Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow

‘Char Kway Teow’ or ‘stir-fried ricecake strips’ is arguably one of the most popular dishes among Malaysians of all races. The name is derived from the Hokkien term for ‘fried’ which is ‘char, while ‘kway teow’ refers to the ‘flat rice noodles’, which is the main ingredient.



The latter is stir-fried over very high heat with light or dark soy sauce, chili, while prawns, deshelled cockles, bean sprouts, chinese chives and eggs.

Among the chinese community, the char kway teow is traditionally stir-fried in pork fat with crisp croutons of pork lard and serve on a piece of banana leaf or plate. In some instances, slices of chinese sausage and fishcake are added to accentuate the taste.

Originally conceived as a poor man’s food, mostly consumed by laborers, farmers, fishermen and cockle-pickers, the dish has today evolved into one of the most-loved dishes among Malaysians – but with certain ingredients omitted to adhere to ‘halal’ guidelines of muslim community.

As the dish became more widespread, many cooks have come up with their own versions of ‘char kway teow’ but with the same essential ingredients ‘Char kway teow’ was said to have its origins in S.E.Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei) but the common consensus is that ‘Penang char kway teow’ tops the list when it comes to taste and originality.

In Kampar, Perak, the dish is cooked with cockles but no prawns, unless on request. In East Malaysia, other ingredients are used in the cooking eg beef, onions, sweet soya sauce etc.

There are also so-called ‘gourmet versions’ of char kway teow, especially in Ipoh, Penang, Taiping and even the Klang Valley, where seafood, crab meat and even duck eggs are added to suit discerning tastes.

~Info courtesy of Tourism Malaysia~

Hassan Mee Goreng

Hassan Mee Goreng
Location: 390, Jalan Tengkera, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am - 11am

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak



No visitors will leave Malaysia without tasting our very own Nasi Lemak. Hot cooked rice with pandan aroma steamed with coconut cream goes heavenly well with sizzling spicy sauce or “sambal”. 

Generous sprinklings of roasted peanuts and salty dried anchovies with a hard boiled egg perfect this dish. 

A platter of everything good all wrapped up in banana leaves to further enhance its unique taste. Nasi Lemak is truly a national heritage of Malaysia.

~Courtesy of Tourism Malaysia~

Expect more rain until January, says weatherman

Expect more rain until January, says weatherman

The start of the northeast monsoon today will bring more rain to the east coast of the peninsula and parts of Sabah and Sarawak.

The wet season is expected to last until January.

MetMalaysia director-general Alui Bahari said the northeastern winds from the South China Sea will mark the start of the monsoon season.

“Right now, the winds are still from the southwest, they are variable, but by tomorrow, they will persist from the northeast,” said Alui when contacted yesterday.

He said an episode would range between three and four days of moderate to heavy rain.

This monsoon season is expected to see four to five such episodes.

MetMalaysia has its own colour coding for rainfall, with yellow indicating heavy rain is expected within the next one to three days, and if there is continuous rain, it will not last for more than six hours and the rainfall will be less than 60mm.

Meanwhile, orange indicates continuous heavy rain that will exceed six hours and rainfall collection of at least 60mm while red shows continuous heavy rain exceeding 240mm a day.

Alui said the department would also be monitoring wind speeds and wave heights, as monsoon winds could whip up waves.

For the day’s weather forecast, log on to www.met.gov.my/in/web/metmalaysia/forecasts/general/country.

~News courtesy of The Star~

RM1 flight levy starts January 2018

RM1 flight levy starts January 2018

ALL passengers leaving Malaysia by air will have to pay a levy of up to RM1 from January, following changes to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) Act 2015.

“The Government spent almost RM30mil on Mavcom’s operational costs last year. The levy for air travellers is justified, considering the services Mavcom provides, which range from receiving and processing complaints to conducting educational activities,” he said.

The changes to the law also allows Mavcom to impose penalties for any non-compliance over guidelines on competition, regulatory fees and charges.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Happy Deepavali!

