so jammed that William resisted to stop for petrol or toilet breaks as even the petrol stations and rest stops are congested. So he kept telling us he’ll stop at the next petrol station or rest stops but again and again he did not.
Finally he saw that fuel is already running low so he said, “OK, I shall seriously stop at the next stop” but that next stop was no where to be seen. We find ourselves on the bridge already, praying hard the car wont stop midway.
We managed to get through the bridge and beyond as there were no petrol station nearby neither. We finally found one and quickly stop for refueling. That was one of the most stressed out journey I had thanx to William! >_<
You mean he did not fill up before you all left KL? A full tank should be enough to last all the way to Penang. I used to drive to Kuching from Sibu on a full tank and that is a lot further plus Proton tanks aren’t so big. Still, I would stop at the first petrol station by the road along the way to top up (and that was enough to last the rest of the way and the few days driving around in Kuching)…but that would be at Serian already, near Kuching.
I bet you nagged and nagged and nagged the poor guy all the way lah! Maybe he purposely did not want to stop just because of that – some guys are like that. LOL!!! As I was reading your story, I was expecting something like William peeing in his pants in the car, cannot tahan anymore. I would stop along the way to do that…but not like what I see a lot of people doing – just stop by the road and do it there among the grass and bushes… Nanti got snake come out to say hello to the brother, baru tahu!:D ๐ ๐
It looks very interesting.
I guess you can’t find these there unless there is a Malaysian restaurant where you are and even then, you probably would find the usual stuff like curry, nasi lemak, mee mamak kind of things.
Ramadhan bazaar is coming soon. More food hunting there.
I love nasi kerabu. Laksam, I dont remember I ever try it.
My cousin in Kuching had nasi kerabu the other day – looked so good in the photograph, can’t remember where she went for that. Try looking harder when Ramadhan comes, you may find laksam and a whole lot of things from the East Coast, not usually available here.
Usually, i top up my ez-link card if i see the amount getting low, just in case i didn’t pass by any top up machines, although now ATM machines can top up, but they charge 20 cents per top up…
I guess that’s something like those cards they use to pay the tolls along the highway? We do not have that here, and no toll either…but we can buy petrol using our debit or credit cards.
The card is used to pay for bus fare, MRT fare…
That is very convenient – no need to carry cash everywhere and sometimes it is so hard to find loose change.
I don’t recall eating a full portion of laksam, probably only one bite on that and i found it too santany to my liking
Perhaps that was the one you had or generally, all over your side are santan-y. This one, I could hardly taste the santan, just a slight hint of it. Probably watered down, but I liked it that way. Same with the Penang laksa from this stall, also watered down compared to the originals in Penang but I like the one here too, not so strong on all those exotic ingredients.
At first glance I thought it was chee cheong fun but then it looks so thick. I don’t think I have tasted laksam before.
Not easily available here too, once in a blue moon. Better chance of coming across it during Ramadhan, not so on ordinary days.
The nasi kerabu interests me. Haven’t had that since I was a child!
I did not know there were such things when I was a child. It was all kampua and kompia, and yes, we had satay. I never had nasi lemak even and the only time I got to enjoy Malay cooking was when there was a wedding in the kampung and I would go with my mum. They served portions for 4, all seated on the floor and eating using the hand – I would take a spoon for scooping the lauk onto one’s own plate from one of the plates and I would pray nobody would join our group so I would have more to eat and enjoy. Hehehehehehe!!!!
It was peranakan home made food in those days.
Yes. I only tasted nyonya mee siam when I went over to Singapore in 1973 – my father’s business friend’s wife own home-cooked, so very nice, house in Siglap. In fact, I got to taste a lot of things when I went over – so deprived in our little town in those days, nothing much…or maybe I did not go around so much then.
Oh yes, I’m like you – always travel with a full tank, and always check air, water and oil before departure.
Some people say that’s my sense of insecurity…or my OCD! ๐ ๐ ๐
There is no more SRK Perbandaran Sibu No. 3? My old school. hehe.
Your post making me hungry. ๐
Yes, it’s still there, right behind the SK Pendidikan Khas – I think they are only using the block in front, all those at the back still Perbandaran No. 3.
Go, go, makan! I see people suddenly gila makan nasi kerabu in Kuching, share on Facebook. Theirs look nice but no mention of where.
I also don’t know where is the best nasi kerabu in Kuching. ๐ But quite recently I’ve nasi kerabu ayam at Warung Nusantara, Icom Square. Boleh la…
I know the place now. It’s a place called Dapur, near Old Rex Cucur. That would be at the Nanas Road shops then.
I am not a fan of laksam. I find the laksam gravy too rich for me. But nasi kerabu, that I love!
So this one is a watered-down version then, not really lemak, could just get the hint of the presence of santan – just right. I would want to try the real thing though, see how much more lemak it is.