Kelantan Trip: Celebrating Dong Zi

It's nice that during my holiday at home, it's the time of Dong Zi or Winter Solstice Festival. So we can roll Tang Yuan (湯圓)- Glutinous ball, with family.

Winter Solstice Festival: Tang Yuan

Winter Solstice Festival: Tang Yuan  

Winter Solstice Festival: Tang Yuan  

This year, we cook sweet Tang Yuan with fruits.

Thanks cousin for cooking this Laici Tang Yuan.

Winter Solstice Festival:: Sweet Laici Tang Yuan

And thanks sister for this Big-3-in-1 Tang Yuan. Does it represent Malaysia?

Winter Solstice Festival: Big Tang Yuan

Tang Yuan Tang Yuan, for me, it means Tuan Yuan (Gather). It falls on 22 December every year. In China, family will gather to celebrate this festival. So this should be a big festival for Chinese.

Since young, my father told us that, after eating Tang Yuan on Winter Solstice Festival each year, we are elder by 1 year. So we have to behave and be a good children after eating Tang Yuan.

How to cook the best Tang Yuan?

Some people roll big Tang Yuan, some people roll small mini version.

Some people cook sweet Tang Yuan, some people cook salty Tang Yuan.

Some people eat it warm, some people prefer it cold.

No matter how much Tang Yuan has been evolved in its more creative way, it should be a tradition that each and every of us should remember and practice every year. This is called Tradition.

Kelantan Trip: Best Home Cook Food

Holiday at home for me, home-cooked food is the nicest thing. My mum has the best recipe for all of us, and she learnt from time to time to improve all the menu. It looks simple, and it's simple for her to prepare all the food, but the food is just served the best! I guess that is the essence of home-cooked food: Simply the Best!

"Budu" is the famous Kelantan fish sauce, to be eaten with "Ulam-ulaman" or raw vegetables. Some take "Budu" without adding any ingredients. But mum's recipe: To add "Budu" with onion, chilli, lime juice, little bit of sugar, and the best part of it: Chopped of small super sour mango!

My mum's Recipe: Budu

It's nice to be eaten with "Ulam" (raw vegetables), or the famous Petai.

My mum's Recipe: Petai with Ulam

Next, mum knows that i love seafood very much! To stir fry clam, it's quite simple, just add: Lemongrass, garlic, lime juice, sugar, Thai fish sauce..la la la..done!

My mum's Recipe: Clam (la-la)

Sweetest Fried Prawn! I guess simply because mum had chosen the best fresh prawn from wet market!

My mum's Recipe: Golden Prawn

Mum's Yam rice: Yam, Mushroom, Dried Shrimp, Dried Scallop..

My mum's Recipe: Yam Rice

This is nicest belut i ever have. Mum knows that i love it, that why she cooked such a big bowl! It's called "Pak-Pik" in Thailand, but i guess my mum add in little bit of "Chinese flavour".

My mum's Recipe: Pak- Pik Belut

Yellow Wine Chicken: Kampung chicken with black fungus, ginger, goji berry (wolfberry).

My mum's Recipe: Yellow Wine Chicken

Petai may seem smelly to some of you. But i guess the nutrition level is high. It's plucked wild from the jungle, and you can hardly find nice sweet Petai. My aunt can cook very well too. This Seafood Petai prepared with: prawn, squid, big green chilli, onion, and "Asam-sauce".

My mum's Recipe: Seafood Petai

Kelantan Trip: Thai Food

Thai food in Kelantan is famous, with fresh seafood availability in Kelantan, and it's location next to our neighbour country- Thailand. Every time i go home, i will go for Thai food. Thai food is famous for it's healthy, and spicy! There is a nice Thai food near town.

The famous sauce recognized in Thai should be Tom Yam. But actually there is another nice sauce that you should try! This type of steamed fish style is called "Keong Som". It's normally used in steamed fish style only. It's sour, spicy, yellowish in color. Yes it's spicy but trust me, it won't stop you from continue eating!

Kelantan Thai Food: Keong Som Fish

Dang dang dang, the combination of my favourite's and my favourite's- Soft Shell Crab and Mango Kerabu (Salad). We were served with such a big plate of Soft Shell Crab! I really love it!