Happy Deepavali!
தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!
屠妖节快乐！

Tourism Tax

Happy Independence Day

Japan courts Singapore in bid for High-Speed Rail project to KL

Japan courts Singapore in bid for High-Speed Rail project to KL

Japan is pulling out the stops in making a pitch to Singapore for the proposed High-Speed Rail (HSR) project to Kuala Lumpur.

The country’s Minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Mr Keiichi Ishii, hosted a symposium in the Republic on Monday (Aug 28) to tout its wares for the project, with Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in attendance.

Japanese public sector officials and companies cited the safety, reliability and sustainability of its Shinkansen High Speed Rail system as selling points for the Singapore-Malaysia joint project.

Since the Shinkansen opened in 1964, the system has experienced zero fatalities in its decades of operations and the average annual delay per train is under a minute, they said.

Potential ideas for collaboration between the two countries were thrown up, including for the Shinkansen system to be manufactured in Singapore and for the two countries to develop design and implementation policies for the HSR together. The latter includes working out how space in the project’s Singapore terminus is utilised and enhancing transportation links around the station.

Japanese representatives said its Shinkansen system will be able to complement the network of trains, buses, taxis and even shared bicycles currently in the Republic.

At the symposium, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority said it will hold a second industry briefing on the HSR in London in September.

It also said plans to call a tender for the building and maintenance of the project’s rolling stock and rail assets by the end of this year are on track.

A similar symposium was held by Japan in Kuala Lumpur in May this year.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Travellers departing Malaysian airports to pay RM1 levy from 2018

Travellers departing Malaysian airports to pay RM1 levy from 2018

Air travellers will be subjected to a RM1 (US$0.23) levy when departing Malaysian airports as early as 2018, the country's aviation regulator said on Tuesday (Aug 15).

The new levy to be imposed by the Malaysia Aviation Commission, MAVCOM will be tabled in parliament in October. It will apply to all departing passengers for both domestic and overseas destinations except for rural air services in interior Sabah and Sarawak.

The passenger service charge at all Malaysian airports may also be raised from the current RM50 to RM73 for all international flights beyond Asean beginning January 2018 to standardise the system.
v Currently a different rate applies to KLIA1 and KLIA2 international airports.

The passenger service charge is fixed at RM35 for all destinations in Asean.

MAVCOM, which was set up last year to regulate the civil aviation industry, is expected to collect RM30 million in the first year from the RM1 levy, according to its chief operating officer Azmir Zain.

"I can confirm there is a definite plan by Mavcom to charge RM1 levy to all departing passengers with exception of those flying the rural air services in Sabah and Sarawak. The purpose of the RM1 levy is to ensure financial sustenance and more importantly the independence of the commission. In the last 12 months we have shown results. Example, by lowering the passenger service charge from RM65 to RM35 flat for all ASEAN destinations. That's a saving of RM30 for customers."

MAVCOM, in tabling its first industry report on Tuesday, said it expects the air passenger traffic to grow between 7.8 and 8.6 per cent in 2017 with the number of air travellers expected to hit 99.6 million.

But amid decreasing air fare and competitive operating environment, revenues are expected to remain flat for most airlines. 

Source: Channel News Asia

Grill Fish @ Umbai

Ikan bakar Grill fish

Ikan Fish

Bakar Grill/burn

Makanan tradisi Melaka Malacca traditional food

Makanan food

Tradisi Traditional 

Melaka Malacca 

Selamat hari raya

Clear skies expected over Raya

Clear skies expected over Raya

It will likely be a sunny Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year in most parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

The date for sighting the Syawal new moon to determine when Aidilfitri falls has been set for June 24, and many expect Hari Raya to start the next day.

Malaysian Meteorological De­­part­­ment director-general Alui Bahari said a detailed forecast for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri period will only be released today but added that the weather is generally expected to be dry due to the current south-west monsoon.

The south-west monsoon started on May 17, and will continue until September, typically associated with lower rainfall in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

“There is always heavy traffic on the highways during the Raya pe­­riod, but good weather conditions will hopefully help to make journeys safer as the roads are dry and visibility is better,” said Alui.

