3 January 2014
My dad's eating philosophy is "eat like a local". He like to meet the local. Ask the local and eat with them. I agree with dad. This way, we get to enjoy food like a local. This trip, we are lucky to have his old friend, Mr K to introduce us some good Muar's delicacies.
Fried Fish (白鲳)
I don't know the English name for this fish. The direct translate is ""bai chang". Mr K explains the difference between 白鲳 (bai chang)， 斗鲳 (dou chang) and 黑鲳 (hei chang).
- Bai chang has less meat and thinner skin compare to hei chang. However, bai chang's meat is more fragrant and sweeter compare to hei chang.
- Hei chang has more or thick meat but the taste and texture not as good as bai chang. Mr K used the word bland to explain hei chang. It is best cook hei chang with sweet sour sauce
- Dou chang is the best and most expensive among the "chang" category. Dou chang fish are usually reserved by restaurant. The fresh dou chang is best eaten by steam.
True enough, this fish just marinated lightly with some salt and fried it. Not need to dip the soy sauce. I can taste the sweetness of the fish. However, fried fish need to eat while hot. The oil will spoil the meat texture when the dish is cold.
Boiled white shrimp
Freshly caught shrimp just boiled lightly with hot water. No seasoning was added in the hot water. After peeling the shrimp, it is best eaten with 金桔酱 "jing ju jiang”
金桔酱 "jing ju jiang”
Fresh shrimp is very sweet by nature. Jing Ju Jiang is sour. Shrimp and jing ju jiang combination is very appetizing.
Oyster Fried Egg
Muar river 's estuary / "Kuala" produced lots of oyster.
The oyster here are small species. The size is approximately as big a my little finger tips. It is not as juicy as Australia oyster but it is sweet too. Almost all the seafood I ate in Muar have its natural sweetness. The oyster fried egg here very different from Penang Fried oyster egg. The chef used less starch but more oysters. There are at least 4 small oysters in every spoon I take.
Fried Daun Ubi and Otak-Otak
Otak-Otak is a must eat dish in Muar. The restaurant only served limited home made otak-otak During Chinese New Year,otak-otak sold off very fast. The texture is very firm. You can clearly see the fish in the paste. It is not fiery hot but just the right amount of spiciness. Another Muar friend, Edyln explained that there are approximately 200 commercial or home based business doing otak-otak in Muar. Muar has less activities. Thus, Muar people will spend their time to perfect their otak-otak recipe. That is why Muar's otak-otak is always the best.
Steam Fish Teochew Style
菜蒲/ “Caipo” and sliced ginger is fried until golden brown. The fish is then steam with this ingredient. It is very different from the usual Cantonese style steam fish. The caipo is like the catalyst to the steam fish. It is very appetizing.
This restaurant mostly visit by local only. I saw some Taiwanese tourists. They are brought here by Malaysian's family members.
Ler's Reviews:
Service: 3/5 (May due to peak hour)
Delicious: 4/5
Parking: 5/5
原味亚叁鱼
No. 163-21 Bawah
Jalan Jabbar, Parit Jawa,
84150 Muar,
Johor
