Laksa Kuala Kangsar - Perak MFF #9

Kuala Kangsar or some fondly call "Kuale" is the royal town of Perak.
I have been calling this town, home, for the last 6 years.

When I first came here... I was told laksa was nice. It was such a big thing in this town that they even have a Laksa Complex. It's actually a food court, not a tall building, to house laksa sellers from around town into one place. When you walk in, all you see are laksa stalls and cendol stalls. But there are still quite many laksa stalls around town. Famous ones include Laksa Station and Laksa Pak Ngah. The Chinese in town also sells laksa that taste similar, unlike the Chinese in other Perak towns that sells assam laksa mostly. Favourite Chinese laksa sellers are the ones infront of BHP petrol station and the one at Highland Park's junction.

Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun- Perak MFF # 8

I have relatives staying in Teluk Intan, I have been to their place a few times, but have never eaten this there. The only time I had some, was in Damansara Uptown, at the Yongtofu stall sold by a guy named Ah Keong.

After I made my first CCF (Chee cheong fun@rice rolls) last few weeks, I have gotten the bug of steaming my own noodles. I love CCF and am no longer intimidated by it. I have a few rice rolls to do in the future and one of them will be Sungai Lembing's CCF and also HK style CCF.            

Kampar Ice Kacang 金宝杂雪 - Perak MFF#7

Ice Kacang or some call ABC is a common dessert found all over Malaysia and Singapore. It may go with other names in other countries in this region. I call it Jaap Suut 杂雪  , like most Cantonese speaking Kamparians do.

Generally there's not much rules regarding Ice Kacang.. different shops uses different ingredients. The type of ingredients that I have encountered in all the ice kacangs I have eaten all over Malaysia range from roasted peanuts, attap chee, agar-agar cubes, coconut shreds, canned cocktail fruits, canned longans, lychees, kidney beans, or even preserved nutmeg fruit shreds. Just anything goes into this dessert and it's up to the seller's imagination to make.

But in Kampar, that is not the case.

Kampar Beef Brisket Noodles, Onn Kee copycat 金宝牛腩面 - Perak MFF #6

Onn Kee Beef noodles..... It has been around town for 3 generations, minimum.Probably more than 80 years as the 3rd generation are my school mates.

In those days.. way before the 90's... Onn Kee was situated infront of Gospel Hall, at the foothills of Golden Dragon Garden. The stall operates from late afternoon up to past midnight catering to all those supper folks.
Each time one passes by that junction, the smell of the beef brisket just permeates the air. Intoxicating.. in a good way.

And I heard, some purposely ask for the leftovers from yesterday, as those taste even better!

Kampar Chee Cheong Fun - Perak MFF #5

Chee Cheong Fun in Kampar is a bit different....

It is THICK and FLAT with good rice flavour.... not starchy, translucent, gummy or elastic.
It is steamed with dried shrimp and chinese chives (not spring onions), although there is the option for plain noodles.
It is served with an option of at least 5 condiments of which includes Red Sweet Sauce, Curry, Chilli Sauce, Pickled Green Chilli and Shrimp Paste... not counting the usual oil and soy sauce

Kampar Jau Yun @ Fried Fish Dough Balls 金宝炸丸 - Perak MFF #4

Fishball Noodles, Kampar style, has spread it wings out of town to Klang Valley  in recent years due to the 'migration' of Mdm Sau Ying. I've seen her in person at her stall at Ming Tien, Taman Megah. My family knew her  because our family business was very near to hers back in Kampar. She didn't recognise me, but only my brothers. Yikes, haha! Back when Mdm Sau Ying was still in Kampar, her noodle stall was infront of the Kampar town basketball court, one of the popular breakfast choices in town.

Those of you who ate it before will find the soup and the "liu" a bit different from others. Liu is the stuff that comes with the noodles. Kampar fishball noodles comes with delicious fishballs, Foo Pei (Stuffed beancurd skin with fish paste), Pork Balls (with some bits of cuttlefish) and the weird fried dough called "Jau Yun". But one is always free to dictate which one you want more or less or just that one thing.

Fun Chai 粉仔 @ Sliced Noodles with Long Beans - Breakie in Kampar - Perak MFF #3

This is the other noodle from Tall Man@ Gou Lou from Kampar's morning market. Yesterday I posted his Jicama CCF.

It's a very traditional noodle that is actually homemade by Tall Man. It resembles silver needle noodles, but in a coarser form. People not from Kampar might not enjoy the noodles as much as we do, as most of us grew up eating this. It's something that we can't get elsewhere. It taste something like a short udon.

There is another stall in Kampar that sells this, said to be his relative, but people still throng to his stall because it is the best.

Jicama Stuffed Rice Rolls - Breakie in Kampar - Perak MFF #2

There's one particular stall in the market that everybody loves.
The man is tall and hence, nicknamed Tall Man (高佬， Gou Lou). (video of him below)

Tall Man sells 2 things at his stall, sometimes 3. The 2 main things that he sells is Fun Chai (blogging tomorrow) and Jicama Rice Rolls. Sometimes he has plain rice noodles too, not always. He's been selling for many many years, more than 30 years, some say 40 years and I practically grew up eating his noodles. He's grown old, hunched and no longer as tall as he was. The breakfast that he sells is well loved by most and it'll be pretty sad if no one takes over, if he feels like stopping.

Kampar Lor Mai Fan (Sticky Rice)- Breakie in Kampar - Perak MFF#1

Kampar may be small. But we had (yes had!) a lot of good food. Back in the olden days, before the North South Highway was built, Kampar was a popular choice to stop over for meals due to its location right along the trunk road.

During breakfast hours,. families stop over at Seng Kee for wantan mee, or the market for the Ham Dan Fun (cockle egg fried noodle), MalaiWong Prawn noodle, HarLok noodles opposite the town field and of course the ever famous Rat Noodle @ Silver Pin Noodle with homemade fishballs available at many stalls in town. Oh yeah, and Chee cheong fun, the thick type!

Nowadays many of the old time food stalls were taken over by the next generation, or just stopped the business. It's no longer as good but still..... ahh.... it's nostalgic. Food memories never fade and we always hope that that taste is never forgotten.

Perak Food Fest.. the last of MFF

OMG... This is the last month for MFF.
Time flies!
Do visit Shannon's blog for her KL/ Selangor Food Fest  round up

As you all know, I am from Perak, proudly saying I am a Perakian and specifically a Kamparian.
Currently I am staying in the royal town, Kuala Kangsar due to my husband's location.

Perak is a state that was built from tin mining during its days of glory. In the 1890s, Perak, with the richest alluvial deposits of tin in the world was one of the jewels in the crown of the British Empire.

The modern history of Perak began with the fall of the Malacca Sultanate. Raja Muzaffar Shah, (the eldest son of the last Sultan of Melaka, Sultan Mahmud Shah) fled the Portuguese conquest of 1511 and established his own dynasty on the banks of the Sungai Perak (Perak River) in 1528. It is the only state with direct lineage from Parameswara, the founder of Malacca Sultanate.