Showing posts with label Green Road. Show all posts

HIDDEN EATS: No. 72, GONG PIA

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G
ongpiah, Gompia, Kompiah, Gong Pian or Kompyang are names that embody how pronouncing words differently over the course of generations can make it hard when it comes to spelling them. We’ll settle with the more common (or at least I thinking it’s common) way of calling them, Gong Pia.

This well-known Foo Chow snack is most popular in areas where the dominant Chinese community is of Foo Chow ancestry; and though there quite a number of places selling Gong Pia in Kuching, finding freshly baked Gong Pia like in Sibu is not as common. Most shops in Kuching apparently get their stock from a place known to most, only as No. 72.


No. 72 is one of those places you only hear whispers about, unless of course you have inside information of the Gong Pia world. The art of making Gong Pia in Kuching is not as widespread, as according to the unnamed owner of No. 72 would place it – is not work for the faint of heart. You will recognise her by how warm and friendly she is, ever willing to spark a conversation in either Mandarin or Hokkien. Those who know me well will correctly guess the struggle I had in communicating, so I am glad that Julian is so good at speaking it.



If you are luckier than me and Julian, you may be lucky enough to catch these craftsmen make their Gong Pia in clay ovens resembling Tandoors. If you were wondering, we went there twice, and they finished baking them before 7am.  Although the classic savoury Gong Pia is made up of simple ingredients, the measurements can be quite delicate and Tandoors are still used today as the heat from them is necessary for its outer crispness and soft inside.



The holes in the centre of the Gong Pia have a rather interesting story to them, as they were made to be strung together to be conveniently carried along by soldiers of China in the 16th century. It was found necessary by the Chinese Military General, Qi Jiguang that his men carry this around for food instead of preparing meals whenever they camped. This was so that the Japanese pirates that he was fighting at the time would not able to trace where they set up camp, as meal preparation would give away their position from the smoke that would rise to the skies.





The flavour of this form of Gong Pia is lightly smoked fromthe tandoor, while the slightly savoury dough is given a nice nutty dimension from the also rich nutty toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top. When eaten fresh, the crackle from its crust is biscuit like but may become as hard as a hockey puck when left cold.

Freshly toasted
As most of us will be used to, Gong Pia is usually served fried, but if you have your own batch, I would recommend oven toasting them for a less greasy resulting Gong Pia.



Another variation to the Gong Pia is a sweeter softer kind that is also bigger in size. As you can see, this particular Gong Pia is more delicate to the touch and has a rather starchy and bready texture. This variation of Gong Pia is even more uncommon in Kuching, which makes No. 72 one of the few places that still make these as well.

Trust me; you won’t be leaving No. 72 with just trying one Gong Pia, as with how affordable the prices of classic Gong Pia are, you’d be enticed to buy a bag. They are as follows:
RM2 for 7
RM4 for 17
RM5 for 28
RM10 for 35

If you are wondering, then my answer is no. I don’t get the pricing system either. The sweeter variation of Gong Pia will cost you RM3 for a bag of 6, but should you want a sweet filling, you will need to make a booking with them earlier and it will most definitely be a bit more expensive.

Forgive the tragedy of a hair do. It was really really early.
Now I mentioned you leaving with a bag filled with Gong Pia. What is a guy to do with a bag filled with Gong Pia around 8am in the morning? Make some eggs with some Chinese Bagels lathered with Roselle Jam of course. 



This sweet tarty Roselle Jam can be purchased from our friends in Wrap & Go, and you can find them on Facebook by clicking HERE or reading an article I wrote about them a while ago HERE.

No. 72 is open daily except on Mondays and begin selling from 6am to latest 8am or till they are sold out and trust me, they usually do sell out.

ALSO! Seeing as these are basic Gong Pia's, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to make a separate post regarding the best places to go for the ones with filling. I.e, the ones that are filled with minced pork. Drop me a comment on either Facebook or this post if you guys have any ideas. Much love :)


SUCKER FOR SUPPER: TAIWAN FRIED CHICKEN

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I
 don’t know about you, but even as a born Kuching-ite, there are mainstream areas that even I have to admit that constantly elude me; Green Road being one of them. From its old streets to how easy it is to get lost in the maze that they call a housing area, it is a place I try not to drive to – only to avoid getting lost as I so often do, even on a normal basis anyway.



Usually I’d have no reason to attempt not getting lost there, but for a while now I have been hearing tales of fried chicken that is worth getting lost for. I was sceptical no doubt, but when your heart craves comfort food in the form of fried chicken in the middle of the night, you answer. And you answer without question. In this particular instance, the Siren singing the song of fried chicken in our story is called “Taiwan Fried Chicken”.

Who knows how long this establishment has set up its roots here. One can only guess after a gentleman has had his question rejected by the owner. I cannot deny that I was disappointed that she did not wish to share, but I suppose that it was partly due to my broken Hokkien. Lord knows if I even asked the right question.

The selection here is vast, but we’ll be looking specifically at the fried goods. 

This spread including drinks and two 200g extra of sweet potato fries came up to approx RM30
What makes Taiwanese Fried Chicken, so distinctly Taiwanese? Not being adept at these flavours is understandable, as Kuching-ites rarely have the chance to experience such things apart from having it Shihlin. Firstly, the most obvious thing that one will recognise immediately which is a staple in Taiwanese fried foods, is the inclusion of Five Spice powder. The distinct features of what this seasoning does, is create a light sweetness from the inclusion of cinnamon and round body of flavour from the presence of peppercorns and black pepper.


