Ah Kaw 亚九 Teochew Porridge in Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

I have Singapore readers in mind when I wrote this post as it is about a traditional Teochew dish very hard to find in Singapore nowadays and another dish that is no longer sold in Singapore.

These dishes are traditional suah heer kiam chye curry and pork blood curd which are available in Teochew porridge stalls in Malaysia.

Ah Kaw Teochew porridge stall in PKH kopitiam in Kluang is like any other Teochew porridge stall except that Ah Kaw does a good rendition of both these traditional Teochew comfort food. Not surprisingly, Ah Kaw has Singaporean customers who know their food and their way around Kluang.

 

Traditional suah heer kiam chye is made with shark meat cooked with preserved cabbages and curry spices. This dish is a traditional comfort food eaten with porridge at home in many Teochew families. This dish is now rare in Singapore food centres as almost all the senior hawkers have retired.

 

Another reason why suah heer kiam chye curry is hard to find in Singapore and Malaysia (though less so) is the tedious preparation. Here, Ah Kaw was busy removing the abrasive skin and scales. Shark scales are sharp and hard like gritty sand.

 

At Ah Kaw, the suah heer was fresh and had none of that fishy smell associated with suah heer meat. Ah Kaw cooked the suah heer till it was tender and let all the spicy flavours penetrate the meat fibres. In Singapore, stingray is usually used instead of suah heer but the texture of the two fish are very different. 

 

The other traditional comfort dish that is no longer sold in Singapore but is available here at Ah Kaw's is pork blood curd cooked with stalks of leeks and spring onions.

 

This dish is especially sought after by the baby boomers now in their 50s and 60s, who missed the traditional comfort food they grew up with.

Ah Kaw's Teochew porridge stall also serves all the usual range of accompanying side dishes.

 

If you happen to be in Kluang and need that traditional home cooked comfort food fix, Ah Kaw could fix that craving in very satisfying fashion.

Restaurant name: Ah Kaw 亚九Teochew Porridge (Stall in PKH kopitam 老巴刹)
Address: Junction of Jalan Teoh Siew Khor and Jalan Sultan
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WAz6X
GPS: 2.031358,103.319724
Hours: 8:00am to 1:00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Non Halal

I have Singapore readers in mind when I wrote this post as it is about a traditional Teochew dish very hard to find in Singapore nowadays and another dish that is no longer sold in Singapore.

These dishes are traditional suah heer kiam chye curry and pork blood curd which are available in Teochew porridge stalls in Malaysia.

Ah Kaw Teochew porridge stall in PKH kopitiam in Kluang is like any other Teochew porridge stall except that Ah Kaw does a good rendition of both these traditional Teochew comfort food. Not surprisingly, Ah Kaw has Singaporean customers who know their food and their way around Kluang.

 

Traditional suah heer kiam chye is made with shark meat cooked with preserved cabbages and curry spices. This dish is a traditional comfort food eaten with porridge at home in many Teochew families. This dish is now rare in Singapore food centres as almost all the senior hawkers have retired.

 

Another reason why suah heer kiam chye curry is hard to find in Singapore and Malaysia (though less so) is the tedious preparation. Here, Ah Kaw was busy removing the abrasive skin and scales. Shark scales are sharp and hard like gritty sand.

 

At Ah Kaw, the suah heer was fresh and had none of that fishy smell associated with suah heer meat. Ah Kaw cooked the suah heer till it was tender and let all the spicy flavours penetrate the meat fibres. In Singapore, stingray is usually used instead of suah heer but the texture of the two fish are very different. 

 

The other traditional comfort dish that is no longer sold in Singapore but is available here at Ah Kaw's is pork blood curd cooked with stalks of leeks and spring onions.

 

This dish is especially sought after by the baby boomers now in their 50s and 60s, who missed the traditional comfort food they grew up with.

Ah Kaw's Teochew porridge stall also serves all the usual range of accompanying side dishes.

 

If you happen to be in Kluang and need that traditional home cooked comfort food fix, Ah Kaw could fix that craving in very satisfying fashion.

Restaurant name: Ah Kaw 亚九Teochew Porridge (Stall in PKH kopitam 老巴刹)
Address: Junction of Jalan Teoh Siew Khor and Jalan Sultan
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WAz6X
GPS: 2.031358,103.319724
Hours: 8:00am to 1:00pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Non Halal

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Teochew Porridge @ Come & Eat 吃又来潮州粥 off Jalan Stulang Darat, Johor Bahru

“Find dining” is a hit or miss pursuit that risks our meagre daily cholesterol and calorie quota. Once in a while, I stumble upon an outstanding eatery in an unlikely place that cancels all the misses of “find dining”.

Restoran Come & Eat 吃又来潮州粥 is such a gem.

Just like the glint of a gold nugget in a pile of rocks, a good food find has telltale signs.