Kelantan Thai Food: Soft Shell Crab with Mango Salad

Squid with salted egg. This is salty, crispy and yummy too!

Kelantan Thai Food: Salted Egg Squid

Salad Chicken, best serving for small kids!

Kelantan Thai Food: Salad Chicken

Claypot Taufu, served with clear sticky sauce.

Kelantan Thai Food: Claypot Taufu

There are other signature dishes such as BBQ fish and Squid, Pak-Pik Belut, prawn, clam, crab etc..

We were lucky that as it's near to Chinese New Year, there was homemade local biscuit sold here.

This is called "sa-leh". It really sound like "Mak Saleh". But this is invented by Kelantanese, not oversea! It's a improved version of Kuih Bangkit by Kelantanese, a famous Traditional Biscuit for Chinese New Year. 

Kelantan Traditional New Year Biscuit: Sa-Leh

Kelantan Trip: Pantai Timur Chicken Chop

I couldn't remember exactly when i started to go Aunty's Chicken Chop. I went there since young, a small shop of the aunty and uncle of my father's friend, located nearby a shopping mall called Pantai Timur.

Since then, the shop got its name: Pantai Timur Chicken Chop.

Recently, uncle and aunty have moved their shop to a Chinese Food Area- Jalan Kebun Sultan. It's located at the same row as Hayaki Cafe, with the recognized shop name: Pantai Timur Chicken Chop.

I remember last time uncle baked nicest baked potato in the town! Now, uncle has improved his menu to potato wedges. The tomato sauce still tasted the same, yea, that is the taste of Uncle's Chicken Chop.

And during small time, we never try other food besides chicken chop. That's because Chicken Chop itself was the best serving.

The price has changed from the RM7 per plate during n-years back, to now RM12.50 per plate. But still, we can get such a big portion at such an affordable price.

Pantai Timur Chicken Chop: Famous dish- Chicken Chop

This time, besides Chicken Chop, we tried other food like Fish and chips, and Chicken Gordon Blue. Still, Chicken Chop win the rest..

Pantai Timur Chicken Chop: Fish and Chips

Pantai Timur Chicken Chop: Chicken Gordon Blue

I don't know why, i suddenly miss eating the sunny-side-up. This egg is fried with no brown color burnt at all. This is amazing. How can uncle do this? I wonder. The color of the egg white at the bottom is the same as the top white. He must have some super magic to balance all the heat to make the nicest sunny side-up! That's why i order an extra sunny side-up from Aunty!

Yea, i guess that is the taste of childhood that adding extra marks.

Pantai Timur Chicken Chop: Best Sunny-side-up

Kelantan Trip: Nasi Kerabu- Kao Jam

Nasi Kerabu is called Kao Jam. I still remember my friend said:" Cow Jump?" haha..


It's a type of Native food in Kelantan, a famous green rice that you must try if you come Kelantan.

The rice is cooked with green color water, which is blended from 46 types of plucked leaves in the jungle, and mix with main ingredients such as fish meat, onion, cucumber, bean sprout, fried coconut (called Kerisik), Keropok (Fish Crackers), black pepper and "Budu"- fish sauce.


If you like fried food, i guess you wont be liking this. But this rice is sure served the healthiest way as it's mixed of all the nutrition that our body needs, and all the leaves used to cook the rice are plucked wild in the jungle before blended into juice.


Can you believe that a plate of this yummy rice is only sold at RM 2 per plate? A healthy meal served at affordable price.
You can find it at some food court. But for me, i dont miss my "Kao Jam" from "U-lang Corner Shop" located at Kota Bharu town everytime i go back Kelantan.

Nasi Kerabu Kelantan

Just mix all the ingredients, and better if eat with Fried Kunyit Fish.

Nasi Kerabu Kelantan with Fried Fish

The other famous Kelantan food - Laksa Kelantan. The difference between Laksa Kelantan and Laksa Penang: Laksa Kelantan is round in shape rather than noodle; Laksa Kelantan is not sour but more to salty; Laksa Kelantan is not orange in color but yellowish.

Laksa Kelantan

Round shape Laksa Kelantan

Remember, if you visit Kelantan, you must try Kao-Jam rice and Laksa Kelantan.

