Keropok Lekor 3

The quest for the best keropok lekor in KL continues. Found one at the SS2 Monday pasar malam. Not too bad.

Its does not taste of pure flour. And its pretty good actually. Deserves a second try most definitely. Will keep you posted.

Forget Lafite

Why the name Monster, I hear you ask.

(Even if you didn't ask, just treat this as general knowledge. You'll never know when it may come in useful in say..BBC's The Weakest Link, for instance)

So christened by Jo, it is in reference or as I would like to think, reverence to my enormous capacity for good food. Baptised so to speak after a glorious day of face stuffing in Malacca.

Little did we both realise that from a simple utterance of "fuyo, monster" in response to my polishing off the final crumbs of a supper of roti john, born was the pseudonym that would serve me from 2005 to present.

And so, talking about food is not only a necessity but a downright duty.

This month for some reason, I have had the pleasure of some remarkable seafood. One restaurant of note is the curiously named establishment - deFoodland. Located at Bandar Sri Menjalara (thats Kepong) , it has a variety of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods baked, fried, steamed and boiled in a bewildering number of ways. As I was a dinner guest, sorry guys, no photos . Plus its hard to balance a camera with sticky fingers.

I must say its marketing is top notch. When I patronised the restaurant, not only did I get a name card, I also got a map, a flyer, wallet-sized mini menu and a URL.

So , anyone wanna spike their cholesterol levels with me?

Keropok Lekor Part 2

Honestly people, I am not sure how many parts this will have. See previous entry on keropok lekor for the full extent of my fascination.

I am on a quest for the best lekor in KL. Don't ask me to go to Terengganu ok. That is not an option at present.

I must agree with the disgruntled lekor enthusiast who wrote that piece to the papers lamenting the rubbish that is being passed off as lekor here.

There is this stall near my house that claims to sell lekor. But it is so pale that one tends to wonder if the only fish that went into it was an ikan bilis.

The authentic fare is brownish grey but the ones sold looked (and tasted) more like vegetable crackers. I was deflated. Even at RM1 for 5 pieces, its no bargain.

Nevermind. When I went to Pertama Complex, there was one stall that specializes in deep fried bananas, tapioca and yes, the keropok lekor losong. All things dripping in oil and oh so unhealthy. Yum.

All I can say is that it smelt like keropok lekor. It even looked like keropok lekor. But it tasted like char kui perisa ikan ( fish flavoured eu char koay in other words.) It was so hollow inside.

It did not have that satisfying chewy goodness that defines a losong. Hence the quest continues.

Craving of the week

Yes la, I have cravings every week. I don't look pear shaped without effort you know. It’s harder than it looks mon cheri.

This time its the humble Keropok Lekor. The pride of the eastcoast state of Terengganu or as Awang Goneng reminisces, Trengganu. No doubt about it, I blame my current cravings completely on reading his Growing Up in Trengganu.

Made from wolf herring, (better known to the plebs like me as ikan parang) the keropok comes in two varieties - sausage shaped and chewy (the keropok losong), and thinly sliced and crunchy (the keropok keping).

Lekor was a late discovery for your truly. I do not remember having this delicacy as I was growing up in sleepy Taiping, until I was well in secondary school. Dipped in gravy, particularly hot from the pot gravy, one could well believe that ambrosia is made of fish and comes cheroot shaped.

When I was a kid keropok lekor was still rare in Perak and it was not something we could just buy from a roadside stall. The nearest keropok stall was at the night market next to the Kamunting bus depot, a 15 minute car ride from town. It was the only place I could get my fix, after our school canteen took it off the menu for whatever reason.

In KL today, the keropok has become common tea time fare alongside fried bananas, fried tapioca and whatever else they can coat in batter and deep fry to an artery wrenching crisp. Yet people still do take their lekor seriously as one guy who found it necessary to write to the national daily to complain about the dropping standards of lekor. Naturally the complainant is a native of Terengganu. Close to calling it an affront to state heritage, this man knows what he is talking about.

With devotion like that, how can I not crave a keropok lekor?