Lao Liang Pork Trotter Jelly: They don't do it like this anymore!

With iwatch_ueat and SCS Butter


Now this is a dish you don't often get to see nowadays. (Actually I don't think it was ever that common). I admit that this was the first time that I was introduced to this Teochew Dish myself. It is yet another nail in the coffin of my self delusional status as a true blue Teochew Ah Hia.

It is rather interesting, but this Pork Trotter Jelly (or Pork Aspic as some call it) reminds me of some of the stuff that you can get from the Cold Meats section of your Butchery. The reason that this dish is not often seen is, I presume, the amount of time and effort it takes to make the dish. Pork Trotters are stewed for at least 8 hours to turn the collagen into gelatin. The meat is then left overnight to set and then left in the fridge for another whole day. So all in all, it takes at least 2 days to prepare the dish. Of course, if you want to take some short cuts, you could add cornstarch or gelatin as some purportedly do. But this third generation Teochew couple still insists on doing it the traditional way without the additives.



If you like to eat the jelly of white chicken, then you are going to love this dish. It goes with a very special chilli sauce which they make with Blue Ginger (Lengkuas). The texture is excellent and the jelly is so clear you can see through it easily (I am told that is one of the ways to tell if it was made right). Tastewise, however, I thought that it could have had a bit more oomph. 4.25/5



The thing about Teochew food is the simplicity of the dishes which places the emphasis on the freshness of the ingredients. The shark's meat is simply boiled in water to cook it and served with a plum/peanut sauce. You simply cannot get away with using second rate fish. I am sure there will be people who would rave about this dish, but it failed to wake up the "tiger" in this half past six Teochew Ah Hia. 4/5

If you think that you can simply prepare this dish at home, then you are seriously mistaken. Well, you could maybe get hold of some fresh shark meat, but you would be hard pressed trying to get hold of some plum sauce that is as good as this one. This plum sauce is so good that you have to pay an extra 20 cents for each additional plate. But there is good reason for it. This couple actually make the plum sauce themselves from preserved plums. But that's not all. The plums have to be aged at least 2 to 3 years before being turned into plum sauce. That means that they have a continual 3 year stock of preserved plums at their home! Now, if you ask me, I'd rather just pay 20 cents more to get my plum sauce fix!

Conclusion

Traditional Teochew food that is quickly disappearing from our hawker food scene. For this particular stall, this will be the end of the line after three generations when the couple retires. So better go try some before it goes the way of the Dodo.

Lao Liang Pork Trotter Jelly
Stall 37, Jalan Berseh Food Centre
11am to 3pm
Closed on Mondays

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Coffee Hut: Kopi So Good, He had 4 cups!

With iwatch_ueat and SCS Butter


As we were eating the un-cheng Fish Soup, the aroma of coffee wafted through the air and caught the attention of iwatch_ueat who is usually not a coffee drinker. But the aroma of the coffee was so alluring that she decided to order a cup for herself and SCS Butter who is one of our Blog's Kopi Kings.



The first sip of the Kopi and SCS Butter was hooked. He said it is the best Kopi he has tasted around the area. There is that spiciness when the coffee first hits the palate followed by the full bodied taste of the Evaporated milk and coffee, finishing with a lingering aroma at the back of the throat after swallowing. It was so good that we ended up ordering around 6 cups of Kopi.

Well, the truth is that SCS downed the first two cups himself. But I was curious about just how good it was (I was taking Teh C) that I ordered another one to get a taste. I thought it was good but not that great, so SCS had a go and admitted that the first two were better. So we went onto cup number four. I am not sure if it was because we had one cup too many, but the later cups just did not have the oomph of the first two. Given the inconsistency of the Kopi I would rate it 4.25/5 at this stage. SCS Butter would have given the first two a 4.5/5.

The toast was another story. It was delightfully light, crispy and crumbly on the outside but soft on the inside. The butter was the right consistency and not overly thick and the Kaya was fragrant but not sickly sweet. Roland related the fine art of toasting the bread to us. He said that he only uses fresh bread rather that bread which is one or two days old which is easier to handle as it is little stiffer. But the extra effort results in better tasting bread which is fluffy on the inside and crumbly on the outside. This Kaya Toast is definitely worth coming for. 4.5/5

Conclusion

Totally unexpected find. Kopi lovers should definitely check it out.

Coffee Hut
Stall 43, Jalan Bersih Food Centre
7am to 4pm
Closed Alt Saturday or Sunday
90108311 Roland

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Mei Xiang Fish Soup: Unusually Un-Cheng Fish Soup

With iwatch_ueat and SCS Butter


What do you look for in a Fish Soup? Some people go for Fish Soup that is very "Cheng" (clear). If you are the "Cheng" type, then you will be very disappointed with this soup. But if you are like me who like a bit of ooomph in the soup, then you would like this one.

The soup here is full of "bits" inside, bit cloudy but really tasty. Not sure if this is due to MSG or not, but it sure hits the spot. We ordered the "Black and White" which costs $6 for a big bowl. You get nice, thickly sliced fish and fried battered fish which is quite yummy (bit on the salty side). 4.5/5

This stall is a bit of a Food Nazi. They don't allow you to take away so if you really want to take it home, you'll have to bring your own box! Also note the weird opening times! However, when I spoke to the owner in the afternoon he seemed quite nice and did not quite appear like a Food Nazi. Maybe you have to get him when he is really busy!

Conclusion

Very shiok fish soup but not for those who like their fish soup to be "Cheng".

Mei Xiang Fish Soup
Stall 44
Jalan Berseh Food Centre
10.12am to 3.16pm
Closed Sat, Sun and Pub Hols

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