FINALLY, I have decided to be true to my piggy self and write about food instead of the usual fictional or semi-fictional sob story.
(So, now you know the "Hokkien that I Love" refers to food.)
Thus, the first food posting my stomach has dictated that my brain focus on today is Hokkien mee. OK, the picture above doesn't look so good, but, hey...I didn't have a better looking one. And you know what they say anyway: the proof is in the pudding.
Before I continue, allow me to indulge in a bit of background explanation. This, for the benefit of those who just may not know what it is (ah, what sacrilege!).
According to Wikipedia, there are three types of hokkien mee: hokkien hae mee from Penang and Singapore (both with the same name, though cooked differently) and Hokkien (fried) mee from the Klang Valley. The Penang variant is a totally different dish (it's soupy) and not what I want to discuss here...meanwhile, who cares about the Singaporean variant? Singapore food sucks anyway. Naturally, our Singaporean friends would vehemently defend their "native" delicacies (all ciplak from Malaysia wan lah), but we all know that arguing with the ignorant is like fighting a losing battle.
So, anyway.
I've had a long-standing love affair with hokkien mee since god-knows-when (actually, if I am going to be honest, I love food in general, but I have an especially soft spot for any dish that's porky), and I've eaten at many (not all, ok?..better qualify before some hokkien mee zealot tries to crucify me) popular spots in the Klang Valley.
So, to make this as brief as possible, I will just zoom in for the kill and mention only my favourite.
Ever been to Reunion in Bangsar Village? THAT'S my ultimate destination for good old hokkien mee. I know. It sounds impossible. Here's this really swanky Chinese restaurant and you'd think that all they served up was some cool unpronounceable chinky dish or other... but what a surprise to find the oh-so-pedestrian hokkien mee on its menu! Now, who would've thought?!
The noodles are cooked in black gravy wholesomely flavoured with pork liver, pork slices, squid, shrimp and cabbage. And, of course, generous amounts of pork lard. Each strand of noodle is slick and glistening with gravy, making every mouthful a rewarding (albeit incredibly artery-clogging) experience. You know for a fact that when you chewed on the noodle, you would never encounter the taste of lye so normally prevalent in thick yellow noodles.
I'm not a fan of pork liver, and don't mind the pork slices, but the shrimps! OMG. THAT, dear reader, is simply divine. The prawns are fresh, sweet and so good to eat!
Still not convinced? Try it and see for yourself. It's more than 20 bucks a dinner plate, but, trust me, there's more than enough for two people (just don't bring a greedy pig; bring me, can).
And. It. Is. Good.
Really.
No comments:
Post a Comment