Home Sweet Home

I am going home, i am going home, i am going home.... i couldn't stop reciting this phrase as the plane touched down at Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Bharu. Do forgive me, i only go back twice a year; once during Chinese New Year and another time any other time of the year. How can i not be excited? Even a few days before, i was all geared up to go back, with food and goodies for my family members back there.

What is so great about Kota Bharu? Nothing actually. There is nothing to promote in Kota Bharu except for the food, laid back lifestyle and the border. But, it means more than that to me. It is where i grew up, where i spent my childhood, where i fell, scratched myself, climbed up etc. Of course, there are attractions to me like cheap tasty thai food, yummie malay kuih and finger-licking nasi dagang. These are musts to me whenever i go back.

The first night itself we went to Bankok for thai food. We already have our to-order list : thai otak-otak, deep fried kangkung, pat ki mau, mixed seafood tom yam soup, curry leaf stir-fried chicken.

Their thai otak-otak is very different from any other otak-otak. Fish fillets, prawns, squids are thrown into a thai coconut with heaps of chinese cabbage leaves and eggs. The coconut is then put over fire with all the goodies boiling in it. The result is an aromatic darkened coconut with fresh coconut flesh and a bowl of mixed seafood with creamy sauce in it.



Pat Ki Mau is the thai phrase for this tofu dish. The tofu is cooked with herbs, vegetables like long beans, asparagus, cauliflower and sawi. It has a tinge of spiciness from the small chilies that are used. This is my brother's favourite dish.


The deep fried kangkung is indeed very interesting. The vegetable is coated with batter and deep fried till light and crispy. It is then topped with spicy gravy with minced pork and chillies. Yummmmmmmmiieeeee, just the right amount of sweetness and spiciness in this dish. Not to forget the crisp of the kangkung when you lay your mouth on it.


Their tom yam is very refreshing too. What an enlightenment to me as i have been fed with MSG-filled tom yam all this while. The sourish taste that first greeted me demanded all my attention to it and it was followed by the aromatic scent and taste of all the herbs used. Drinking it made me addicted.


Lastly, the curry leave stir-fried chicken is pretty normal. You can order this dish in any other chinese restaurants. The one made by the thais though was a bit different. You get more taste of the herbs used and less of the MSG.

Ooooh, not to forget is the forever aromatic sweet thai coconut drink. The thai coconuts in Kelantan are different from the ones in KL. Firstly the size itself is different. The thai coconuts found in KL or being exported to KL are very tiny. Secondly, the ones in Kelantan are far more natural as compared to the ones in KL. Those in KL seem to be more processed because they are very sweet. The ones in Kelantan taste very fresh and you can even see them plucking off the coconut trees before serving you. That is the beauty of living in small rural area.