'Exotic Dishes' Invite Visitors To Langkawi

By Sakini Mohd Said LANGKAWI, July 13 (Bernama) -- Langkawi is known to be synonymous with its famous 'duty-free' tag, which is often prominently displayed on many items, among them chocolates, cutleries and batik cloth. This resort island is also known as a haven for its exotic tourist destinations such as the Mahsuri mausoleum and Padang Mat Sirat. However, it is uncommon to hear of tourists visiting Langkawi for its food! Last May 23, this writer had an opportunity to be part of the 1Malaysia Holidays Programme organised by Tourism Malaysia in collaboration with Gaya Travel magazine. And she found that Langkawi food is among the many untoasted tourist 'attractions' to be tried on this scenic island. FISH CURRY It is well known that the quality of food sampled during a vacation plays a crucial role in determining the mood of the vacationer. Keeping this in mind, Tourism Malaysia has issued a brochure, 'Langkawi Food Trail,' which serves as a guide for the visiting food connoisseurs. According to the guide, the roadside stall at Kuala Teriang, located just adjacent to Shin Mi seafood restaurant, is a compulsory stopover for the lovers of fish curry. The stall looks rather shabby and features a zinc roofing sans much decorations that threaten to take away its 'star rating.’ But the joint gets transformed after 7 pm and remains so until late at night. Patrons begin to arrive in numbers, and the stall soon becomes choc-a-bloc with many patrons having to stand and wait for tables. This begs a question as to what is so interesting about this stall? The stall is operated by Rajemah Ahmad 'Mak Teh' and her children. The food is only prepared using Rajemah's special recipes, once the patrons have placed their order. There are various seafood fares to be tried, including the squid, prawns, pomfret and mackerel. Yet the 'hottest' item on the menu is Mak Teh's fish curry, which is to die for. The fish curry is paired with sambal belacan, a dish made of ground chili and shrimp paste. There are two types of this 'fiery' delicacy with the favourite being the sambal that’s served with slices of a small mango fruit. GRILLED FISH For aficionados of grilled fish, the 'Jom Ikan Bakar' restaurant in Padang Mat Sirat is an ideal stopover. Mazlina Radzi who is the operator of this restaurant says that charcoal is used to grill the fish here, unlike the other restaurants where electrical grillers are used. "We use charcoal as this is the traditional way of grilling fish to retain its flavour. The fish is only grilled after receiving orders from the patrons," she told this writer. Various fish are available here including the siakap, terubuk, pari and cencaru. This restaurant also offers grilled chicken, lamb and cuttle fish that can be taken with a special sauce. At this stall, the patrons can also pick their own choice from 40 curries and vegetable dishes. LANGKAWI FOOD TRAIL Meanwhile, Kerabu beronok (a salad of mixed vegetables) is on offer at Siti Fatimah restaurant located in Jalan Mata Air. The condiments are prepared raw before being mixed with slices of onions and kerisik (dried grated coconut) and turned into kerabu. The fish curry, grilled fish and kerabu restaurants are among the eateries featured in the Langkawi Food Trail brochure launched by Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit last year. The brochure acts as a guide to visitors looking to sample the exotic dishes offered at Langkawi. The brochure, which names 21 eateries for the visitors, is available at Tourism Malaysia booths in Kuah as well as the Langkawi International Airport and Jetty Point Complex. -- BERNAMA