Wanton Mee

This simple but beautiful idea - of having freshly made egg noodles lightly cooked and then dry stirred with

a soy sauce to be ultimately garnished with vegetables and thin slices of Cantonese-styled char siew pork - is what I have grown up with. Wanton dumplings (with dabs of pork or prawn mince inside) are best served separately in small soup bowls. (above).

Introduced to me in childhood as a breakfast snack, or whenever to mitigate hunger pangs at an ever open street stall, the standards of this wanton mee are determined by the smoothness of the noodles,

the quality of the black soy sauce used, the deftness as how the meat wantons have been made and the bite rating of the char siew - see the picture below.

There are different variations of wanton mee, but the best version I like is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - and which I rediscovered on a recent trip to Johor Baru. In a shop with a front of barbecued roasts hanging outside Jalan Wong Ah Fook in JB Square, the kopitiam (coffee shop) setting inside is unassuming, but the wanton mee they served is impressive. It was better than the versions I have tried in Sydney, Penang, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

An alternative garnishing is the roast duck, sliced to bite sizes and often served with cut cucumbers. (above).

In addition, service in this Johor Baru shop was quick - I would return!

Three Hours in Johor Baru, Malaysia

The city of Johor Baru (or "new Johor") has always looked - and been - a significant transit city, straddling the two different worlds of cosmopolitan, resource-poor but business efficient Singapore and the resource-rich but race-conscious nation of Malaysia. The city's denizens see a stronger currency just a stone's throw away - added with higher costs of living, better career opportunities and a much cleaner state of things in Singapore. Many of its residents work or have an education on the island nation, but return every night to their beds on the Malaysian side. Above image, a vehicular jam builds up on a Saturday morning near the Johor border checkpoint.

Half-shaven coconuts lie for sale at a stall in JB Square (above). Fresh coconut juice is a vital ingredient to the Malay, Indian and Straits Chinese cultures and also to mitigate the humid heat of a city that lies close to the Equator. The varied uses of coconut, in all its forms, from husk to cream, cannot be underestimated for many Indian and Pacific Ocean countries.

The shopping centre nearest to the border, JB Plaza, even offers a mock UK telephone booth with working phone facilities. Image above - credit to Ms Auyong Kit Fong.

Pickled stuff (above) - whether on fruits, vegetables or even squid ("sotong") - are a hit with the palate of the various ethnic groups calling Johor Baru their home. Below, potato curry puffs on sale

as you enter Johor Baru from its train station.

Above, savoury yam and pumpkin cake slices offered as breakfast fare in Johor Baru. All pictures above were taken during a three hour stroll in the city before returning to Singapore.

Last Train Out of Singapore - Tanjung Pagar

The governments of the two nearby nations of Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to terminate, by mid-2011, the

historical rail service from Tanjung Pagar in downtown Singapore to Johor Baru, capital city of Johor State on the Malaysian Peninsular. This railway line has been etched in the memories of many, for those who came from British Malaya to find their fortunes in the island of Singapore; of those who went through the harrowing and challenging days of Japanese-occupied World War 2; for countless backpackers in the seventies and eighties of the last century; and to many foreigner tourists for which this stretch of the journey heralded the start of the Oriental Express to Bangkok. Amongst all these individuals are the forebears of many who hailed from or migrated to and settled in Australia and New Zealand in the past thirty years. Many war veterans of these two Antipodean countries knew this railway well as young blokes - on the dark side, it was their commencement of the trip to the intern camps maintained by the Imperial Japanese Army along the River Kwai in Thailand.

The colonial symbol of transport (above) sculptured on one for the four pillars at the entrance to the Tanjung Pagar rail station on the southern end of Singapore Island.

The ticketing counter of the Tanjung Pagar Station (below) has been maintained by Malaysian staff of the KTM, the government body that currently runs the railway network on the Malaysian Peninsular - and successor to the Malayan Railways under British colonial rule before 1957. The station has high ceilings, white-wash facades and has an ambiance not changed since the 1960s. It is kept spotlessly clean like the starched garb of officials who came from England and Scotland to serve the Empire.

Food outlets at Tanjung Pagar (literally meaning the Hedged Cape) include

Indian inspired rotis, freshly made through the twirling of the dough on a hot plate (below), a fascinating start to the Oriental Express adventure up north to Thailand.

A train passenger gets through Singapore immigration and heads towards the train platform.

The train journey north to the Malaysian border hardly requires an hour.

