FRESHWATER PRAWNS RULE AT PRAWN DYNASTY

Fresh waterprawns, udang galah or tai thau har in Chinese take centrestage at Prawn Dynasty, a simple, air-conditioned restaurant in Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Cheras.

Chef Kok Wah Bah or Ah Wah as he’s known to regular customers, whips up a plethora of raveworthy fresh waterprawn dishes that hit the spot for lunch and dinner. For now, the prawn dishes are priced at RM39.90 each — quite a steal as the crustaceans are sizeable and can be prepared in about 20 different enticing sauces.

Zingy hot, voluptuous buttery-rich flavours and aromatic curry leaves underscore the Kam Hiong Prawns with Buttermilk. Granted, the presentation is nothing to shout about but nobody is going to quibble as the natural prawny sweetness remains discernible amidst the onslaught on appetite-whetting flavours. 

The subsequent offering features salted egg sauce giving credence to its tongue-in-cheek name of Ham Sap Prawns. In Cantonese, ham sap means lascivious but there’s nothing lewd about this speciality. Just scrumptious prawn stars worth lusting after.

 

IMHO, the Black Pepper Prawns are rather ho-hum although Prawn Dynasty patrons may beg to differ as the crustaceans in sticky, peppery sauce will surely win them over. Go ahead and decide for yourself before bypassing this option.

There’s more to Prawn Dynasty than meets the eye as the menu includes numerous familiar go-to dishes of chicken, fish, clams and beancurd as well.

Mindful of the Chinese crowd who love fresh seafood and fish, Prawn Dynasty is bound to hit paydirt with its signature Ginger & Spring Onion Steamed Orange Roughy (RM8.80/100g).

A prized deep-sea catch from New Zealand, the highly nutritious fish is deftly prepared; its on-point doneness and delicate sweet flesh enhanced by the light, Shaoxing wine-laced soy sauce. A scattering of ginger strips and fresh coriander complete this splendid fish.

Another house speciality to get excited over is Excited Clams (RM25-small, RM40-large) — a claypot of la la clams doused in milky-buttery sauce spiked with chopped bird’s eye chilli and Chinese wine. The unexpected addition of belly pork slices lends extra appeal in terms of taste and texture.

 

Now, Saliva Chicken (RM40-S, RM78-L) may sound gross but the golden yellow skinned free-range chicken is eminently droolworthy. Smothered under fragrant fried minced garlic and shallot, the juicy, tender chicken is a gastronomic treat.

Ham Yue Fah Lam Pou

Popular palate-pleasing choices with mass appeal such as Ham Yue Fah Lam Pou (RM25-small, RM38-large) or sliced belly pork with salted fish in claypot and Three Cup Chicken (RM20-S, RM38-L) are up to scratch and best enjoyed with plain rice.

Despite their simplicity, both the Beancurd with Crabmeat & Enoki Mushroom (RM18-S, RM35-L) and Stir-fried French Beans with Seaweed (RM18-S, RM30-L) manage to hold their own in terms of textural and flavour context. Notable accompaniments to round up a decent, satisfying Chinese meal that won’t break the bank.

For reservations, please call Prawn Dynasty, tel: 03-2856 0765. Address: 26, Jalan  6/91, Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Kuala Lumpur. Biz hours: Daily 10.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10.30pm

HOMESPUN FAVES RULE AT KENNY'S FOOD CART

Teng chai chuk is Hong Kong-style boat porridge; a rustic comfort food prepared and eaten by small boat dwellers in Hong Kong. Most of them live on their sampan boats, eking out a frugal living through fishing, ferrying cargo and plying the Fragrant Harbour waterways on errands. Whatever seafood at hand is used to cook the rice congee that may include pork or fish paste.

When Kenny Lock’s father started his food stall in 1993, the humble teng chai chuk became his signature speciality. Sited in Alisan Street alley in suburban Petaling Jaya,  business was brisk over the years for Kenny’s Seafood Porridge.  Many dishes were added and eventually became synonymous with the stall.

Joining forces with two partners, Kenny moved his humble stall into proper brick and mortar premises last year. The shop in Aman Suria Damansara is now known as Kenny’s Food Cart.

Unsurprisingly, the crowd-pulling Signature Teng Chai Chuk (RM9) remains the key staple. A hearty and soul-satisfying offering brimming with palate-pleasing textural contrasts and clear, delicate flavours, the rice porridge or congee comes laden with century egg wedges, brown squid, fried rice vermicelli, fried peanuts, chopped spring onion and fried fish paste. I daresay one can easily lap up a huge bowl without any problem.

 

Prefer some crunch to your rice congee? Then the Fried Fish Belly Porridge (RM10) should float your boat. No less delicious, the plain porridge acts as a basic canvas to capture and amplify the fish sweetness without any greasy aftertaste. 

Additional side dishes and toppings you can order include the house speciality of Fried Fish Paste (RM4 for 5 pcs), century egg or salted egg (half an egg, RM1.50), sliced fish (RM4), shredded chicken (RM3), dried scallop/oyster (RM4), fried/boiled peanuts (RM1) and pork lardons (RM1) among others. Dipped into the robust, fiesty-hot house green chilli sauce, you can easily polish off the fried fish paste within minutes.

 

 

Minced pork and deep-fried pork lardons stirred with a whole egg make the Cantonese style Loh See Fun (RM8.50) a heartwarming option. Topped with plenty of fried shallot crisps and freshly chopped spring onion, the mixture of short, plump rice noodle strands with smooth, rich darn fah — wispy egg threads is a salubrious masterpiece of simplicity that you won’t tire of eating.

Still, if you don't fancy soupy noodles, we find the Fried Loh See Fun (RM8.50) a good alternative. There's nice wok hei, rendering the savoury noodle strands with a subtle smoky accent.

Dark, viscous and redolent with minced pork, sliced black mushroom and wood ear fungus, the old-school Signature Mushroom Pork Noodles (RM8) is another homespun offering that should appeal to diners of all ages. In addition to a hardboiled egg, chopped spring onion and shredded lettuce, it is similar to the perennial fave of Penang loh mee.

To appease the younger crowd, we are delighted to recommend scrumptious Kenny’s Fried Chicken (RM4.50). The tongue-in-cheek acronym is justified as the crunchy-crisp skin and deliciously juicy meat should induce fried chicken lovers to ask for repeat helpings.

 

Keep an eye out for newer or current specials listed on the chalkboard. The array may feature delectable Pork Chop (RM10) with rice or noodles and popular choices like Wantan Soup (RM5 for 5 pcs).

For reservations or information, call Kenny’s Food Cart, tel: 016 375 5304(Kenny), 012 329 8227 (Ivan) or tel: 03-7497 2199. Address: K-G-11, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.