Nasi dagang dan roti canai, Terengganu

There's something about Terengganu and roti canai, bubbly alicia exclaimed while we were still making our way to Cherating..

We MUST eat roti canai there!!, bubbly alicia continued, while humming her favourite tune..

But roti canai is roti canai is roti canai and I believe I have enough of that at mamak stalls in Klang Valley, I thought to myself.. And I WANT nasi dagang!, my mind drifting, imagining my first bite of the tasty morsel, when i get my hands on it..hehe

Hence begin our love affair with these 2 delectable darlings, in fact, we need to have both of it every morning when we were in Terengganu!

Unlike Klang Valley whereby most of the rotis are prepared by mamaks, the malays in terengganu prepares the rotis. And what lovely roti canais those were!

My first try was at Cafe 691, located at the long Cherating road, just opposite Legend Hotel. The pakcik was happy, came and chat with us before preparing our breakfast..The roti was crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Have it with the kuah curry (curry sauce) mixed with dhal and sambal...now I know why bubbly alicia loves terengganu's roti canai....pure joy, pure joy!

We also tried a stall (no name) at Chukai, drive to Chukai, take the road towards Kuala Terengganu, Shell station on your left, it's opposite the petrol station..

Really garing (crispy), loved the plain roti and roti telur with the lovely kuah..creamy kuah kari ikan (it's sweeter and creamier) with dhal and sambal..woohoo! sedap belaka!

Nasi dagang was the much anticipated meal of the trip for me :)

Was recommended by the stall owners at Pasar (market) Chukai to eat at this stall. Located just behind the pasar, small stall with lots of people. The only stall selling nasi dagang, you wont miss it..For RM2, you get a big plate of rice (a mixture of white and glutinous rice, cooked in santan), boiled ikan tongkol (local mackerel), pickled cucumber, hard bolied egg and spicy fish curry (more on the salty, creamy side). The combination? Lovely..so lovely!

But the best nasi dagang I had during my stay there was bought at the Chukai pasar malam (night market). Opens every Thursday, ask the locals on how to get there..How do you know if you got the right stall? Well, there's lots of people crowding that particular stall..

For RM1, it's a dainty pack...but packed with the yummiest little gems.... a small chunk of ikan tongkol, some cucumbers and the unforgettable nasi and kuah..What's good was the rice, so fragrant with the santan (coconut milk), but not over powering.. the lip smacking kuah which was slightly sweeter than others, but well balanced when taken with the pickled cucumber..potent, just potent...

Oh, dont forget to try these if you do go to the pasar malam.. Think the name was pulut goreng (fried glutinous)..piping hot, chewy kuih texture, filled with mince fish inside.. tasted somewhat like serunding ikan... savoury and tasty..

Kemaman Curry Mee, Chukai

Let's have kemaman curry mee for breakfast!, KH said with a twinkle in his eyes..

But I dont take creamy, santan-ish stuff for breakfast! I wailed..my stomache always does a somersault if my breakfast consists of spicy, creamy soup..

Bubbly Alicia's eyes widen as her tolerance for spicy food was pretty low..

Trust me, trust me, kemaman curry mee is very different! KH excitedly exclaimed while shoving us into the car..

After 5 mins, we're there. Should have walked instead....
KH placed the order while we waited patiently.....

There was nothing in the noodles that hinted curry, infact I thought the noodles looked more like prawn mee. The broth was rather clear, with a slight tinge of red, served with a dollop of sambal on the noodles. Laden with beansprouts and kangkung (water morning glory), the noodles was supposed to be eaten with boiled kampung fish, sambal and keropok ikan (fish crackers).The soup was sweet, not spicy and luckily, not fishy. Slurp it in with the noodles and fresh veg, this was quite good for breakfast afterall...:)

I was told that they will first cook the fish in the boiling pot of broth. After the fish is cooked and removed, the noodles and veg would be added into the boiling broth. The fish is served in a separate plate with a side of sambal. We were also given a pack of keropok ikan to add into the noodles.You can choose to dunk in the whole keropok, eat with the noodles when it's soggy/semi crunchy or you can dip the keropok into the broth and eat as a snack.

Again, this is another shop without a sign board..Took a picture of the shop instead

What Julianne thinks?

Original, simple and surprising

Kemaman curry mee is located in the heart of Chukai. Drive pass the Chukai (wet)market and fruit stalls, after the fruit stalls, you would see the bus station. The shop is next to it (further in)