Last Train out of Singapore - The Ride

From Tanjung Pagar station, we chugged along along the rail tracks to Woodlands, going north across the island of Singapore, surrounded by strips of bush, mostly tropical plants, including banana trees, herbal species and leafy shrubs. Beyond the bush, we could spot modern day housing estates, primarily high rises, but accompanied by meticulously laid out gardens, lawns and running tracks.

(Image above credit to Ms Lim Bee Keok)

Every passenger (above) is required to get out of their coach at Woodlands, located at the central northern tip of Singapore Island. This is to enable stamping of passports before returning to the allocated train seats and the crossing of the short Causeway bridge between Singapore and Malaysia (across the narrow Straits of Johor).

End of our short dash - we arrive in Johor Baru rail station (above and below).

Many thanks to especially Bee and Kit for suggesting and organising this unique experience.

Singapore - Liang Seah Street

I am always thrilled and inspired by the facades of the upper levels of the terrace houses along specific streets in several cities - and a good example is along Liang Seah Street near Bugis in the city state of Singapore. There is no allowance for urban decay here - no matter how charming this can be to outsiders.

Liang Seah Street is primarily a food gathering hub for the locals, and specialises in East Asian steamboat, Singapore's iconic rice served with roast meats or the Hainan chicken and Taiwan styled desserts.

And what delightful desserts they can be. Karen and Chet first took me to discover the variety and subtlety of the offerings, and I have been back whenever I can. Above, the durian snow cone - simply irresistible. Fresh durian heaped atop ice shavings and more. Liang Seah Steet outlets are mostly open till midnight. A few weeks ago, Ming and I enjoyed the snow cone - also available with other fruits - before he went on to the UK and I was enroute to Penang Island.

Georgetown's Straits Quay

The layout, the accessories and the mood created evoke tropical living at its best. With wooden panels and designs, use of diverse fabric and murals that suggest a rich and exotic past, the place beckons one to come home with promises of cocktails under twilight and snug togetherness listening to the soft swish of the sea tide.

Bedrooms open away to the outdoors, be they the rhythms of cicadas in the gardens or a run under swaying palms. There are balcony partitions to rest tired legs upon and verandas to while away the time reading on sleepy afternoons. Cushions are comfortable and the carpets and rugs kept purposely light. Humidity is kept at bay by the high ceilings.

The baths provide for his and hers. There are suggestions of old London, but not quite.

Glass doors allow freedom and shared intimacy.

Marble tops, hidden shelving and straight lines try to minimise possible clutter in the kitchen.

Lighting can be subdued or highlighted, but never to take away the limelight of shared experiences with family and friends creating, transforming and making delicious outcomes.

The guest room allows the wind under the curtains, and the porcelain carefully placed to remind us of the fragility of soothing times away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. All these where the Straits of Penang meet the Andaman Sea.

Dishes with Good Vibes

Steamed fish, be it be snapper, barramundi or garoupa, indicates lightness, liveliness and vitality.

Freshness is joined with subtle flavours from the garnishing, and together they emphasise the Cantonese penchant for delicacy, aroma and meaning.

Prawns, often in various choices of marinade, are significantly served at happy occasions and to mark festive moods. They are preferred served in bright colours of orange or red, or combined with garnishings of fresh herbs. The word for prawns in Chinese resembles the peal of laughter, hence the use of such crustaceans on dinner tables for Chinese banquets, and in Australia, throwing a shrimp or prawn at the barbie is integral to suburban life.

The ang ku, or literally red tortoise, is made especially for occasions to mark births, weddings and engagements. It is based on Fujian practices in southern China transplanted to the Straits Chinese community around South-east Asia - and the tradition continues in migrant families around the Western nations at the beginning of the 21st century. The above servings, containing bean paste inside, were made by Mrs Ellen Thien.

Beijing duck wraps, served as entrees or at the start of banquet dinners, originated from northern Chinese climes, but have spread around the world as a delicious finger food, smacking of savoury, topped up by sweet hoisin sauce and given a crunchy kick by eating them with fresh strips of Lebanese cucumber.

In the image above, accompanying the duck, on the upper right, are wanton bites, deep fried to a crunchy and delicious finish.

Lychees in red, and sweet to suit the summery weather for a southern hemisphere or tropical Lunar New Year, are preferred in dessert concoctions, whether served as a punch or cocktail, provided together with lychee fruits and colourful jelly in an ice cubed bowl.

The above images were captured in the home of Mr and Mrs Chris and Charmaine Wan in Chatswood, NSW.

