Rice porridge, anyone? Ewe Paik Leong visits some popular porridge restaurants in the Klang Valley.
PARADIZE POOLSIDE COFFEEHOUSE, LODGE PARADIZE HOTEL, JALAN TENGAH, KL
CRAVING for Teochew porridge at 4am? It has to be at the poolside? You can at this coffee-house right in the Golden Triangle. And it’s halal too.
Apart from porridge, there are also local, Western and Thai dishes. The Teochew porridge set comprises fried anchovies, sambal convolvulus, stir-fried okras, tofu and minced chicken.
Nibbling these is akin to eating Korean banchan. They play a terrific textural game and shift from one flavour to another, pleasantly jolting the senses.
Rating: 5/5
RESTORAN KAK MAH TOMYAM, JALAN RAJA ABDULLAH, KL
OPERATING from a charming Malay traditional house on stilts, this restaurant offers an interesting array of Malay and Thai dishes.
After you’ve placed your porridge order, you’ll be asked to go to a glass case to pick the side dishes. There are dried cuttlefish, salted fish, daging salai (smoked meat), mushroom and assorted vegetables to choose from.
Your order will be stir-fried and whisked to your table piping hot.
Rating: 4.5/5
RESTORAN DAY&NIGHT CIRCLE, JALAN WAU 11/1A. SHAH ALAM
THIS halal spot is a favourite with night owls as it is open from early evening till 2.30am. Many items on the menu lean towards economical one-person dishes such as fried rice, soups, fried noodles, chicken chop and lamb chop.
For porridge, there are about 30 side dishes such as vegetables, salted fish and meat such as chicken and beef and even cow’s lungs. I tasted four dishes and their flavours pass muster, which earns it a place on this list.
Rating: 3.5/5
RESTORAN TEOCHEW LAU ER, JALAN BRUNEI, KL
THIS is a full-fledged restaurant with all the culinary stars of Teochew cuisine such as kueh chap, red stewed duck, ginger duck, fried grouper skin, steamed fish with salted vegetables and sour plum.
There are also porridge sets catering to 2-3 persons, 4-6 persons and 8-10 persons. A meal of a 2-3 person-set comes with fried thread fin, omelette, stewed meat and veggies. The kitchen shows its precise execution in these four flawless dishes.
Rating: 5/5
RESTORAN LOR 9, JALAN KEPONG BESAR, KL
SPORTING spartan decor, this Singapore-based restaurant specialises in frogs, and has outposts in Indonesia, China and Taiwan.
The plump frogs — which I speculate are commercially bred — can be cooked in three ways: With porridge, with dried chillies or with spring onions.
Sides available are several types of vegetables. One bite of the smooth frog meat makes me wonder whether the frog is to complement the porridge or is the porridge a vehicle for the frog?
Whatever, it’s delicious.
Rating: 4/5
MAMI PORRIDGE, JALAN PERDANA 6/4, KL
MAMI is a smart outfit furnished with mock rosewood furniture and is cooled by fans. Take your pick from over 20 types of porridge.
These include fish, frog, eel, squid, scallop, grouper, peanut, sliced meat, dried oyster and white pomfret. I opt for seafood porridge. The texture of the rice has surrendered in the long heat of boiling to disintegrate into culinary pearls and come in a glorious depth of flavour.
To my disappointment, there are sticks of imitation crab meat apart from squid and prawn, hence I cannot award full marks.
Rating: 4/5
HON KEE PORRIDGE, JALAN HANG LEKIR, KL
A BANNER lists all the porridge available at this hawker stall: Raw fish, crispy innards, century egg with meat and salted egg with meat. There’s also chee cheong fun.
The stall dates back to 1949, and the female operator (who’s a relative of the founder) always wears a smile and make-up despite the hot ambience.
My raw fish porridge is sliced super thin, which renders them cooked yet sweet and moist when dunked in the boiling-point porridge.
However, I’ve to deduct points for the hot, stuffy atmosphere.
Rating: 3/5
TAIPING SEAFOOD PORRIDGE, JALAN PUTERI 4/7A, BANDAR PUTERI, PUCHONG
AN ambitious setup, Taiping Seafood Porridge occupies a massive space and offers premium fare such as abalone clam porridge and asparagus clam porridge, amongst the usual seafood, prawn, fish and squid versions.
It also serves the empurau, the most expensive fish in the country, as a side dish.
My seafood porridge comes with a scatter of scallions, squid, prawns and fish fillet. But the porridge is a bit watery and fails to bring the full aroma of the ocean to my nostrils.
Rating: 3.5/5.
SHANGHAI PORRIDGE, TAPAK PASAR INTAN BAIDURI, TAMAN INTAN BAIDURI, SELAYANG
NEVER mind that this hawker stall is in the outskirt of KL — its signature dish is worth the journey.
Its best-selling six-flavour porridge contains century egg, salted egg, dried oyster, shredded chicken, sliced fish fillet and deep-fried intestines.
These deliver a distinct set of textures and multi-layered flavours like a harmonious culinary orchestra.
For cheaper dishes, there’re oyster, fish and frog porridge, as well as combinations of the aforesaid.
Opens only in the evening.
Rating: 5/5
RESTORAN YUNG YI KEE, JALAN 8/32, TAMAN JINJANG BARU, KL
THIS is a coffee-shop with tables spilling onto the roadside. It offers porridge of the following varieties: Mixed meat, fried intestines, sliced meat, curdled blood, shredded chicken, century egg, frog and fish slices.
My fried intestines porridge is accessorised with scallions and ginger shreds. When my teeth sink into the fried intestines, I can hear the echo of the crunch in my ears!
The broth is clear, fresh with clean flavours.
Rating: 3.5/5