The moment Come & Eat Teochew porridge opens its shutters at 4:00pm, cars pull up in front and grinning customers emerge to fill the tables. They eagerly make their way to the food laid out at the counter like excited children during recess time at the school tuck shop. Wide eyed customers purposefully survey what is served today as some of the dishes are offered only on certain days.

For example, the very popular asam fish is served only on Thursdays. Their asam fish is exceptionally delicious. Made with fish boiled in a large pot choked full with tamarind, dried chili, garlic and spices, it is a complex blend of mildly salty, tangy sour, sweet and spicy hot. The flesh of the fish saturated with the asam brew is smoky, creamy and the bones are so soft they literally dissolve with gentle chewing. When it is available on Thursdays, every table will order at least one piece – more often than not, each diner will order a separate piece of their own.

The fish here are ocean fresh – the boss buys them fresh everyday. The fish are steamed in small batches and every time a new tray of fish emerges from the kitchen, customers interrupt their eating and dash from their tables to the counter to grab the fish. The fish steamed in their own naturally sweet juices taste like sweet succulent fruits.

Besides fish there is a selection of popular braised duck and pork items such as meat, innards, snort and ears.

There is also a wide range homely Teochew dishes of fried and braised vegetables, fried pumpkin, tofu, spring rolls and so on, depending on the day.

The atmosphere is cheerful and familial – the voices of the restaurant workers calling out the orders serve as the background to the rowdy banter of the customers, most of whom are regulars, including from Singapore.

The unceasing waves of arriving customers replacing those who have just finished their meal reminded me of the waves on the beach near by. Despite the big crowd, the service is fast and friendly – the staff move swiftly and the orders are taken as if by telepathy as they know the customers’ favourites.

My meal of delicious steamed fish, asam fish and two bowls of porridge came to RM23 (SGD 9.50).

Definitely a good place to come and eat a hearty traditional Teochew dinner.

Restaurant name: Restoran Come & Eat 吃又来潮州粥

Address: 34-2-A, Jalan Stulang Darat (shop lot at foot of 3-storey flats facing the highway)

Map: http://g.co/maps/aut82
GPS: 1.47285, 103.77829

Hours: 4:00pm to 9:00pm (closed on Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 1 Mar 2012

“Find dining” is a hit or miss pursuit that risks our meagre daily cholesterol and calorie quota. Once in a while, I stumble upon an outstanding eatery in an unlikely place that cancels all the misses of “find dining”.

Restoran Come & Eat 吃又来潮州粥 is such a gem.

Just like the glint of a gold nugget in a pile of rocks, a good food find has telltale signs.

The moment Come & Eat Teochew porridge opens its shutters at 4:00pm, cars pull up in front and grinning customers emerge to fill the tables. They eagerly make their way to the food laid out at the counter like excited children during recess time at the school tuck shop. Wide eyed customers purposefully survey what is served today as some of the dishes are offered only on certain days.

For example, the very popular asam fish is served only on Thursdays. Their asam fish is exceptionally delicious. Made with fish boiled in a large pot choked full with tamarind, dried chili, garlic and spices, it is a complex blend of mildly salty, tangy sour, sweet and spicy hot. The flesh of the fish saturated with the asam brew is smoky, creamy and the bones are so soft they literally dissolve with gentle chewing. When it is available on Thursdays, every table will order at least one piece – more often than not, each diner will order a separate piece of their own.

The fish here are ocean fresh – the boss buys them fresh everyday. The fish are steamed in small batches and every time a new tray of fish emerges from the kitchen, customers interrupt their eating and dash from their tables to the counter to grab the fish. The fish steamed in their own naturally sweet juices taste like sweet succulent fruits.

Besides fish there is a selection of popular braised duck and pork items such as meat, innards, snort and ears.

There is also a wide range homely Teochew dishes of fried and braised vegetables, fried pumpkin, tofu, spring rolls and so on, depending on the day.

The atmosphere is cheerful and familial – the voices of the restaurant workers calling out the orders serve as the background to the rowdy banter of the customers, most of whom are regulars, including from Singapore.

The unceasing waves of arriving customers replacing those who have just finished their meal reminded me of the waves on the beach near by. Despite the big crowd, the service is fast and friendly – the staff move swiftly and the orders are taken as if by telepathy as they know the customers’ favourites.

My meal of delicious steamed fish, asam fish and two bowls of porridge came to RM23 (SGD 9.50).

Definitely a good place to come and eat a hearty traditional Teochew dinner.

Restaurant name: Restoran Come & Eat 吃又来潮州粥

Address: 34-2-A, Jalan Stulang Darat (shop lot at foot of 3-storey flats facing the highway)

Map: http://g.co/maps/aut82
GPS: 1.47285, 103.77829

Hours: 4:00pm to 9:00pm (closed on Monday)

Non Halal

Date visited: 1 Mar 2012

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