Glorious Food Galore

It's been weeks since I last saw my aged parents in the good old sleepy town. Sara obligingly agreed to accompany me last Friday on one condition: no Mandarin ballads.

So, with Julie Andrew's ...just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, medicine go down, medicine go down...just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down in the most delightful way!(or is it Chinese songs?)... we had a most pleasant ride back to Muar.

Dear daddy was not with us cos he's the man of the house and has to toil on site...sigh.

To Adam He said: Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You will not eat of it,'

"Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it

all the days of your life..." Genesis 3 :17...

So, all daddies must toil and mummies suffer from birth pangs.

Therefore, follow the instructions of God.

Every trip to Muar is precious to me; even more so in the last few years. I can hardly find the time to travel what with the numerous commitments and tight schedules. But nevertheless when things get tough here I will somehow sneak away to my birth place and indulge in the little things that make me happy.

The constant pining of my dear parents for their children is a marked resemblance of my longing for my girls who are away from me.

Grace once remarked :

" I miss home la Ma ...just like you miss Por-por...now I know why you always want to go to Muar...Ma when I am here it's like I am taking the first step to leave you for good...that I will no more ever able to stay with you like before. Ma, I don't want..."

I cried for days.

But yet...that's life. You grow up, study, work, marry and you leave home.

That brought me way back to the mid 70s when I was studying in the University of Malaya. Like her, I miss home so badly that I will diligently take the bus almost every weekend for a long and bumpy arduous journey of 4 - 5 hours ( that time no highway and you have to pass small towns and villages) and then to leave on a Sunday evening to the then dreaded KL. Oh well, that was so long ago but sometimes it seems like yesterday as the cycle of life churns.

Right...dont want to be so emotional.

When in Muar, a delightful experience will be to eat.

They say tastes seldom change. Tastes in design, style, shoes, clothes, friends you hang out with,

values, perceptions...if you have it ...you have it. When they are innate, they stay with you almost for life unless otherwise.

Likewise, the food in Muar. When you have acquired the taste, it is eternal.

The following are a must when you visit the town.

For breakfast,

1. Look for Jalan Haji Yahya,

This vendor here got so excited when I visited him and his friends jokingly commented that it's coming out in the press so give her a good shot! In fact he encouragingly said "I 'm gonna give you a treat today..." So pleasant of him but I could not bring myself to accept the offer. Hard earned cash.

He has been selling this 'chui kueh' as long as I could remember; passed down from dad. Notice the ingredient in the pot cooked over a charcoal stove. It must be charcoal or else the taste runs. It's white salted radish cooked with black sauce and it is this that makes the difference. The product is only rice flour steamed in moulds and then the toppings produce the magic touch.

2. Along Jalan Arab you can taste 'Ah Pek ' mee

The father of the lady up there had a hump on his back caused by too much bending when fixing the menu. We would wait for at least 30 mins before we could be served. While waiting he would always chant 'live long life' especially so when he saw Por Por. He passed away creating quite a commotion in town because of his philantropic gestures to the Chinese Schools and many paid their respect. He had 4 daughters and today his business is taken over by a daughter and her daughter-in-law. You see family business stay good in Muar. The mee is superb. Taste it and you want more and more.

3. You must not miss Jalan Ali also.

Sizzling good, aint it? It's again white radish stirred in black sauce with 'chai por' and egg. Sometimes he adds taugeh on request. Very good aroma and mouth- watering. No elaboration needed.
The vendor here told me his son is not keen in the business. Has gone to the university and white collar venture. There , one down.

4. Here lies our family 'heirloom'...along Jalan Sisi.

I do not know who copied who? The Melaka chicken rice balls or the Muar chicken rice balls?Which existed first? But as far as my memory can stretch right from when I was a mere 7 year old it was there. I had a memorable childhood buying those rice balls for breakast for my siblings. While sister no.2 saw to the cleaning up, my main duty was to trudge along Jalan Meriam to a taucu factory where it housed the Hainanese couple who sold the chicken rice balls.

We ate those rice balls dutifully for breakfast everyday.

Now my children also consume them and never fail to have a go at it each time they are in town.

Addictive

Ask everyone in the Chong clan, Lau clan and Kan clan ...must eat.

The Hainanese couple has long gone and today the sons and daughters are manning the show; this time also serving beverages.

A family heirloom.

For tea

1. Walk along Jalan Haji Abu and you must not miss these:

Por -Por and Sara along Jalan Haji Abu

Had a short chat with him and we reminded each other of how we have been friends from time of old right from his dad's time till now. He reminisced ; " Your mother knows my dad, and now you are buying from me; next time your children will buy from my children..." A vicious cycle to be eradicated by education? Or is there a need for the break? Who says he's making less? Try counting.

This is how you consume his goodies. You have to lightly stir fry till light brown and crispy and eat it warm. So if you need to buy home and keep for the next day, just fridge it and stir fry lightly the next day. Do not steam, it won't taste right.

Chai Kueh. Well, basically radish and sengkuang but it's dad's 'most' favourite. The skin is just right- soft and not so thick. After this version, no other concoction seems right for dad.

My grandma from China used to make this teow chew kueh, locally known as 'pun kueh' - its basically glutinous rice and dried shrimps-but oh mine...Sara will die for it. She can take it for breakfast, lunch and dinner but must be 'garing' la (crispy).

Glutinous rice. The one above is the sweet version whereas the one below is the savoury one. The cousins from Penang will gorge them down anytime , anywhere in any amount, never enough. Very tasty and you want more when you have the first taste.

The undeniable favourite of all time- otak-otak- synonymous with the town - ownership. Of late there are also so many versions of the product- some in plastic wrappings- but I only eat this version. Like the look and taste of the banana leaf wrapping round the fish paste.

Radish cake (white version). Dad's younger brother must eat this when in Muar and when his family arrives from Down Under - a sure hit.

2. The road adjacent to Jalan Abudullah near Kiang Nam ( I forgot the name of the road) is

Hakka Wanton Mee

You see the man up there? He is Mr. Liu the son of Ah Khong. He is my contemporary and everytime I visit his stall he knows I would want to taste his 'rat tail' rice noodles. Of course, he is popular for his wanton mee but I still prefer his 'lau shu pan'.

Notice the lane?

The stall is parked at this lane and when we were in school, we used to haunt this lane in the evenings (like you haunt Tanjung or Melur in Subang Jaya). We will meet classmates and then chat over the wanton mee and Ah Khong would be grinning from ear to ear. Along here too I remember an old friend from the Chin clan who is a fantastic artist and helped me pass my Art exam during LCE . She would draw a sample for me and I would 'learnt by heart' the picture and vomit out ...and get good grades. How is it Esther?
Now you know why you draw so well. Ahem.

And when you are really, really thirsty after eating all those goodies, come drink the thirst quencher-pear juice. Promise you it's so very good on a hot afternoon that you would drink until the cows come home.

That's Grace on her trip back home last year. You see she asks for it all the time. Cannot find anywhere in this world. Definitely not in Down Under.

I think I have been very entertaining already and I need to rest from writing for a few days. Hope you have enjoyed the culinary tour of Muar with me. Visit Muar. More stories to come. Next change.

Oh yes, I forgot for dinner - just go to the the restaurants - Sin Kee Ting, Chuan Tin, Sing Sing -that's where we will land up in the evenings. We can even identify the dishes the old folks will order. Standard only.