REVIEW – XIN JIANG PEI PA DUCK RICE

I was quite reluctant to post up this review as the experience there was not so pleasant. If not for the great taste of the Pei Pa Duck, I would have just ignored them. Anyway, it’s better for me to forewarn my readers rather than to let them endure the high pricing, bad taste quality of their other products. I was there on their second day of their night operation. While I was dining half way, the garden lightings went dark. Some short circuit I guessed but while dining there for barely 25 minutes, the whole café went dark. Worst still, twice. I hope they did not employ cheap electricians to handle their wiring as it might be quite risky for the patrons there. Well, this might just be a coincident while I was there.

This was not a big issue for me. The main problem lied on the water quality of that area. The water tasted just like chlorine. Although the drink maker did solve this problem, the duck rice hawker did not. The rice tasted horrid. The taste of chlorine was overpowering for me to finish it. I did inform the boss about that and I hope he would take heed on my complaint before he loses more customers. Anyway, before I knew about the problem, I ordered a quarter of a Pei Pa Duck, a mixed platter of Char Siew, Roasted Pork, Chinese Sausage and Roasted Chicken. It came with a complimentary bowl of Chop Suey. All for RM24 which I considered quite high price for the small portion served for 3 persons.

The Pei Pa Duck was tasty. I ordered just a quarter to try out and I was lucky enough to have the drumstick. The meat was tender and without the strong taste of duck scent. The skin was fried to perfection and maintained its crispiness. The sauce which came with the duck was tasty and combined real well with the duck meat. Although this is not the best in Penang, it still deserved some mentions.

The mixed platter itself was a disaster. The roasted chicken was so bland. Even the roasted skin has no flavor on it. The Char Siew was also terrible. It was dry and tasteless as if it was left there for quite a long period of time. The roasted pork was also dry. The skin was so badly roasted that you would need a hammer to break it apart. Worst still, their utensils were so soft that you can perform some magical bending with them. The Chinese sausage had the best taste amongst all but the boss must make more improvement on the dish as it was still a bit too dry.

I can’t comment much on the complimentary Chop Suey as it was given free but I also hope the boss would make some adjustments to the taste. There was only the thick sour taste of Assam juice and nothing else. The soup lacked of the taste of spices such as dried chillies, ginger and lemongrass.

If you are coming from Bukit Jambul Complex towards the Penang International Airport along Jalan Tun Dr Awang, you will come to a “Y” junction. PISA Stadium is on your left, Public Bank is on your right. Turn right into Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim which will lead you to Sg. Ara district. You will pass 3 traffic lights. Drive on until see S.M.K. Sg. Ara on your left. Keep to your right and you would see another traffic light not far away. Turn right into Jalan Kenari. You will see a sign there stating Desa Ria. Drive on and turn left into the first junction (Tingkat Kenari). Drive on and you would see the café not far away on your right. This place will also serve dim sum (Tien Tien Lye Dim Sum) from 5.00am until noon.

Name: PEI PA DUCK RICE @ XIN JIANG CAFE
Address:
14A, Lengkuk Kenari, Desa Ria Sungai Ara
11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia.
Opening Hours: 9.00am – 12.00am
Contact: 016-450 3406
GPS: 5.318031, 100.266983

RATING:
Ambience: 7/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 classy)
Food Choices: 7/10 (1-4 limited, 5-7 average, 8-10 many choices)
Taste: 6/10 (1-4 tasteless, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)
Pricing: 9/10 (1-4 cheap, 5-7 average, 8-10 expensive)
Service: 7/10 (1-4 bad, 5-7 average, 8-10 excellent)

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RECIPE – CRISPY VEGETARIAN DUCK

As the Nine Emperor Gods’ Birthday is nearing this coming Monday, 29 September 2008 (ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar), most of the Chinese Buddhist would undergo a 9-10 days of meatless diets. There will be many vegetarian food stalls set up all over town, especially in Penang, where the devotees would flock around the temples to welcome the return of the gods from heaven to earth. Although the buying of the food would be easy, I still prefer to cook up something on my own. One of the dishes which I love to make would be the CRISPY VEGETARIAN DUCK. It’s easy to make and yet delicious enough to be shared on the dining table. Let me share with you the traditional recipe that has been in my family for generations.

INGREDIENTS (Make 6 pieces)
6 sheets of dried tofu skin (31” x 23”)
3 pieces of red fermented beancurd (ang tao joo)
1½ glass water (450ml)
1½ Porcelain spoon fine sugar
1½ Porcelain spoon corn flour
1½ teaspoon sesame oil
¾ teaspoon Five Spice Powder
2 teaspoon pepper
3 Porcelain spoon soy sauce
100gms sesame seed (slightly fry roast to golden brown in wok without oil)

OPTIONAL
6 medium Chinese Mushrooms (Soak, sliced and marinate with some ginger juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and pinch of sugar)

PREPARATION
1. Take a large bowl, mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Add in the roasted sesame seed last.
2. Place the tofu skin on a large tray or a clean table top length wise.
3. Dampen the right half of the skin (approximately a small ladle full or less depending on your ladle size) and fold into two fron left to right (as per diagram below – click on it to enlarge further).
4. Dampen slightly the folded skin. Fold 1/3 downwards and 1/3 upwards (as per diagram).
5. Dampen slightly again and fold 1/4 inwards on both sides (as per diagram).
6. Fold into half and secure with two long bamboo sticks upwards (as per diagram).
7. Heat up a wok with water. When boil, lower fire and place the ready vegetarian duck on a plate and for 10 minutes until bloated up. DO NOT over steam. You might have to steam many times as the “duck” has to be separated apart when steaming and your wok might not be big enough to fit all.
8. Leave aside to cool down. Make sure they are TOTALLY cool down before frying to ensure the fluffiness.
9. Fry in a wok of hot oil and cut according to your preference.

(Serves: 5-6)

FOLDING DIAGRAM

Most people would just serve this with chili sauce but I prefer the traditional way of eating the vegetarian duck with homemade pickle. Just place the pickle in an air tight jar and keep it refrigerated. It would last you more than a week if you are careful enough to use an extremely dry chopsticks to take them out when serving. You can even take them with Pork Roll (Lor Bak) or Liver Roll (Too Kua Kean). Here’s the recipe for the pickle. Marinate it for half a day would be good enough before serving with your dishes.

PICKLE RECIPE
500gms radish
100gms carrot
1 thumb size young ginger
4 Porcelain spoon fine sugar
3 Porcelain spoon lime juice (about 4-5 lime)
1 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION
1. Remove the skin of the carrot and radish. Cut half the carrot and a quarter the radish. Use a kitchen helper to slice them thinly. You can cut some decorations on the vegetables if you want to.
2. Scrape off the skin of the young ginger. Slice thinly and cut into strips.
3. Mixed the vegetables with the rest of the ingredients. Bottle it up.
4. Best served with your dishes when chilled.

If you feel that there is too much work involved in coming up with the pickle, here is another sauce recipe. I called it The Lazy Man’s Sauce… LOL!

LAZY MAN SAUCE
Some tomato ketchup
Some pounded peanut candy (khong th’ng / kacang tumbuk)
Some roasted sesame seed

PREPARATION
Mix all in a bowl. Best served with any fried meat or fried tofu end products.

YOU CAN CHECK HERE FOR MORE RECIPES.

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