The volume of vehicles that will hit the roads starting this week as families make their way back to their hometowns is expected to grow.

PLUS Malaysia Bhd said traffic plying the North-South Expressway during peak days starting Wednes­day to July 3 is set to hit 1.7 million vehicles per day.

The figure is an increase of 30% from the reported 1.2 million vehicles during the Raya peak period two years ago.

Another highway concessionaire, Lingkaran Trans Kota Sdn Bhd (Litrak), expects a 10% increase in the number of vehicles on the Sprint and Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) highways in Selangor as the Hari Raya celebration draws closer.

The LDP, which is normally used by more than 470,000 vehicles each week, may see an increase of about 10,000 vehicles this week.

Association of Highway Con­cessionaires Malaysia said in a statement that the volume of traffic is expected to increase by between 30% and 40% during the coming Raya period compared to normal times.

“The Kuala Lumpur-Karak Express­­way, East Coast Expressway (LPT1) and East Coast Highway 2 (LPT2) is expected to see an increase of 50% in traffic volume,” the statement said.

To cope with the traffic volume, PLUS has issued a travel time advisory to help the public plan their journey and to distribute traffic between June 21 and July 3.

Those planning to travel from the Klang Valley to their hometowns in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, northern Perak and Johor are advised to enter the highway before 10am.

Those heading towards nearer destinations such as in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, southern Perak and central Perak, are advised to start their journey and enter the North-South Expressway after 10am on designated days.

Meanwhile, Penang is expecting an influx of visitors who are set to take advantage of the four-day Aidilfitri holiday.

“Last year, the traffic was not so bad, but it is too early to predict the congestion this year,” said state traffic police enforcement chief Supt Roslan Ali.

He added that traffic police would be out daily under Ops Selamat from now until July 2.

Malaysian Hoteliers Association Penang Chapter chairman Khoo Boo Lim said most hotels in the state were almost full.

“Penang is a top choice for local tourists and many are definitely coming here during the break,” he added.

~News courtesy of The Star~

DPM: Tourism tax will be imposed

DPM: Tourism tax will be imposed

The Government is going ahead with its tourism tax to be imposed from July 1.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who disclosed this yesterday, said more funds were needed to support tourism promotion activities.

“At present, some states receive little (funds), some get more,” he said. Under the new tax, hotel guests will be charged between RM2.50 and RM20 for every night’s stay, depending on the classification of the hotel.

Dr Ahmad Zahid disclosed that the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday directed that the tourism tax spat involving Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and the Sarawak and Sabah governments be put to an end.

“The Prime Minister chaired the Cabinet meeting and I have personally met with the Chief Ministers of Sarawak and Sabah.

“So the chapter is closed,’’ he told reporters after closing an Islamic education workshop here yesterday.

Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah had called on the Government to defer the implementation of the tourism tax in Sarawak and Sabah. This invited criticism from Nazri.

Dr Ahmad Zahid also said RM10mil will be given to the Advisory Board for the Coordination of Islamic Education for the enhancement of Islamic educational institutions.

The workshop approved several resolutions, including one on a special mechanism to strengthen Federal-state cooperation in Islamic educational development.

~News courtesy of The Star~

More trains and buses for Raya

More trains and buses for Raya

The Transport Ministry hopes to add more trains and express buses to serve the balik kampung crowds during the coming festive season.

Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said he had already directed KTM Berhad to increase its services for the period.

“Most of the demand is from Kuala Lumpur to the northern states. So, they will be providing 27 trips daily to the northern states, some up to Padang Besar.

“There is a limit to how much we can increase for the time being, however, because we do not have enough train coaches,” he told reporters after launching the Hari Raya integrated operations and road safety campaign here yesterday.

The ministry, said Liow, was also working with express bus operators to try and increase the number of buses during the Hari Raya period.

However, he said there was a lack of bus drivers due to more stringent selection criteria.

