Makan-makan is a synonymous word with hawker stalls in the vocabulary of all Malaysian, even a serious part-time for some. Simply translated to 'looking for food/eating around', most Malaysian would not hesitate to stop and even park their vehicles precariously on the edge of the road on a hot sunny day just to get their hands (ahem...mouths) on all kinds of food sold at the roadside stands. Do stories of customers of roadside stands injured by reckless drivers sound familiar in the local newspapers?
This year, the first few days of the Chinese New Year was spent at my in-law's in Melaka, having not made the journey for quite awhile now since I went to France to pursue my studies. Well, I know Melaka as my wife's kampung and not from a tourist's point of view BUT I still go around from time to time, just to kill time being too coop-up in the house.
As usual, Melaka town will be swarming with hordes of local tourist and a handful of foreign ones during the holidays. Worse, we have to kill the idea of eating out as the restaurants and stands with a bit of 'reputation' of being good will be inaccessible. Still, the heat this year was extremely unbearable and the yearning for some ice cendol surpasses the bother of making the queue in the hot sun with the hordes of hungry and thirsty tourists at the Stadhuys...
So off we went on a hot day...
Heeren House, a traditional Nyonya house turned into a guesthouse.
This year, the first few days of the Chinese New Year was spent at my in-law's in Melaka, having not made the journey for quite awhile now since I went to France to pursue my studies. Well, I know Melaka as my wife's kampung and not from a tourist's point of view BUT I still go around from time to time, just to kill time being too coop-up in the house.
As usual, Melaka town will be swarming with hordes of local tourist and a handful of foreign ones during the holidays. Worse, we have to kill the idea of eating out as the restaurants and stands with a bit of 'reputation' of being good will be inaccessible. Still, the heat this year was extremely unbearable and the yearning for some ice cendol surpasses the bother of making the queue in the hot sun with the hordes of hungry and thirsty tourists at the Stadhuys...
So off we went on a hot day...
Heeren House, a traditional Nyonya house turned into a guesthouse.
Most old-fashioned Straits Chinese houses have air vents like this to facilitate the air current into the house, making it more habitable in the tropics.
Another turned into a promising looking river-side restaurant. definitely on the agenda of the next visit.
The clock tower at the square that houses Dutch colonial buildings like the Stadhuys. 
This Cendol stand used to be in the shape of a huge mangosteen. Observe the pricing...
Probably the best Cendol Ice in Melaka town.
At a relative's house, we were served nasi himpit with sambal udang (a type of prawn curry), a mixture of pan fried grated coconut with pounded dried shrimp, a chutney of cured belimbing asam cooked in coconut cream as well as stir-fried convovulus in garlic oil.It was a first for me and I found the taste totally agreable and 'new' as I have never tasted rice served with spicy prawns, sourish and tangy but savoury chutney accentuated by the fragrant grated coconut as well as the crunchy texture from the convovulus at the same time. A lot going on there for a while...
The stir-fried convovulus dish.
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