Release your stress in a bookstore

By Ong Hooi Hoon
Photo By Ong Hooi Hoon

Beach Street (Lebuh Pantai), as the center point of the financial in Penang. Every time walk into this heavy traffic street, it will make people feel busy, roaring and narrow. 
Nevertheless, in this busy and noisy street, there is a peace and quiet bookstore named Jing-Si Books & Café which is the first bookstore established by Tzu Chi.
Walking into the Jing-Si Books & Café, there is the line of the tables and chair in the right hand side which make from the log. The bookstore design in a very simple style of architecture that abounds with the feeling of stillness. 

The right hand side is the bookcase that full with the inspirational books, sutra, aphorism book and so forth.

Jing-Si Books & Café is a shop that combined with the bookstore and coffee shop. Customers not only can enjoy the coffee/tea, at the same time, they can simply pick one of the book from the bookcase and sit in the sofa to read. They are enjoy the pleasure of reading and clean the spirit that polluted by the mundane affairs.

In the Jing-Si Book & Café is not aim for find the delicious food but is seeking for the peace of mind.

Here you might fall in love with readings.

It is different with other coffee shop that always keep promote about their shop.There are lesser news related with this café which publics can be found on newpapers or media. The most estimable thing is the workers in the Jing-Si Book & Café are the volunteer. Other than providing services to the customer, the volunteers were also trasmitting message and values of owes, respect and love toward the customers.

a cup of coffee + a book, you can spend your time in the Jing-Si for whole evening. 

when walk into the Jing-Si, you will feel that the peace of mind

Jing-Si Books & Café is also shared the message of environmental protection with selling the recycle things. 

Address      : 31,Beach Street, 10300 Penang, Malaysia.

Tel          : +604-2616561

Open hour    :  12.00pm – 8.00pm

Hakka cuisine “Lei cha”

By Lee Suet Hooi

Photo by Lee Suet Hooi

History of Lei Cha was dated back during the Song Dynasty in mainland China. Literally, “Lei” means grinding with pestle and mortar and “Cha” means tea. Thus, Lei Cha is described as a ground tea. It is one of the most representing delicacies of Hakka's diverse culinary culture. 

It was originally prepared by grinding three raw ingredients – green tea, ginger and rice. Throughout times, it has been accustomed with the changing cultures of Hakka immigrants in different countries. Thus, there are different ingredients and methods of preparation used in preparing Lei Cha. It is said that Lei Cha remains one of the staple food of Hakka and is served in wedding, festivals and serving guest.

Hakka Lei Cha Ingredients 

Generally, Hakka Lei Cha has three main ingredients: steamed white rice, cooked vegetables (often green bean, celery, dried radish, peanut, and black-eyed peas) and tea-soup; made by grinding green tea and mint. This food is not sold Hakka, but also sold by Chinese of different dialects as well.

Well, I hope this introduction of Hakka Lei Cha will prompt you to give it a try (and to those who have stayed away from it, no harm to try again). If you like brown rice, you may try the organic version of Lei Cha.

According to Chinese physician, Lei Cha is clinically proved to be anti-rheumatism, liver detoxifying, vision enhancing, tonic to stomach and lungs. There are different combinations of ingredients to prepare Lei Cha where additional medicinal herbs can be included to have different healing properties. 

With the fragrance of Lei Cha, a slightly salty, sweet, bittersweet taste of the different, except for drinks, but also can be accompanied by a variety of Hakka rice (rice snacks made), rice cakes, etc., or made of rice with soup, not only to quench thirst, but also hunger, more authentic experience of Hakka food culture.

Best recommended with Lei Cha :

Hor Poh Restaurant

36,Jalan 6/38D

Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut

52100 Kuala Lumpur.

Opening hours: 11am-3pm, 5.30-930pm

Tel: (603)62778903

Chan Chiew Heng steamed Claypot Chicken

By Lee Suet Hooi
Photo by Lee Suet Hooi

 There is plenty of clay pot chicken rice stalls at Kampar old town but Chan Chiew Heng steamed Clay pot is the only one that different from out of the ordinary. Chan Chiew Heng had started his Clay pot Chicken Rice business since 1950. Therefore, old customer those lives in Kampar since 50 years ago are aware that Chan Chiew Heng is one of the first local places to sell chicken rice cooker

What’s makes Chan Chiew Heng Clay pot Chicken Rice different from others is it is cooked by using charcoal burn. With the emerge of the technology, it’s difficult to get a Clay pot Chicken Rice that cook with Charcoal burn style because most of them are using gas now. By using charcoal burn style, it ia able keeps the original taste for the Clay pot Chicken Rice. This makes the Clay pot Chicken Rice just taste somewhere nicer than those which were cook by using gas.

