Decisions…

Sometimes, when you drop by these kuih (cake) stalls selling all kinds of teatime delights and they all look so good, you really can’t decide which one to buy…

One solution would be to buy a few to try and if there are any that are good, take note of those so the next time around, you can buy them again.

Another thing that you can do is to ask around to see if anybody else has been to that same stall and get their opinion. However, I tried asking the guy at the Chinese pancake/apam balik or ban chang kuih (慢煎糕) stall but he would not commit himself. He insisted that everyone’s taste bud would be different so what one likes, another may beg to differ and of course, there is a lot of truth in this. Like I always say, to each his own or one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

I went back to the stall (again) the other day and I bought these (5 for RM2.00)…

My missus bought these before sometime ago because when she was there, the chai peah was all sold out.

According to the guy, these…

…are chai peah too but they are different because they have mangkuang/sengkuang (turnip) and taugeh (beansprouts)…

…and chopped spring onions inside.

We all thought they were very nice that previous time and my girl said that she liked them more than chai peah but personally, I felt otherwise. Now that is exactly what I mean – to each his own.

I bought some ham chim beng, the Chinese cinnamon rolls (5 for RM2.00)…

…again, my missus’ favourite but my girl isn’t thus inclined. She loves the western ones at those franchise places all over KL selling those cinnamon rolls and pretzels but not these. Yes, yes, I know – what’s good for the goose may not be good for the gander.

The guy’s mum made these ang ku kuih (70 sen each)…

…and I bought one of the red ones to try. It was all right but it was very small, not that much mung bean paste inside. One thing that I liked a lot was how it was not sweet at all, perfect for someone on a low-sugar diet like me but perhaps, those who like things sweet would be better off buying those elsewhere.

I did not buy the black ones – the guy did tell me what they were in Chinese but I could not make head or tail of what he was talking about. I think he did say that these black ones are savoury, not sweet. I can’t say that the colour turns me on but I would want to buy one one fine day to try and see what it is all about.

I did not buy the serimuka (kuih salat) on the left either but I took a packet of the kao teng kuih (nine-layer cake) on the right, also 70 sen each or was it 60 sen, I don’t quite remember now…

…to see if it was any good or not. Yes, I could detect a hint of the santan (coconut milk), a very very light hint so no, I was not impressed. The texture was all right and just like the ang ku kuih, it was not sweet at all.

These huat kuih (发糕), the traditional Chinese steamed cake, 60 sen each, 5 for RM3.00…

…was nice as far as the texture and the taste with its light fermented fragrance went but yes, these too were not all that sweet plus they were extremely small, maybe half of the usual size or even smaller.

I did not buy any of the deep fried stuffed kompia…

…but they sure looked good and they were very generous with the filling! Perhaps I shall have a go at those the next time I stopped by this stall.

Incidentally, for your information, I read some comments somewhere saying that in the morning, this enterprising and diligent guy runs his stall at the Dewan Suarah (Civic Centre) area, behind some Star Cafe. I hardly venture to that part of the woods because it is VERY crowded in the morning around the market and the shops in the vicinity.

The Chinese pancake or ban chang kuih (慢煎糕) stall is located on the five-foot way in front of the TCM clinic between Kim Won Chinese Medical Store and Mini-supermarket and Swee Hung (2.316161, 111.840441) along Jalan Ruby, in the block of shops on the right – next to a hair salon at the extreme end.