Which Sydney?

There are so many "Sydneys", not just a monolithic one. Just as many residents have long felt, there are multiple townships that collectively are labelled with one regional name reference, but with characteristics that can be as different and far apart as chalk and cheese,  individualistic and communal, outdoor and inward looking.

Taking these thoughts to another dimension, there can be at least two different Australian economies, if not more. Often such various communities and economies interact in trade, pass by each other on the street or sit beside each other on buses and trains, but their internal drivers, passions and preoccupations can vary and differ. Yet at the same time, they are all influenced by commonalities at grassroots or suggested by national nuances.  Politics, religion, landscape topography and the nature of work may divide them, but choice of food, lingo, sport and relationships may bring them back again.  Just like having Cadbury hot chocolate after a serving of Malaysian chicken red curry, albeit cooked with potatoes and meat, on a recent Qantas Boeing flight.  When overseas, Australians from different backgrounds still gather at iconic homes away from home - like working expats having their morning coffee meetings at the Dilbumah cafe inside the Chevron complex facing Raffles Place in Singapore.

Driving through Sydney districts, I sample through some of the variety on most weekends, provided I am willing to travel and persist through a long day and night - but the resulting rewards are worth the experience. I savour the details in the way people drive ( for example between the Illawarra area and Asian demographic suburbs), in the language used on shop displays along main streets and in the number of retail outlets still opened for business after 5pm and on weekends. I can see the various ways in which some communities gather, celebrate, reflect and relax. Viewing, playing or ignoring sports perhaps contribute to a critical parameter that differentiates Australians at key stages of life from school to the pub.  Attitudes to mateship and family spring up as another significant parameter in different parts of Sydney. Specific usage of public versus private transport, preferences for hot versus cold dishes in everyday snacks or quick lunch time meals and having a choice of pets also all come to mind.

When faced with the same set of joys and pain, such differences are quickly cast aside.  Whether caught up in the annual firework displays at the harbour, or recognising the sacrifices made by troops based overseas, Sydney siders - and other Australians for that matter - can naturally dive into what unites us rather than separate us. Whether we hail from the mountains, plains, inner city or coastal shires, we endure pricey parking fees, persistent traffic jams, shopping centre crowds, inflation rates higher than what we are told and the need to protect our skins better. We also love the breeze over our hair, the sight of the deep blue bays and beach sides, long weekends away, queueing up, outdoor activities and just having a chockie on a beaut day.

Penang Island - Scenes from Black Water Village

Air Itam (Indonesian or Malay literally for 'Black Water") is nestled below the central spine hills of Penang island, at the north-west corner of the Malaysian Peninsular and lying between Phuket and Pangkor Isles.

A densely populated suburb not far from Penang's capital city of Georgetown, Air Itam is also the site of the Kek Lok Si, one of the largest Buddhist temple and monastery complexes in Asia. Just below this complex is one of the most lively market conurbations in Malaysia - and when you visit in the early hours after dawn, you are treated to a lively spectacle swirling with people, produce and practicality.

Penangites love their easily accessible snacks, with traditional Straits Chinese cakes (or kueh) above, made fresh each day and very affordable in costs, leading the popular choice. Left to right, steamed and airy light huat kueh in pink and the ang ku (or literally, the red tortoise) in the centre tray. Each bright red coloured ang ku sits on a small piece of banana leaf and is both savoury and sweet in taste, being made of cooked yellow bean paste and wrapped inside dough.

Like in any Italian pasta, Shanghai mien or Osaka ramen outlet, the making of fresh noodles, in this case egg noodles in Air Itam, constitutes a labour of passion and attention. White flour permeates, cutting of the dough is precise and fingers are flexible to add to the flurry of activity.

Patterns and designs from a paper lantern (above) and below, the Malaysian cousin to the Queensland paw paw. Both were on open display as you stroll past the myriad of sights, sounds and items on sale.

Below, a scene comparable to dunking doughnuts. The crisp and freshly made dough-based deep fried stick (yau chiow kuai in Cantonese) is given a soak of thick black coffee. This is a particularly popular practice at breakfast time at various street corners and coffee shops in places like Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

An ubiquitous snack (above) is the light weight apong, or pancake, swerved flat or in rolls. They have to be eaten fresh and preferably with fingers.

Typical of any south-east Asian market, those in Air Itam have both essential ingredients like dried shrimps (above) and startling offers like live frogs on display (below).

The entrance to another market in Air Itam (above) can lead to eye openers and organic produce (below).