Other than that, the special of Chan Chiew Heng clay pot is using steamed technique. The the chicken and the salty fish is separate with a plate and put in the clay pot to steam. There are various types of fresh vegetables and steamed soups which you may take it as your side dishes. A common Claypot Chicken Rice, usually consists of chicken and sausage pieces. You are free to add on extra eggs, chickens, salter fish and sausages.

The aunty is scooping a concoction of chicken with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, probably a dash of wine, etc. ), chopped scallions, and cuts of marinated chicken meat, slices of wax sausages as well as blocks and bits of salted fish for that extra oomph.

In fact, there are many types of Guangzhou and Hong Kong Claypot Chicken Rice in Malaysia. From this claypot chicken rice, we can easily imagine that when the Chinese abcestors south, although lack of material conditions, it is hard to cook with clay pot and give us the memory of fellow home cuisine.

Casserole with cooking, rice is easy to stick pan, but it is precisely for this reason, it makes another feature of the clay pot chicken rice - the "rice crust." Many people like to eat clay pot chicken rice just because of the golden color, crisp but not burn’s rice crust.

Chan Chiew Heng steamed Claypot Chicken Rice
Address：47, Jalan Idris, 31900 Kampar, Perak
Contact number：016－560 0321／016－565 8647
Operating Hours ：1700－2200
Closed on Monday

Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh

By Lee Suet Hooi
Photo by Lee Suet Hooi

Klang is believed to have been the origin of Bak Kuk Teh (literally translate as "meat bone tea" delicacy. There are tweo to three famous restaurants located in Taman Intan, Klang. The most popular ones is Pao Xiang Bak Kuk Teh. Bak Kut Teh is one of the most popular chinese delicacies in Malaysia. The ingredients used consist of  pork ribs and herbs such as Tong Kui. Spices used include cinnamon, cloves, garlic and star anise. The pork ribs are boiled in the herbs for hours until the meat become tender. Other additional ingredients that are used included mushroom, lettuce and dried tofu.
The other side dish that you can order is the fried dough (Yu Char Kueh) which is eaten by dipping the strips of dough into the soup. The meal is not complete without one or two vegetables dishes that are usually cooked with oyster sauce and dried onions.
Bak Kut Teh is usually eaten with Chinese tea and rice. The tea is believe to help dilutes the fat consumed in this pork-laden soup in our body. Usually there are a few types of Chinese tea that you can choose are Jasmine Tea or Ti Kuan Yin Tea. You will have to wash the cups and fill the teapot from the many kettles that are setup near the tables

The ingredient of the soup is plenty with various cuts of pork thrown in for good measure. There is the best if the soup is cook in the claypot, it will tender the meat and the whole meal will become toothsome and delicious. The amalgam flavors resulting from the plenty of herbs used to cook of this rich and healthy soup was unable to describe in a thousand words but your tongue will tell you. I bet you will require for additional soup and rice if you visiting Pao Xiang

The shop had been operated 10 years by Goh Chin Chong. He likes to eat Bak Kut Teh since he was young. His slogan of life is “Eat more” hence he had strong research interest in producing Bak Kut Teh. The things that makes Pao Xiang Bak Kut Teh tasted different from others is it’s lifting of oil bound pork, meat bundles which not only looks beautiful and solid. Another important secrete is Goh is expert in extract the oil from the pork. This approach also plays a significant effect in producing a delicious soup.

Outlets

Taman Berkeley:
No. 51, Lebuh Bangau
Taman Bekerley, 41150 Klang

Centro Mall:
Lot G127 & G128, Ground Floor Centro Mall
No.8 Jalan Batu Tiga Lama, 41300 Klang

Puchong Jaya:
No. G-12 & G-14 Jalan Kenari 12B
Bandar Puchong Jaya

One Utama:
P282 Lower Ground Floor Promenade
1 Utama Shopping Centre

Operation Hours

The Pao Xiang Restaurant opens from 7am to 9pm daily

addresses:

Restoran Pao Xiang
No 28, 30
Jalan 5
Kawasan 16
Taman Intan
41300 Klang
Selangor