Friday, September 2, 2016

YummY! - Bamboo Wantan Noodles @ Hong Kee Penang (鴻記（廣式）竹昇雲)

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Bamboo Wantan Noodles @ Hong Kee Penang (鴻記（廣式）竹昇雲)

George Town, Penang, Malaysia - August 2016

What's all the hype these days about bamboo wantan noodles / bamboo wantan mee? Is it a better noodle? If it is, what makes it better?
Well, we were on a cycling trip up in Penang (... see cycling blog) when my friend Chew tried these noodles one evening at a place called Hong Kee, and raved about it. Curious, the rest of the gang went there the following day for lunch after exploring the heritage core of George Town.

But first let's see why it's called bamboo wantan noodles.
No, the noodles are not made from bamboo! They are as other wantan noodles made from wheat floor; the difference here is that the kneading of the dough is with a long bamboo pole. The dough placed on a counter is pressed down with the bamboo pole, turned over and pressed again. This process is repeated several times. Apparently, this way of kneading makes the noodles more springy for a good bitey experience; in Chinese this is called Q-Q.

After the kneading, the dough is machine-rolled into flat sheets of the right thickness. The same machine cuts the the sheets into long, thin strips. The whole process at Hong Kee can be viewed as they make it at an enclosed glass section; they are proud to show their manufacturing style.
(... see a YouTube video on the making of bamboo noodles)

Another worker cut the long strips into appropriate length and bundle them in regular sizes ready for cooking. The thickness of the strips differ from stall to stall, Hong Kee's is of the thinner variety.

Okay, we have seen how they made it, let's see whether it stands up to all the hype.
We had ordered "kosong", meaning noodles that came just with the sauce and vegetables. The barbecued pork belly (Char Siu), roast pork (Siu Yuk) and wantan dumplings had been ordered separately so that we could add them to our own individual liking.
Hong Kee's wantan mee, unlike those from the Klang Valley, comes with a thin sauce/soup instead of the dark thick soy sauce. This sauce is a light puree and had a good underlying taste. And the noodles? Although thin, they were surprisingly Q-Q! It was very good wantan mee and I liked them very much and would recommend one not to miss this when up in George Town!

The Char Siu was another thing altogether. Usually other wantan mee in Penang which are normally served with reddish looking lean meat Char Siu; but here they serve succulent pork belly style, soft and juice with slightly caramelised sweet edges. !YummY!

Let's have a look at the side dishes:

The Char Siu, well layered and definitely sumptuous.

The Siu Yuk was very good too with crispy, crunchy skin. I would have like it with a bit more fat though.

The Chicken Leg Stew was just that, chicken trotters stewed in soy sauce. Would have been better if they had pre-deep fried the legs first though.

The Pork Trotter Stew was a lovely dish, nicely done with soft skin and tender meat that had soaked up the sauce well.

Our bowl of wantan soup. The soup was a light clear soup with larger sized wantan dumplings.

The meat wrapped inside the wantan skin was superb; the mincing was not too fine leaving small chunks of meat for a good bite which exuded the flavour of the meat. The meat is tasty, having been minced together with some salted fish.

The Sui Kow was okay, just slightly above average in taste and texture.

Okay let's have a look at the wantan mee "kitchen". It's a stall located right up at the entrance of the shop; Mr. Chang, the owner/operator, was quite chatty given me some insights on his business and techniques... sorry no sharing of that here, it's their trade secret!

Boiled wantan dumplings just waiting to be served with soup.

... and here are the boiled Sui Kows.

The shop is laid out coffee-shop style with round many round tables. The stall is upfront at the right and the enclosed noodle making section is behind it (can't be seen in this photo). It's not air-conditioned but large exhaust fans have done their job of venting the heat out.

Hong Kee's food menu. Other than wantan mee, they also served the side orders AND also other noodle dishes like Oyster Noodles and Venison Hor Fun; okay I will have to try these the next time.

Their drinks menu. Other than the regular, they also serve Pat Poh (a herbal drink, favourite among the locals), Ambra With Sour Plum (another local favourite) and also Nutmeg Juice (which I think are not the fresh nutmbeg juice like those at Balik Pulau, but from bottled syrup).

