Nanfeng Kiln and lunch at Foshan, Guangdong, China

Another place of interest that we visited when we were in Foshan was the Nanfeng Kiln located in Shiwan town. It's the oldest surviving furnace in the world and dates back to 500 years during the Ming dynasty. There were some stalls there selling souvenirs of pottery like wine cups, teapots and cups, also some very fine and articulately done ceramic figurines.

This is the first process of firing the pottery.

Here are some of the pictures that I would like to share with you. This is the entrance to my grandpa's village, Dun Hou Cou.

The narrow alley way that leads to my grandpa's house. The place looks rather deserted, some of the owners have moved out I was told and so have rented out their houses. The lanes are only passable to motorbikes and cars can't enter.

So, this is my grandpa's house now occupied by some distant relatives whom I've heard of but never met before. It's now occupied by a couple in their early nineties, hale and hearty. Their children have moved out to Foshan proper.

Time for lunch at 'Kam Moon Lou' supposedly the best restaurant in Foshan. The restaurant was huge with different sections and modern decorations, but unfortunately have forgotten to take pictures of the dining area. This is their recommended soup and I was thrilled when it was brought in.

Refreshing, clear soup ..... now let me show you what's in the brew.

Pork ribs, preserved dates and Buddha's palm ..... tasted yummy and there was ample servings for the seven of us. Each of us helped ourselves to 3 servings each.

Roast pork on their recommendation, looked fatty but my siblings said that it was very well done.

Goose meat, gizzard and 'spare parts'! Not too bad and the one with plenty of 'holes' (don't know what to call that) was nice and crunchy.

Steamed beancurd with fresh scallop topping. I like this, very soft and smooth.

Braised pig trotters with sour plum. Everyone gave the thumbs up for this dish, tasty, soft and chewy.

Steamed mackarel. This is the first time that I'm eating this fish, steamed. Normally what I do with this fish is to pan-fry, then drizzle on with some light soya sauce.

Finally for some fibre. Stir-fry kai lan with garlic.

We all enjoyed this scrumptous lunch. The bill came to 272 renmimbi plus rice and tea, which came to 135 ringgit and all of us agreed that it's reasonable.

Mini lime marmalade chiffon cake

These little chiffon cupcakes were made with lime marmalade. Other than orange marmalade I've never come across lime marmalade and so this went into my shopping basket when I was in Perth last. It's slightly more sour than orange marmalade but it's delicious when you have it with butter or peanut butter slathered on a slice of freshly baked bread or toast!

Read on for the Recipe

Kai Chai Paeng aka Little chicken biscuit

K ai Chai Paeng or 'Little chicken biscuit' was one of my father's favourite item to take away whenever we stopped by Bidor, a small town south of Ipoh on the way to Kuala Lumpur, long ago before the North-South Highway came into existence. Those days, Bidor's famous restaurant, Pun Chun ,was like a half-way house whereby travellers would stop by for their signature 'Ngap thui meen' or duck thigh noodles. Pun Chun restaurant is right in the middle of town along the main road and has been in operation for 70 years and their Kai Chai Paeng were of the thick, doughy type made with lard and some pork but now they also have the thin and crispy version. Another small town, known as Kampar which is nearer to Ipoh is also famous for their thin and crispy version of Kai Chai Paeng. However, I'm not too sure which town is the originator of these 'chickenless', unique but absolutely aromatic 'Little chicken biscuit'.

Read on for the Recipe

Braised Pork Ribs with Yam & Wood ear fungus

I bought this yam/taro from a wet market and the lady assured me that her yams are creamy when cooked. She cut off a very small piece to justify her statement and true enough I saw some powdery substance on the knife. It can be very frustrating when you end up getting a yam that's firm even when cooked for yams have a hardy taste with a minimal amount of sweetness. But if you pair it up with some meat and fermented bean curd, the dish will be transformed into a tasty delicacy. Recipe for Braised Pork Ribs with Yam & Wood Ear Fungus Ingredients 750 gm Yam/Taro, peeled and cut into chunks 450 gm pork ribs, marinated with some seasalt 30 gm wood ear fungus, soaked, stemmed and cut into strips 2 pieces fermented beancurd (Nam Yue), mashed with some water 1 small knob ginger, smashed 5 cups water or more 1/2 tsp dark soya sauce Salt and sugar to taste 2 tsp Shaoxing wine Method In a wok, saute th...

The SweetyliciousApril 12, 2011 at 9:42 AM
nice! im sure you had loads of fun (: the price of the food is reasonable and is so meaty. i love those places you went to visit. so cultural but nice (:
Sokehah cheahApril 12, 2011 at 5:39 PM
The Sweetylicious
I did enjoy myself this trip, not too rush so got ample time to choose where we would like to go.
chow and chatterApril 12, 2011 at 9:16 PM
fun post love travel and wow the oldest furnace in the World
I want the mackerel
ElinApril 13, 2011 at 10:20 PM
Wow..Cheah I missed your first two posts on your recent trip but not too late. Came in and saw the great food you had there. haha bet you enjoyed yourself very much besides the kung fu stuff :p
My Little SpaceApril 15, 2011 at 4:46 PM
Cheah, you're so hilarious. Goose spare part! hahaha.... I was actually quite curious about the oen with holes. Is it goose stomach? It looks like 'ngao lam'. And they have mackerel served on the table too! Gee, I thought they only serve fresh water fish in China and mostly are because it's cheaper.
Kristy
Sokehah cheahApril 16, 2011 at 5:48 PM
Rebecca
I truly enjoyed the kungfu demonstration. Good trip.

Elin
We dined in other restaurants as well, but the pictures didn't turn out well. But one thing I notice is that their favourite is roast goose. Didn't see any roast duck though!

Kristy
It's my first experience tasting steamed mackerel. Think it's the stomach, other than that there are other 'parts' as well!
penny aka jeroxieApril 17, 2011 at 7:41 PM
love the photos. and the food looks pretty amazing. goose! I want some of that.
Sokehah cheahApril 17, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Penny
It was my first time tasting goose 'spare parts', in fact roast goose is on the menu of most restaurants! Seems it's a special breed for the table not those that we rear at home.

No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

Search This Blog