Stiawan Church Camp......... and a food trail

Took 3 days off work to attend a church camp in Stiawan during the mid term school holidays. I couldn't recall when was the last time I went to Stiawan. However I do have vivid recollections of me going to Teluk Batik when I was a kid. More than 15 years later, I guess I wouldn't have taken a dip into the water ever again. Be it the pollution and/or jellyfish scare. Well, I think there is more plastic bags/litter than jellyfish though =p

Stiawan famous dish - Red Wine Chicken. Couple it with their Mi Sua, which is also a local product. They are many shop which offer this Foo Chow's prideful dish. But do to transportation constraint, I only managed to try the one opposite Flamingo Hotel. Personally I don't really dig into this dish. At least for this stall. Its really a lackluster effort using frozen chicken. For 3 bowls on my table, 3 bowls also used the drumstick!! The red wine is not potent enough to mask the frozen stench of the chicken. Tastewise, I find the red wine is actually something similar to fermented bean paste. Hmm.... this version failed big time. My friend who is supposed to be a local recommended this shop summore. Watlar, total disappointment! Where is the muk yi (wood ear fungus) in my bowl of bloody soupy mi sua???

Ok, so Red Wine Mi Sua is a definitely NOT my cup of tea. Lets see how the famous cendol in front of the Indian temple fare. You can see flocks of customers filling up the limited seats, hence many will opt to bungkus.

But nothing beats the experience to savour it first hand upon preparation. The cendol is plump and have the right texture. Slurps down your throat well. Coupled with the kidney beans and glutinous rice, you will get something to bite on as the sugary gula melaka and coconut milk cools you down on a hot day! Simple as it seems, I dare not say its the clear cut best, but indeed a step above the rest!

There! See how famous JAMES CENDOL is! That's the Royal Highness Sultan of Perak in some banquet/open house event!

And something which made my food hunt satisfying. If nothing else in Stiawan captures your heart, I bet this biscuit will do the trick. Its called Kong Biang, an unleavened pastry baked in a clay oven just like how Naan/Hong Peah are made! I heard that it has different fillings but most of it are savoury.

My friend bought the one with chopped onions! Totally addictive stuff! Best eaten fresh and while its hot, the pastry was cracklingggg and damn! Its DAMN GOOD! I wished I could try the one with pork filling, something like Char Siu. Wow, that would be heavenly!!!! I wanted to buy some back on the last day but we did not make any stop along shops which sell this pastry. Too bad... =(

There goes the food trail.... These are some snapshot from the Camp. Beach games @ Teluk Batik. Trust me, the water and beach is damn dirty....

The worship team during sessions. I think we will be publishing our second album soon. Working on the songs and more than halfway there! =)

Went exploring Lumut and saw this interesting burger stall. I wonder any jampi are used. Serbuk cili Setan Merah???? LOL....

Ah.... last but not least. The products from the sea. Satay fish, Satay cuttlefish, Dried cuttlefish rolls, sheets, wateva, Satay jellyfish. Banyaknye jenis. Don't get mislead by the packaging size. After all its just a SHEET of cuttlefish. Though its written 120g, the packet of sugar and salt hidden beneath the sheets of cuttlefish contributed to a significant amount to the packing weight, not the mention the aluminum packaging and the plastic casing. The "loot" from the picture is almost RM50! and gone within 2 nights back home!

There, if I were to visit Stiawan/Lumut again, I will definitely hunt for the Kong Biang again. AND get a local friend to bring us to Kampung Koh for seafood. You need a local, or somebody who speaks Mandarin. Less you wanna get overcharged for the food. Hehe.... Till then, have a great Friday ahead!