Tasty Steamed Fish Head

Do you know that there are more than one cheen yee thau (steamed fish head) stalls in Kuala Lumpur’s Jalan Chan Sow Lin?

As a matter of fact, there are so many makan places that claim that they originated from this part of the city, it’s hard to tell who is who.

For starters, the Chan Sow Lin neighbourhood is a light and medium industrial area.

It is located off Jalan Sungai Besi, south of the city centre.

Some time back, I mentioned about a wantan mee stall which shared its business premises with a car accessory workshop and when it comes to steamed fish head, Jalan Chan Sow Lin is a well-known landmark.

That said, I set out on a lunchtime adventure with my buddy Eddie Chua who said that when he started out as a cub reporter, he used to makan in the area.

“Eh, you know ah, last time ah, I came here and tried out the kepala ikan, it was quite good. But I can’t remember exactly where the stall is,” he said.

Before I go further, there are lots and lots of bloggers including “foodies” who have given some good reviews about Jalan Chan Sow Lin’s makan places.


Seeing is believing and if you do a Google search, there’ll be plenty of surprises.

Okay, so having worked up a good appetite, we jumped into our vehicle and drove all the way from Section 16 in Petaling Jaya to Sungai Besi.

We had GPS navigation but the geographical information was outdated and the said stall had moved.

While we frantically searched for the makan place, I remembered what Michelle, my wife said.


“Aiyah! You all ah! Typical males ah.. Don’t want to open your mouths and ask...”

That thought lingered in my mind and it took a while for me to sum up some courage to ask.

So, we came across a workshop employee and grilled him for some information.

“Ah, this stall ah, moved already la. You try Jalan Tiga, it’s there,” said the mechanic.

With the instruction given, we got to Restoran Bamboo Inn in Jalan Lima.

The giveaway was a banner hung in front of the stall which reads: “Steamed fish head”.

With our rumbling tummies, we decided to give this place a try.

I ordered a plate of sang cheong (small intestines fried with dried shrimps), fan shue yeep (sweet potato leaves) and the chieu phai cheeng soong yee thau (steamed carp head).

Before I go into grading the quality of the food served at this outlet, here’s some information, the Asian carp reared for food in the southern states of the US is considered a pest and invader species.

Okay, so, how good is the steamed fish head?

I would say that the spicy soya paste sauce which was blasted with lard and chee yau char (pork cracklings) made the Bamboo Inn makan trip a memorable experience.

This steamed dish scored a 7 out of 10 on the Samoscale and when the bill came, we paid RM46 for three dishes which puts the steamed fish head at RM22-RM25 a piece.

The sang cheong was also good, but this stall’s fried vegetable needs some improvement.

Bamboo Inn (GPS N 03 06 903, E 101 42 795) is located at the very end of Jalan Lima and opens daily for lunch. If you get lost trying to find this place, better ask because it’s well-known.

There is another fish head place in Jalan Tiga which is said to be the “original” stall, so, here’s more excuse to make another trip to Jalan Chan Sow Lin.

Source: Kuali

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Latin American Fest Sizzles Up KL

The Recent Latin American Fest held in Kuala Lumpur was to help relieve victims of the Haitian earthquake of 2010, through the collaboration with UNICEF.

BB Park in Kuala Lumpur played host to the vibes of Latin America. It was an exclusive opportunity for all to experience the culture, arts and crafts, music and dance, as well as have a taste of delicious Latin American flavours.

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Tibetan Dzi Beads Rush In Malaysia

According to local Dzi beads enthusiast Lei, the Dzi beads have been in existence in this country since five or six years ago. However, the Dzi beads were not that popular here as compared to crystals at that time.

Lei believes Dzi beads are a precious jewellery that posses the power of bringing good fortune to the owners, such as protection from ill luck, prosperity, wealth, good health and ward off the evil.

The authentic ancient Tibetan Dzi beads are very hard to find today as they are all in the hands of people who really treasure the stones. This shows the value of the "Heavenly eyes."

Because of this, counterfeit Dzi beads have been produced by irresponsible businessmen trying to make some quick bucks by faking the Dzi beads. Old beads are those which have been etched for more than a hundred years and are believed to radiate stronger "good" energy. The difference between new and old piece lies in the age of the etchings.

Dzi beads were first discovered in the Tibetan Plateau and have played a very important role in the Tibetan culture for the past two thousand years. They are precious possessions for the Tibetan people, and there are so many fascinating stories around their mystical powers.