Promoting safe trips: Liow talking to a passenger after launching the Hari Raya integrated operations and road safety campaign.

“(For some routes) we will need two drivers to take turns because of the long distance.

“These are among the shortcomings we have during the Raya season but we will work towards overcoming them,” he said.

On the road accident statistics for last year, Liow said the numbers had increased, especially for fatalities.

“Last year, we had 521,466 road accidents compared to 489,606 previously.

“The number of fatalities from road accidents showed a sudden increase – going up to 7,152 deaths last year compared to 6,706 in 2015.

“During the two-week road safety campaign last year, police recorded 20,982 accidents, with 299 deaths,” he said.

As over 60% of the fatalities involved motorcyclists, Liow said this year’s campaign would focus on raising awareness among this group of road users.

“None of these statistics mean that the previous campaign have failed. If you look at the ratio of accidents to registered vehicles, that has actually gone down.

“We went from four deaths for every 10,000 vehicles in 2010 to 2.59 deaths for every 10,000 vehicles last year.

“In developed countries, the ratio is two deaths for every 10,000 vehicles and we aim to reach this by 2020,” he said.

This year's road safety campaign, with the theme “Pandu Cermat Sampai Selamat” will run for two weeks and includes advocacy as well as enforcement of road safety rules and regulations.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Matta supports tourism tax

Matta supports tourism tax, but ...



The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (Matta) is urging the Government to delay the rollout of the impending Tourism Tax (TTx), or at least parts of it.

While saying the association is behind the tax, its president Datuk Hamzah Rahmat said the Aug 1 implementation date may not be an ideal time.

The TTx will not only affect domestic tourists, but also Malaysians who have to travel for other purposes such as studies, medical treatments or family obligations.

"Those people who have to travel will have to travel, and they will be forced to pay for it. It doesn’t just affect tourists," he said on Wednesday.

Hamzah suggests the TTx be imposed on 4-star and 5-star hotels first, but be deferred on lower-rated hotels, hostels and accommodation premises to a later date.

“I’m not saying that this tax shouldn't be imposed at all, but now is not the time for it,” he said.

Hamzah added that domestic travel is currently picking up due to the high cost of overseas travel, and he was concerned that an additional tax would deter Malaysians from travelling domestically.

The Penang, Langkawi and Malacca state governments are already charging RM2 to RM9 depending on the type of hotel the guest is staying in.

Passed as part of the Tourism Tax Bill 2017, TTx will see local and international tourists paying a levy to the operators of accommodation premises.

The tax rate is fixed and charged on a per-room, per-night basis.

The rates are RM20 for five-star accommodations, RM10 for four-star accommodations, RM5 for one- to three-star accommodations, and RM2.50 for non-rated accommodations, including budget hotels.

Engineer Lim Chze Hong, 33, who travels twice a month for work, said the TTx would be an unnecessary burden for Malaysians and should only be imposed on foreign tourists.

"It is an extra burden on top of the funds we need to spend to travel outstation for work, regardless if the rooms are paid for by the company or not.

“If this is a ‘tourism tax’, then they should not impose the tax on anyone who books a room using their MyKad,” he said.

Meanwhile, 41-year-old writer Vivan Chong said that she wouldn't mind paying the tax if the revenue was used to develop the local tourism industry.

She however asked if there are solid plans in place regarding the funding.

"The rates are not a burden money-wise, but I think the real question is, who is this supposed to benefit in the first place and why are we being taxed for already contributing to the economy by travelling locally," she added.

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had said that the tax revenue would be spent mainly on tourism and infrastructure development throughout the country.

He said the tax was necessary because the Government needed to mitigate uncertainties in the oil-and-gas industry, adding that the Government was expected to collect about RM800mil annually through the new tax.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Hot, dry days until September

Hot, dry days until September

The southwest monsoon has brought with it hotter and drier weather to peninsular Ma­­laysia and Sarawak.

Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment (MetMalaysia) director-general Alui Bahari said the monsoon season started yesterday.