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan is famous with Batik- the hand-drawing cloth. The factory we have visited at Jalan Pintu Geng- they have show room for Batik purchase, and also factory you can visit for all the Batik processing. Basically the processes include: Drawing, Painting, Washing and Drying under the sun.

The cloth is suitable for Traditional Malay costume such as Baju Kurung, Baju Kebaya, for formal dress code, Bride wedding dress, and even as Pajamas!

What is nice about this handmade Batik is, the design is unique on each piece of cloth, so you will not find the second piece in this whole world! Batik Drawing starts from a piece of blank cloth, without any references. The drawer must be very creative to have unique and different design on each cloth!

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Batik Factory

Kelantan Trip: Pasar Siti Khadijah

Located at Kota Bharu town, Pasar Siti Khadijah (or sometimes called as Pasar Siti Khatijah), the wet market, has become not only the main place for daily fresh meat and vegetables, but also a main attraction as tourist spot. I believe that is because you can find lots of local made food or locally-planted fruits and vegetables of Kelantan.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah

What are the locally famous Made-in-Kelantan food? The famous one: Serunding; Keropok (Crackers) made from fish, prawn or seafood; dodol, salted fish, etc..

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Variety of Biscuits and Crackers

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Kerepek Ikan (Fish Crackers)

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Kerepek Sago (Top Left) and variety of  local biscuits

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Homemade Dodol

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Famous Serunding

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Durian Dodol

Gelombong Buaya= Crocodile Wave? I haven't try this before seriously.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: (Gelombong Buaya)

Kerepek Sago is cripsy, made of Sago, and it's my favourite too.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Kerepek Sago

Keropok Lekor is sold fresh here. It's famous as Terengganu local food, but in Kelantan, you can find lots of nice and fresh Keropok Lekor too. It's made from flour and fish, nice to be eaten fried.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Keropok Lekor

I guess this is the Kelantan rice that you can only find in Kelantan. It's called Nasi Dagang, or "Travel-rice". It's normally cooked with chicken or fish curry, white mixed with reddish color, tasted more Q than normal white rice. And it's more filling than normal rice.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Raw Nasi Dagang (Travel-rice)

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Homemade Salted Fish

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Homemade Salted Fish

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Petai Jeruk

Turtle Egg is small, almost the same size of Ping Pong ball size, but the "Kemek" Ping Pong Ball. I'm not sure why is it sold there, is it edible?

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Telur Penyu (Turtle Egg)

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Fresh Flower

"Budu", is the famous fish sauce made from Anchovies. This sauce can be prepared with chilli, lime, onion etc, or just the sauce alone, to eat with Ulam (Raw vegetable salad) or fried fish. I can say, this is the best created sauce i have since young till now.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Kelantan Budu (Fish Sauce)

There is a type of fruit, mostly planted in Kelantan called Buah Salak. It has very rough skin, hence some call it as "snake-skin food". But don't get scared with the uneven skin, the fruit inside is white, smooth, tasted sweet and sour.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Buah Salak Madu

As it's near to Thailand, there are lots of imported food from Thailand too, like junk food, crackers, and biscuits.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Imported Food from Thailand

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Gula Melaka and Biscuits

What i bought from Kelantan Wet Market Pasar Siti Khatijah? I found the frog fruit! My mum said it's called "Buah Katak Puru". I guess most of cities people don't see this fruit before. It's normally found in village, plucked raw from trees. Yes, it's a type of fruit, but not frog!

It's called Cynometra Cauliflora in scientific name. The tree belongs to bean family. 

~souce taken from En.wikipedia~

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Frog Fruits

The skin looks rough like frog, but how about the fresh? When open and cut, there is a big seed like a kidney shape. Of course the seed is not edible. And the fruit is yellowish, tasted sour more than sweet, best to be eaten with salt or "Kuah- Colek". The flesh turns dark quickly if you do not eat fast once peeled, that's because it's rich of iron (just like apple).

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Frog Fruits- Flesh

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Frog Fruits- Big Seed

I also bought the famous Keropok Ikan Berperisa , it's the normal Fish Crackers, but nice as it's filled with sweet and spicy chilli sauce, and sticky when you bite it.

Remember that if you buy it here, you will get 1packet free with 10 packets purchased.

Kelantan Pasar Siti Khatijah: Keropok Chilli