Formed under the earth long, long ago, Dzi beads are patterned agate beads mainly cylindrical or tabular in shape with symbols consisting of circles, ovals, squares, wavelines, stripes various other symbolic patterns which carry some specific meanings with different numbers of eyes etched on the beads.

Lei believes the nine eyes beads have given him blessings with so many positive attributes associated with them. As a result, he has been inspired to travel all the way to Tibet to collect Dzi beads of other patterns. Today, Lei even has his own store selling Dzi beads to people who are interested in the stones with the hope of sharing the good fortune with others.

Fake beads

Fake Dzi beads that are found in the market are mostly made of plastic, pottery or glass. To verify the authenticity of the beads, we need to look through the hole and check the colour of the inner part of the stone. If it is white in colour, the Dzi bead is authentic.

Lei also says the Dzi beads sold at very cheap prices at roadside stalls are mostly counterfeit.

About Dzi beads

Q: Where are the origins of Dzi beads?

A: Dzi beads are mostly found in eastern Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh and the Himalayan mountains.

Q: What kind of power do the Dzi beads possess?

A: According to the experts of precious stones, the Dzi beads are second hardest substance in the world after diamond, and are therefore also known as "semi diamond" in Tibet.

Q: How do we differentiate between new and ancient Dzi beads?

A: Based on the age of etchings.

Source: Sin Chew

Dzi bead (pronounced "zee"; alternative spelling: gzi). The meaning of the Tibetan word "dzi" translates to "shine, brightness, clearness, splendor". In Chinese, the bead is called "heaven's bead" or "heaven's pearl".

Dzi is a bead stone of mysterious origin worn as part of a necklace and sometimes as a bracelet. In several Asian cultures, including that of Tibet, the bead is considered to provide positive spiritual benefit. These beads are generally prized as protective amulets and are sometimes ground up into a powder to be used in traditional Tibetan medicine. Beads subject to this process have small "dig marks" where a portion of the bead has been scraped or shaved away to be ground into the medicine.

Beads that are broken are believed to have a diluted benefit, because they have taken the brunt of the force that it is assumed would have otherwise impacted the wearer.

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The Forgotten Rattanware

BATU PAHAT, Johor: Have you heard about a "mother-child chair" or a"rattan rocking horse"?

They might be unfamiliar terms for young people today, but are actually laden with unlimited childhood memories for people who are now in their middle age.

During the 60’s and 70’s, rattan products were seen as major household necessities. Mother-and-child chairs, rattan rocking horses, rattan chairs, rattan cradles and so on were essential items for all the mothers who had toddlers at home.

That said, it seems that rattan products have slowly faded into oblivion due do the increased popularity of plastic products.

Xie Li Rattan Shop in Batu Pahat is the only remaining rattan shop in town still selling rattan products. Its 52-year-old owner, Zheng Yi-chang took over the business from his father in 1977.

Zheng said during an interview with Sin Chew Daily that since his father came from Shantou, China to Malaysia in the 1950’s, he had set up his own rattan shop along Jalan Engan.

He and four of his brothers had been very much influenced by his father, and three of them have since dedicated themselves to this industry.

Two his brothers are now retired, leaving him alone to go on with this trade.

The heyday of rattanware

Zheng said that the 1960’s and 70’s were the heyday of rattanware and there were a total of seven rattan shops in his neighbourhood at that time.

Unfortunately the public, especially the Chinese, have later switched to plastic products which boast modern designs and cheaper prices.

He also said rattan making industry was facing steady decline due to the short supply of rattan. The price of rattan has doubled over the past ten years, and this results in his rattan products becoming costlier today.

Zheng said most local rattan had been supplied by the Orang Asli villages in Pahang but as more and more of them chose to walk out of the jungle and worked in factories or plantations, the supply of rattan dwindled.

More expensive but lasting

Zheng said although rattan products were more expensive, they were more durable compared to the plastic ones.

He said a normal rattan chair would cost about RM20 while a large rattan rocking chair would cost around RM200. In general, the time needed to make a rattan product would depend very much on the complexity of each work, and it takes just about half an hour to complete a simple rattan basket.

Apart from that, Zheng is also providing rattan repair services for his customers including those coming from other places, as it is hard to get someone who really has the skills to fix a broken rattan product in many places nowadays.

He lamented that none of his four daughters was keen to inherit his business.

Source: Sin Chew

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