HONG KEE BAMBOO NOODLE

37 Campbell Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Tel: +604-2619875 Mobile: +6012-2319875 / +6016-5209875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkeebamboonoodle/

Hours: 8:30 am to 10:00 pm
GPS: 5.41723, 100.33518
(Click here for Google Street View)

Related Blogs :

Bamboo Wantan Noodles @ Lum Choong Kee

Arising from a man's passion for good food has come about one of the best wantan noodles & char siew in town - Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tek Sen Restaurant

Traditional authentic Chinese/Nyonya Fare - George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Bromping Over the Ferry to Guar Petai 27th August 2016

Brompton Malaysia is at it again, this time a ride with more than a hundred of our buddies over the ferry to scenic Guar Petai in Butterworth.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Sites : Guar Petai Emerald Pools @ Butterworth Penang

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / Footsteps / Malaysia 2016-Sites / Guar Petai Emerald Pools @ Butterworth Penang

Footsteps - Jotaro's Travels

Guar Petai Emerald Pools @ Butterworth Penang

Lombong Guar Petai, Tasik Gelugor, Province Wellesley, Penang, Malaysia - August 2016

There is this place in Penang's mainland, (called Seberang Perai or previously Province Wellesley) it is a beautiful place with emerald greenish blue pools dotting the green landscape. One with reddish hills that stand out in the the clear blue sky. This place is called Lombong Guar Petai (Guar Petai Mine).

Guar Petai is a former quarry, stones from the hills were mined to produce gravel and clay from the pools were excavated for a nearby brick factory. This quarrying and mining activity surprisingly had not marred nature but in fact had unintentionally turned the place into one of the most beautiful spots here.

The quarrying and mining activities had cleared the land of most trees leaving a landscape that has a good unobstructed view. Nature has slowly crept back; green turfed areas and clumps of trees have grown back on the flattened land. Spots of greenery have also grown on the laterite hills.
The clay mining had left pools of water with a minimum bottom clay layer below which are4 probably gravel and sandy soil. This has acted as a natural filter leaving the pools of water surprisingly clean and clear. But what gives the water a bluish emerald colour? Perhaps it's the mineral within the soil. And surprisingly, although there don't seem to be fish in the water, algae had not grown to turn it a murky green. Perhaps the same mineral which gives it the bluish tinge act as a deterrent to algae growth.

The quarrying activities had stripped the hills of most of the rocks/stones, leaving behind reddish-brown sandstone hills which due to lack of soil is almost bare of growth. A tree here and there and clumps of shrubs have left a few patches of green to add and enhance the scenery.

At the foot of the hills, reddish laterite hillocks make the place seem unreal, bare of any growth it looks like a scene from out of this world, looking like a red Martian landscape.

We went there while on a cycling trip from Penang Island (... see blog) ; this is what we saw - beautiful, isn't it?
It had rained for a few days earlier, but today we were blessed with a bright, clear blue sky. And surprisingly, even after the rain the pools of water were still clear!

Access to Guar Petai is from Jalan Arumugam Pillai, at a jucntion after Kampung Lahar Looi and just before Kampung Guar Petai. Opposite this junction is the Masjid Nyior Sebatang. The road from there is un-tarred and of red laterite finish and it leads pass an operating brick factory. Near the factory, there were short stretches of the road paved with broken bricks.

During rainy weather, the road in can become muddy with pools of water; do be careful if you walk, cycle or drive in.

The place is serene, quiet and almost deserted of people except for visitor. It is a calming place to bond with nature; but there are news that the place could be developed into a tourist destination (... see Star newspaper article). That, I think would be a bad idea; i.e. to build proper roads, sheds and food stalls; when the throngs come, so will the rubbish. Sure publicise it, but leave it as it is - a jewel of nature. Let the people come, but let them come in naturally, through the track roads, or better still forbid motorised vehicle from going in.

The place may be calm and serene, but there are several do's and don't when coming to visit:

- don't speak out loudly or shout, or worst still swear. The locals believe that places like this are filled with spirits; so say a prayer while there.

- Wear proper attire like shoes if you are going to go climbing up the hills

- Do not swim in the pools, just let them be naturally. Also the pools can be quite deep and the edges steep, and who knows what is in the water.

- Don't pollute or leave rubbish behind. Collect any rubbish you bring in and take them out. Take lots of photos but do not leave graffiti on the stone walls of the hills.