He said the southwest monsoon came after the end of the inter-monsoon period which brought heavy rains to the peninsula last month.

The monsoon is expected to last until September.

“Generally, during the southwest monsoon, the country will experience lower rainfall in the peninsula and Sarawak,” Alui said in an email.

He said there would be more dry days ahead than wet ones in these two areas during this period.

“But Sabah will receive more rain than other states” he added.

According to the MetMalaysia website, there are four seasons in Malaysia - the southwest monsoon (May to September), northeast monsoon (early November to March), and two inter-monsoon seasons in between.

Rain is only expected to return in October during the next inter-monsoon period.

The northeast monsoon will bring heavy rain to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, west Sarawak and the northeast of Sabah.

Meanwhile, to escape the hot weather, more people have been seeking shelter in shopping malls

Malaysia Shopping Malls Asso­ciation adviser HC Chan said families would spend more time in malls when the weather got hotter.

“They will have many options in­­clu­­ding going to the restaurants and shops to escape the heat,” he said.

Chan said since the hot spell began recently, there has been a 10% increase in the number of visitors to shopping malls in the Klang Valley.

~News courtesy of The Star~

PLUS highway tolls go cashless

PLUS highway tolls go cashless



Traffic snarl: Motorists stuck in traffic jam on the first day of toll plazas going cashless.

KUALA LUMPUR: All tolls on PLUS highways are now fully electronic and no cash payments will be accepted.

PLUS Malaysia Berhad managing director Datuk Azman Ismail said as of yesterday, PLUS highway users were required to pay toll with PlusMiles card, Touch ‘n Go (TnG) Card, SmartTag, or MyKad equipped with TnG chips.

“The objective of a fully electronic system is to ensure a smoother and faster toll transaction and a more comfortable journey for road users,” said Azman.

“The electronic toll collection system is 300% faster than the manual cash system.”

A SmartTag lane can cater up to 1,000 vehicles per hour and a TnG lane, 600 vehicles per hour, compared with only 180 vehicles per hour at a manual cash lane, he added.

Azman said the migration to full electronic toll collection system was implemented by PLUS in stages since 2008.

The affected highways, which have a total of 94 toll plazas, are the North-South Expressway (NSE), North-South Expressway Central Link, New Klang Valley Expressway, Federal Highway Route 2, Seremban-Port Dickson Highway, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, Malaysia–Singapore Second Crossing and Penang Bridge.

Speaking at a press conference at the Sungai Besi Toll Plaza, Azman said that feedback and the level of awareness from highway users on the cashless system have been positive, with a 92% penetration nationwide.

He added that PLUS has been running campaigns and advertisements to create awareness on the migration to the new system.

Lanes to top up and purchase TnG cards will be opened for 24 hours at all toll plazas.

PlusMiles cards are also available at all PLUS Customer Service Centres operating at selected toll plaza offices.

Meanwhile, Azman gave an assurance that all existing PLUS toll booth attendants numbering more than 2,000 would not be affected and that some would be redeployed to nearby toll plazas to assist with the new system.

Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Syahrunizam Samsudin said there were no plans to reduce the price of the SmartTag (RM127.20) or TnG card (RM10.60, without pre-loaded value).

He also clarified that the service charge to top up a TnG card and the cap on the reload amount were business models of respective retailers, and customers always have the options to reload their cards elsewhere.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Melaka Sentral - Bus Terminal

All airports are safe, says Liow

All airports are safe, says Liow

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has assured Malaysians that airports in the country are safe following tight security.

 "The airports are safe, and we will we will continue to strengthen our security," he told reporters after the launch of the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Sungai Long Campus).

This follows the Feb 13 murder of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2).

The 45-year-old half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was killed at KLIA2 when two women swiped his face with a liquid. 

The liquid has since been identified as the deadly nerve agent VX, a banned chemical weapon of mass destruction.

The airport was declared cleared of any trace of the VX nerve agent after a sweep by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), the Fire and Rescue Department and police early Sunday.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Happy New Year 2017