KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — When it rains in the morning, the schedule gets thrown out of the window and it's time to eat! That's how I ended up at Taman Gembira's morning market along Jalan Selesa, where I greedily rediscovered old favourites and new eats.
Even though I don't live anywhere near this place, I have fond memories of the food offerings there as we used to buy them home to enjoy.
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You get a mix of stalls that appear on various days so it's important to remember which days they are available. Most of these traders have been in business for 20 to 30 years already. What amazes me is they are still going strong. It's only the popiah stall that is now manned by the second generation.
As it was a Sunday, there is the apom stall operated by the affable Mr Wong. In recent years, this type of simple crepe is getting scarce at the markets. This version is incredibly well executed as they are wafer thin making them light and crispy.
If you observe Wong making these, what's amazing is how he doesn't even use a spatula. Once the apom is ready, he would just peel it off the seasoned pans with his bare hands. The crepe is placed on a wire rack and folded quickly for it to set in shape.
The well seasoned pans are drizzled with the batter that is cooked on the custom-made stove (left). No spatula is used as Wong uses his bare hands to peel off the thin crepe quickly (right).
The apom is folded in the middle once it is placed on a wire rack . He presses it to ensure the fold for the crepe holds (right).
Visit the morning market on Sunday to score these fine, crispy apom.
I like eating it when it's hot from the pan as you get the crispy texture. Leave it for some time and it becomes soft but still tasty. If you wish, you can re-crisp them in an air fryer at home. Wong sells five pieces of the apom for RM4.
If you prefer a more substantial pancake, there's the ban chean kuih stall run by Chin. She has been doing this for 20 years. Apparently, this stall has family ties with a similar stall at the Taman Megah wet market.
Look for Chins ban chean kuih stall that is open on Sunday.
If you want a more substantial pancake, theres ban chean kuih with toasted ground peanuts.
You can customise your toppings for the pancake. For instance, maybe no added sugar if you're avoiding it. Or a dollop of creamed corn for a more indulgent pancake. It's best to eat it quickly as I found it got soggy after a drive home. One piece is RM1.80 and you can opt to take half of the pancake or the whole one too.
Once the pancake is cooked, they will cut it into pieces for you to take away (left). The ban chean kuih is loaded with peanuts and you can customise it to what you like (right).
What I loved was their ultra crispy version. Packed in a plastic box, you get thin crispy layers dusted with ground peanuts. Addictive! It's a little pricier than the normal version at RM5.50 per box but it's so well made, you won't mind paying for it.
Look for these crispy versions as they are excellent (left). The ultra crispy pancake is full of ground toasted peanuts which makes it addictively good (right).
I was actually visiting the market for my favourite Chinese crullers. Many years ago, we found this stall that serves one of the best ma kiok or horseshoe shaped fritters. It was a morning treat for the family.
The stall is run by Leong who will make the crullers batch by batch once it runs out. The ma kiok is still good, although if he is rushing, you may end up getting a slightly harder crunch. What makes it nice is how the dough has a slightly sweet flavour with a crunchy crust that is delicious when paired with the toasted sesame seeds.
Leongs Chinese cruller stall is where you get deep fried goodies.
He makes yummy ma kiok or horseshoe shaped fried pastry (left). The ma kiok is slightly sweet tasting with a crunchy crust that is studded with toasted sesame seeds (right).
He also sells the usual youtiao which is popular. There's also the red bean and glutinous rice versions. Each piece is priced at RM1.80.
Another old favourite is Sakura crispy popiah. This stall is only here on Thursday. On other days, it is at various markets (morning and night) from Puchong Taman Kinrara, Kepong and Seri Kembangan.
On Thursday, look for the Sakura crispy popiah stall at the morning market.
Its all about assembling the ingredients on top of the popiah skin.
Before the popiah is rolled up, it is crowned with stewed yam bean (left). The popiah is a little drier than the usual ones but it has crispy bits, cucumber, carrot and yam bean (right).
Pack home their spicy popiah with the mild chilli sauce and enjoy it at the nearby kopitiam with a cup of hot local coffee.
Ah Loke runs the business with his siblings after his mother retired. The recipe for this popiah is a little different with its ratio of ingredients. Here the bite of the roll is drier as it has less of the stewed yam bean filling since there's more crispy dough bits, shredded cucumber and a bit of carrot. Hence if you prefer a juicier bite, ask for the spicy version as it's got more sauce with the addition of the chilli. It's just mildly spicy on the tongue.
Each popiah is RM3.50.
Apom stall
Available on Sunday at the Taman Gembira morning market (7am till sold out)
Other places: Thursday OUG night market and Saturday Taman Gembira night market
Ban chean kuih stall
Available on Sunday at the Taman Gembira morning market (7am till sold out)
Other places: Monday Taman Maluri morning market
Chinese cruller stall
Available on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday to Sunday at the Taman Gembira morning market (6am to 10am)
Tel:+6016-3839327
Sakura crispy popiah stall
Available on Thursday at the Taman Gembira morning market (7am to 9.30am)
Other places: Monday Serdang night market, Tuesday Sri Petaling morning market, Tuesday Kepong Baru night market, Wednesday OUG morning market, Wednesday Taman Daya night market, Friday Cheras Taman Midah morning market, Saturday Taman Kinrara morning market, Saturday Salak South night market