A Visit To Ngau Tau Kok Market, Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Day 3 - Ngau Tau Kok Market

We started day 3 with a visit to Ngau tau Kok market. The local market is one of the best places to visit in order to get a glimpse into the real life of the local people. We started out on foot, just seven of us including Pete who came over to meet up with us at our apartment.

Pete led us by the interconnecting walkway and we came to a place where we saw people leaning over the railing. Some were looking up and some were looking down. Being curious people, we too joined in, wanting to know what was interesting up there or down. Of course, when we tried to see what was up there, we didn't see anything out of place but when we looked down this was what we saw on the ground.

Pete explained that this inflated air cushion was placed there to block the fall of a would be suicide jumper. Thank God we didn't have to watch a tragedy because a short while later, the firefighters left and everything was back to normal again.

Along the way, Pete also pointed out where a collection of old items from the older local community were on display.

Model of a typical family room.

Office of the local service management team.

Below are some of the photos I took at the market.

Fish stalls.

Squids and fishes at the fish stall.

Live clams in water.

Live clams in water.

Raw meat stalls.

These were waiting to be delivered to the stalls.

Cooked meat stalls.

Cooked meat stalls.

Fruits and vegetables stalls.

  Fruits stalls.

Vegetables stalls.

Coconuts.

I should have bought some of these to try. These fruits or plums look juicy.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is no law against these things!

(Galatians 5:22-23, New Living Translation-NLT)

Having A Good Time In Semenyih

Today, I am suppose to post about the dinner we had in Broga and the durians that we ate for supper the day we arrived in Semenyih but I couldn't find the photos. I must have misplaced or accidentally deleted the whole lot. So clumsy of me!

Anyway, after our durian supper, some of us played mahjong games till past midnight. The rest of us just sat around, exchanged updates and chit chat until we went off to bed. That ended the first day in Semenyih.

Next morning, Saturday, I woke up early and took this sunrise photo. Some of us were already up and about, but those who played mahjong the previous night were not yet awaken from their beauty sleep.

We went for our morning walk with our host outside the compound. A nice place for morning walks because it was very quiet, the air fresh and no traffic at all.

Fruit trees and plants in the backyard.

Passion fruits - fruiting season almost over, only last few fruits waiting to ripen.

Preparing to go out for breakfast at Semenyih market and do some marketing for the night's steamboat or hotpot dinner.

The prices here are much cheaper and some of the things sold here are not sold in Ipoh's markets. Markets are very interesting places.

Yam bean salad rolls wrapped with seaweed. This is my first time eating this. I love it and will go back for more on my next trip. I should have taken pictures to show what they put inside. Hopefully I will remember when I go again.

Dry stirred wheat flour noodle (pan mee dry version) with deep fried dumplings (wanton), deep fried anchovies (ikan bilis) and minced meat.

Curried steamed flat rice noodle (chee cheong fun) with deep fried stuffed beancurd served in a stainless steel plate.

Banana leaf wrapped nasi lemak, tasty with plenty of sambal paste and peanuts.

Friendly games of mahjong to pass the time.

I have not mastered this game yet, so I didn't join in.
Finally, dinner time!

Ingredients for steamboat or hotpot, mostly bought from a frozen food shop near the market. So many variety to choose from.

In the old days, whenever we have steamboat or hotpot gathering, there will be loads of tedious washing, cutting and preparing of ingredients but nowadays almost everything was prepared and frozen, even meat were thinly sliced, vacuum packed and ready to be used.

The ingredients I enjoyed most is the veggie and soup.

We over-estimated the ingredients for 9 people. Left over more than enough for another round for next morning's breakfast.

Boiling pot of delightful, yummy treasures!

And now, my little children, stay in happy fellowship with the Lord

so that when He comes you will be sure that all is well and 

will not have to be ashamed and shrink back from meeting Him.

Since we know that God is always good and does only right,

we may rightly assume that all those who do right are His children.

(1 John 2:28-29, The Living Bible-TLB)

Marketing At Jelapang Wet Market, Jelapang

My ex-colleague told me that there is a wanton noodle stall in the Jelapang wet market that is good and cheap. The only wanton noodle shop that we usually go to is not in the wet market but a short walking distance away from the market. When I inquired about the wanton noodle stall in the wet market from a friend who knows Jelapang very well, she replied that it is true but the surrounding may not be comfortable to some people. It is of the typical village and market environment.

Last week hubby wanted to eat our usual Jelapang wanton noodle for breakfast. I was not hungry and I told him that I will take a walk to the wet market on my own and told him to wait for me in the wanton noodle shop. I took the lane beside the shop and walk straight to the wet market.

This is the lane from the wanton noodle shop (Jalan Simpang) to the wet market.

On reaching the market, I saw food stalls on my left.

That's the wanton noodle stall, where the yellow T-shirt girl is standing. If my ex-colleague wanted to try the wanton noodle, I now know where it is.

On my right, a salesman promoting his product.

Vegetables stalls on my left.

Most of the small time sellers are usually elderly people. They place their items on the ground and they sit on low stool.

I bought 2 bundles of vegetable fern spikes (sayur paku pakis) from one of the elderly auntie. 1 bundle costs MYR 2 (0.55 USD). I bought 2 bundles.

It was an interesting walk because I saw many kinds of items being sold here that are not sold in the main market.

This is the bigger stall selling more items.

Fish sellers with their fresh sea products.

The fishes looked very fresh but I didn't ask the price.

I have tasted this before, the baby shark cooked in curry.

Fruit stalls selling both local and imported fruits.

Big red, juicy watermelon. One big whole watermelon costs MYR 8.00 (2.21 USD). Half a fruit costs MYR 4.00 (1.11 USD) & a quarter fruit costs MYR 2.00 (0.55 USD).

I passed by the toilet and I was really surprised. It looked very clean, neat and non-smelly at all. The walls are also pasted with lovely flower posters. Credit should be given to the cleaner and people in charge.

Next I came to this stall, making and selling Chinese crullers (yau char kwai). Boss preparing the crullers and wife frying them in big kuali.

I checked the oil to ensure the oil is not black before deciding to buy some.

I bought a "mah keok" (horse hoof) and a "hum chim peang" for my breakfast. These were made from the same flour mixture as the Chinese crullers.

Stall selling T-shirts, shorts, etc.

Then I saw a young man selling these clams at MYR 7 for a kilo. The main market was selling at MYR 20 for a kilo. I bought a kilo to cook for dinner. That ended my marketing and I walked back to Jalan Simpang to meet my hubby.

This was my simple breakfast with my home brewed black coffee.

Only the young tender shoots of these vegetable fern spikes were plucked off for cooking. The rest of the fibrous and stringy part were discarded or used as compost.

I usually used about 2 to 3 inches of the young and tender shoots.

Home cooked stir-fried vegetable fern spikes (sayur paku pakis) with dried shrimp and chili sambal belacan. I used home grown bird's eye chili from my garden for the sambal belacan.

Home cooked stir-fried clams with chopped garlic, ginger, bird's eye chilies and preserved salted bean paste.

Linking to Our World Tuesday.

Then God said, "Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant

throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.

And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals,

the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground

- everything that has life. And this is what happened.

(Genesis 1:29-30, New Living Translation-NLT)