Secondly is the distinct light crispiness in the coating of Taiwanese fried foods. Traditionally, this is achieved by the presence of sweet potato starch in the dredge and there is a wonderful article that you can find HERE on the experiments a fellow blogger had on the wonders of using it for fried chicken. 





Among all of the items tried, unfortunately the fish was the most lacklustre as dori was the fish of choice here. It is understandably cheaper but other than the light crisp skin, the fish lacked any real flavour and texture.



The chicken feet are fried very lightly, so the skin has the lightest crispness among the others sampled, while it is as fatty and springy as it looks. The complaints one will have that the feet lack any meat is moot, as now you know what you are getting into. 




Traditionally, the cut of choice for stall vendors in Taiwan is the chicken breast. In this instance, the chicken breast is cut up into tiny popcorn shaped bits that are tasty, firm and soft. Some of the cuts are understandably cooked more than the others as they are fried irregularly.




The highlight of eating these cuts of chicken this way, is being able to have a higher surface area of crunch that is wrapped around the juicy bite sized cut of breast.


The surprise finger food of tonight had to be the sweet potato fries. In Taiwan Fried Chicken, the sweet potatoes manage to still be soft in the inside. A feat that many places fail to do as dry and hard to swallow textures are commonplace. 


The savoury seasoning and crispness of the batter complement how soft and creamy the sweet potato is on the inside. 


The handsome photographer, Julian Sim once again makes an appearance


The chicken wings and drums are where Taiwan Fried Chicken shines, as the use of tenderer meats rather than breast meat has paid off. 

The right way to eat a chicken wing. De-boning it before eating #JustChefJohnThings


As you can see, the sweet and savoury five spice sprinkled over the light crisp batter that coats the tender juicy meat is a tasty wonder to behold.

A subtle feature like how the batter sticks to the meat is an example of how attention to detail for the little things are what makes experiences like these all the better.





Overall, this is worth making the trip for especially if you consider the affordable prices coupled with how well Taiwan Fried Chicken reminds you of how comfort food can be oh so comforting.

Taiwan Fried Chicken is open daily except on Sundays from 4:30pm to 1:00am. And yes. This is Halal <3

OODLES OF CHICKEN MUSHROOM NOODLES

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Kolo Mee. If Kuching had a mascot in the form of food, this would be the dish that represents this city best – barring laksa of course, but that’s a story for another day. If you’re in the mood for a bowl but sick of the safe and boring, keep reading. 


How often does one go to a coffee shop and NOT see a Kolo Mee stall? Rarely. How often does one find authentic Kolo Mee? Rarely. If one’s idea of “Authentic” Kolo Mee is the common ensemble of dry noodles drizzled with meaty lard, sweet red pork sauce and sprinkled with spring onions, fried garlic, an unhealthy(but necessary) amount of MSG and Charsiew (Barbequed pork), I’d be inclined to tell you that you are mistaken.
 
So what then is Authentic Kolo Mee? Does it matter? Kolo Mee, has reinvented itself and come a long way from its roots of a bowl of just dry noodles, some vege and minced meat. Its evolution and transformation from what was deemed original and authentic brings meaning to the phrase, “Good chefs follow and great chefs reinvent”.


Why yes, in case you're wondering.. They do serve food at this corner
Ergo, we now look to the famous Kolo Mee stall in front of Chong Lin Plaza, Green road for our next Urban Palatable Adventure. If you can imagine it, now walk behind that stall to find a coffee shop called Food Corner. Within their halls, you will find a humble stall currently without a name but owned by local, Francis Then that serves “Mushroom Chicken Noodles”. 

Mushroom Chicken Noodles
Don't let his look scare you, he's a really nice guy. He was just unprepared for this pic

He serves two variations to its noodles, with or without chili oil and flakes. Let me save you the trouble of helping you pick the one with the chili because if you can handle a slight kick of heat, you will thank me for the recommendation as this variation is the one we’ll be talking about. 


You will notice at first glance the similarity between the noodles served here and a normal bowl of Kolo Mee; the noodles and sprinkling of greens and minced meat. 

 If Mr Then were to speak to you about his noodles, he'd tell you, "I'm not saying my noodles are the best, or others aren't as good.. Just give mine a try and you decide".

Maestro
At first bite, you’ll realize that what most overlook as the most essential part of the Kolo Mee, is the noodles. Too often one will have a bowl of noodles that is either too chewy from being undercooked, or too soft and mushy from being overcooked. What you taste from this bowl, are noodles boiled to just the right amount of time for the right amount of bite or texture, and quickly shocked by blanching in cold water to achieve springiness. 


The mince, is flavoured with mushroom which brings an earthy and meaty body to the protein and is accompanied with the chili oil which as I’m told is homemade and cooked for hours to help the mince stick to the noodles and coat it with a roasted spicy profile. A dash of coriander that’s sprinkled over the noodles helps elevate the rich flavor of mushroom to add a fresh lemony dimension and also adds pretty colours if that’s what you’re into. Did I mention again that the mince is made of chicken? Because it’s made of chicken. Don’t judge me. 

What you get from a bowl like this, is layer upon layer of elements disguised as just a simple bowl of Kolo Mee. The rush of flavours one experiences is what you get from scrupulous dedication to detail from someone whom you can tell from his food, loves what they make and would love for you to love it too. That being said though, what is authentic and does it even really matter? Have another bite of from Francis Then's Chicken Mushroom Noodles and answer me again.

He is open everyday 7:00am - 2:00pm and 6:00pm - 9:00pm


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