Craving Session...Arghhh!!

Argh. Since I came back from Raya, I just couldn't shake this craving that have....This craving really drove me crazy but I just couldn't find the right channel to assuage the lust that I have (oh mama mia!)


You see, I crave for this object.


It's gray in colour, cylinder in shape (like a sausage to be exact),, longish (about 6 inches minimum, and can go up to a whopping 10 inches long), and yep, it came in sizes - the small ones would normally have a diameter of roughly 1 inch across, and the big ones would have a diameter of about 2 inches across...In whatever sizes that it came from, it's deeply satisfying, and once I taste it I just couldn't stop !!!! I would just go on and on and on and on until I am fully satiated. And yep, I would just suck every juicy bits of that thingy, every last drop of that juicy, velvety good taste!


Wait. Did I sound like a sultry, super sexy adult (read:porn) movie advertisement ????

Sarah Michelle Gellar, former Buffy The Vampire Slayer actress....yummy!


Alamak...Sorry to mislead you.


Was actually talking about this.


Keropok lekor Terengganu..
Pic from the Net


You see, the other day, when I came back from Terengganu for Raya, I didn't get a chance to stock up my keropok lekor. Reason being, Mr Hubby decided to try the supposedly finished LPT/Lebuhraya Pantai Timur highway and bypassing the coastal state roads along Marang/Dungun/Kemaman, which are laden with roadside stalls that offers a haven for seafood lovers.

Yep, I missed those keropok lekor or fish sausage (I made up that description!), that keropok keping (fish crackers?), all those lovely ikan kering/salted fish, budu (anchovies sauce?) etc etc....sigh....


So this prompted another trip down memory lane, when my relatives used to make their own keropok...Hopefully, by doing this I could ease off my keropok lekor cravings...hmmm, worth a shot, no ????



You see, the single most important ingredient in making keropok is of course, the fish. The more, the better. And the best fish is ikan tamban, for its sweet, sweet taste. There's also keropok ikan parang, which are famous with people from outside Terengganu because the keropok or the crackers would bloom after frying, and it had that lovely whitish colour. Of course there are many other fish which are suitable for keropok, but I simply love keropok ikan tamban.

Then, after the fish, you must have sago powder, which would help the fish mixture to stick together and hold their shapes once you roll. And of course you must add in salt and enough MSGs (optional) for taste.


OK, that's the ingredient. So how to make keropok ?

First, you must remove the scales and the skin of the fishes. The scales and the skins would make it hard for the fish mixture to stick together, so to speak, so off them go from the fish. Next, you remove the head. Just chop their heads off, show no mercy! Next, make a small slit along the fish body, and remove the guts (this is basic, who eats fish guts anyway?). Then, make another incision along the fish backbone, and remove the flesh from the bones.

Repeat this procedure until you have enough fish fillets, or until you run out of fish, or until you can't stand with the fishy smell haha. OK so next, you pound the fish fillets, and mix it with the sago powder and salt and MSGs fro taste. When I was a child, there was no such thing as a machine to pound the fish, so the adults would take turns in pounding the fish in a big, wooden mortar and pestle.

Then, you roll the mixture into that cylinder shape. In the mean time, the heat up a big periuk with enough water, pour a bit salt, and wait for the water to boil. Once it boiling, just throw the keropok rolls into the hot water and once the keropok surfaced on the hot water, voila, it's a sign that the keropok is already fully cooked. So it's chow time!!!!!


We, the Terengganu people have no qualms in eating the boiled keropoks, it's fully cooked already. But then, there are squeamish people out there who are scared to eat those boiled keropoks (read: my Hubby), so we invent the method to cut those long rolls into shorter (and cuter!) pieces, and fry those in oils. But of course, frying will intensify the taste, and will make the keropok taste even better, yummyyyy!!!!!

Keropok Goreng for tea time...
Pic also from the Net

To make keropok crackers, wait for the keropok rolls to cool down (normally the next day), and just slice the keropok rolls into paper thin pieces, and dry those under the hot, scorching sun for a few days, alternately turning the cracker pieces so that they would have enough exposure to the sun. Of course there are machines to do all these jobs nowadays, I am just recalling the traditional method of producing keropoks....


The most famous place for keropok in Terengganu is a place called Losong. So the name keropok Losong is almost like a brand name, with places as far as Cherating and Kota Bharu also boast of selling keropok Losong at their stalls. During Raya of school holidays, the queue for keropok Losong is very, very long, and could easily turn into catfights if you are stupid enough to cheat and cut queue of the guy or the makcik before you! Lol!




Argh. Talking about this simply intensify my cravings. Gaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! Mayday mayday, need to make a phone call to Terengganu and ask (read: FORCE) my sister to go and buy the keropok, and courier them to me.


Ahhhhh don't I love the technology and the courier company ???


Well I rest my case....