Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

Steamed Freshwater Prawns with Egg whites - Lined up remarkably with their vibrant orange-hued shells and some with golden luscious roes oozing from the smashed heads!

Tanjung Tualang is a small town located about 40km away from Ipoh town. No doubt the township is almost synonymous for its very famous freshwater prawns, aside from the infamous tin dredge near to Chenderoh (a short distance away from Tanjung Tualang) which was (and probably still is) precariously threatened with the prospects of being submerged in the waters. The tin dredge was opened to the public at a fee, but not sure if it’s still offering the tour in and around the dredge. (You can view some great shots from brandoneu’s blog here)

At a corner lot in the square formation of one-storey shoplots forming the perimeters surrounding the market, Yew Kei Seafood Restaurant appeals more to the locals, and came highly recommended from not one, not two, but a few of my friends and relatives staying in the town, or nearby.

Now let’s get to the more interesting part of this post; the FOOD. Or might as well categorize them as SEAfood. Or in particular; the Tanjung Tualang’s famous freshwater prawns. They come in various sizes, with their respective prices. A kilogram of the L-sized prawns cost RM78/USD23.60, a kg of M-L sized ones will set you aback at RM68/USD20.60, while the M-sized ones are priced at RM60/USD18 per kg.

I went to Luen Fong Restaurant once before, about a year ago, and prior to that, Lung Seng sometime back in 2008. Both of the restaurants were good, the latter being the better choice for me personally, for the freshwater prawns fared much better. But of course, there are detractors that swear by Luen Fong’s prolific legacy (they were even featured in a Guangzhou food documentary, aside from the local ones). So why did I pick Yew Kei this time around, a relatively unknown name that has been dwarfed by the other giants? Read on to find out ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

## Updated July 2010 – On the 1st of July 2010, the whole stretch of shops including Luen Fong and Sun Mee Fong restaurants were tragically burnt from a fire. Hence they have ceased operations until further notice. ##

The abundance of roes was astounding! Pity Mr Prawn’s head also punctured by the pressure!

To get you along the mid-week blues (though it’s a much, much revered 4 days working week), let me share another famous Chinese seafood restaurant in Tanjung Tualang of Perak. No doubt you’ve read about my crustacean-walloping experience back in August of 2008. What? You mean you forgot to read the Lung Seng Restaurant review, when we had half a kg of prawns cooked Kam Heong style, while another 500g in lots of crunchy Nestum? Go read now, wipe your chin dry, and come back again.

Okay, done? Tanjung Tualang houses so many seafood restaurants, you’d be thinking where to go for some simpler hawker food. Really. They’re all around the wet market of Tanjung Tualang, built in the midst of the town itself. Another restaurant that has been around for many years now, and with a strong following of its own, is Luen Fong Restaurant – An air-conditioned corner lot next to Sun Mee Fong (sp?), another popular choice amongst the tourists. Though I have heard from a friend, stating that the locals do NOT patronize these erm … tourist-traps. Instead, they go to lesser known brands, an example being Yau Kee (again, not sure of the spelling).

CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

A calming image of serenity

The main market in the middle of Tanjung Tualang town

Historically significant for tin-mining activities, this sleepy town may not have regained its flair and stature as before, BUT Tanjung Tualang is widely popularized as a town famous for its large freshwater prawns. This species of the crustaceans family is highly prized by seafood aficionados and tourists alike, and no doubt, THE main attraction of this small town.

The number of seafood restaurants in this town is mind-boggling, thus one needs to play the deciding game, or follow one’s instincts …

The town is strangely shaped like a square box, surrounding the town’s main wet market. Of course, you can purchase the fresh catches here, though we arrived pretty late in the afternoon for lunch. Facing the market itself, are at least 5 Chinese seafood restaurants, heavily promoting their main selling point, the freshwater prawns.

KCA, and PTG (Perak Tengah Gal) had eaten at Lung Seng Seafood Restaurant before, a fully air-conditioned restaurant NOT situated in the “square”, but a short walk away, along Jalan Besar.

Kam Heong Prawns

Nestum Prawns

Obviously, they suggested the freshwater prawns without us asking, as ordering chicken and pork in a seafood restaurant sounds weird, doesn’t it? (But we HAVE to, as Mr. Anti-seafood KYT is highly allergic to products of the sea/river … Hehehe, kind of defeats the purpose of having lunch in this town, no?)

Anyway, they cook the prawns in a dizzying-ly variety of ways, from steaming to frying in various condiments. We decided on TWO versions of the prawns, half kg of them dished out in Kam Heong style (with spicy/tangy gravy & lots of dried shrimps), while another half kg deep-fried with Nestum oats. (1 kg = RM58)

Both were finger-lickingly delicious, as the sweet, succulent and fresh prawn flesh (rhymes?) with a lot of roes imbued in the prawn heads, was complemented to a tee with both cooking styles. However, I noticed the prawns served Kam Heong style were generally smaller in size, compared to the other half kilo fried with nestum oats.

Sweet, juicy and red prawn roes, a diet freak’s nightmare ?!

Steamed Catfish (Pak Sook Gong) @ RM28.80

The steamed catfish (or is that what it’s called in English?) was fresh, steamed with soy sauce, Chinese wine, and lots of coriander and julienned carrots. Although, due to an unforeseen situation, the fish was steamed way ahead of serving (a miscommunication somewhere forced FCOE and TallGal to arrive slightly late), rendering the fish with a slight fishy smell. Definitely put KYT off his radar, combined with the many bones to pick, he was practically touching the fish with a pole. Needless to say, he swore by this next dish ….

Steamed chicken with ginger @ RM20

Heavily scented with freshly grinded ginger, the chicken wings (for some reasons, they only claimed to serve half or whole chicken, but the cuts they served were obviously chicken wings mostly) were sufficiently marinated, cooked with the generous amount of ginger. But of course, chicken wings are not known to be fleshy, and consuming the pieces was somewhat a chore. But a small price to pay. Gingers are believed to ward off ‘wind’ in the body, perfect for the bloated stomach …

Sadistic instruments of torturous nature??!!! =O

Still remember Joe once quizzed the his readers on the nature and functions of these tools. How cruel of the proprietors of the restaurant to evoke carnage in their own premise, no? =P

Salted Egg Crabs (Rm26.60 or RM38 per kilo)

But of course, children beware, hungry adults may abuse the tools to satiate their own savage instincts. Muahaha …. To crush the crabs, that is. Don’t get me wrong.

Salted egg style, an interesting way to cook crabs, prawns, mantis prawns, chickens and even beancurds. But different outlets serve them differently, indigenous to the region/state/influences. Here, at Lung Seng, the crabs are stir-fried with salted eggs beaten to a pulp, rather dry, and without any gravy. You’ll have to lick the salted eggs sticking to the shells for extra flavour. But fresh and sweet crabs need no company. Cook them in any ways, and they’ll still shine. No laments, thumbs up!

Watch them swimming happily, rejoicing without realizing the fact that someday, they’ll end up on your plates … Oh, the gastronomic world’s a cruel one, no?

We ordered a humble plate of green vegetables to balance out the indulging and artery-clogging food (now, where’s my statins?!!). Total damage for 6 came to RM148.70. Quite reasonable, for the serving’s not skimpy. Though FCOE’s shirt was. Whoops …. (that was intentional! LOL)

Location : LUNG SENG Seafood Restaurant @ 10, Jln Besar, 31800 Tanjung Tualang, Perak. Tel : 05-3600735.