IF YOU ARE one of those food travellers and are always on a look out and not afraid to try out authentic local dishes, then the gulai ikan temenung is a must try dish whenever you are in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly in Kedah and Perlis.
And one of the best restaurants to try the dish is at Mak Teh Gulai Temenung restaurant in Sungai Sanglang, Kedah. It serves the best gulai temenung I’ve ever tried, eating in a restaurant I mean. Of course, nothing can beat mum’s cooking.
Gulai is actually curry as known by the people in the northern states. While, ikan temenung is Indian Mackerel (ikan means fish and temenung or kembung is Indian Mackeral).
This dish is popular in Kuala Kedah and normally eaten with white rice, sambal belacan (pounded bird chillies with prawn paste) and ulam (herbs/greens). FOR BREAKFAST.
Yep, you read it right. It is norm for the northern people to have heavy breakfast. No wonder the restaurant is normally packed during mid to late morning.
Like pizza which was considered poor people food, the gulai ikan temenung was food for the farmers as the fish is cheap and eaten with rice, will fill the belly and give energy for the farmers to work at their paddy fields from morning till noon.
Mak Teh Gulai Temenung restaurant, although is famous for it’s fish curry, you need to try the humble fried fish. Mak Teh (the owner) is using the same Indian Mackerel type of fish but they are fried until crisps.
According to the owner, Mak Teh (who else?), the fishes and other seafood served here are all fresh, bought from the fishermen who load their catch for the day at the jetty nearby. The restaurant serves more than fish curry, it also has variety of Malay cuisine for you to try.
Another of Mak Teh’s signature dish is her Udang Telur Goyang (prawns and half cooked fried egg). For this dish Mak Teh is using medium to big size prawns.
The prawns are cooked using the same spices including lemongrass to make the curry. Once the prawn are cooked and the gravy thickened, an egg is fried for less than a minute with the prawns. The yolk is still completely liquid and the whites on the surface are barely set.
So, the next time you’re in Kedah, why not just drive a bit further up and look for Mak Teh Gulai Temenung restaurant. The place may be a bit tricky to find but the place is highly recommended.
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