Honestly speaking (ermm, typing), I lack appreciation of Kerala Cuisine. I know little differences between the many South Indian cuisines. BUT, I have an ultimate favourite which is Injipuli (literally translates to Ginger Tamarind). When you attend Malayalee weddings or events, you’d often find this pickle-sort of dish served. If you do, there’s also high probability that you hear an older Malayalee aunty who’s critiquing the dish – needs more brown sugar, ginger pieces too big, colour is just not right shade of spicy red and whatnot. Well, all I know is that Injipuli shall taste however my mother makes it. Because… Amma knows best, and she’s the best cook I know. I’m just a happy kid who’s about to eat her Chinese Economy Rice dinner with a teaspoon of Injipuli on the side. 😬
Amma’s fresh batch of homemade Injipuli, 🙂
Note : This blog post is part of my 30 Days Microblog Challenge which I began in September 2018. To read more from this series, you can select ‘Microblog’ under Category. Or, search for #therainbowhatmicroblogs on Instagram. 🙂 Topics for this series are a mix of my own brainchild and prompts from my Insta-friends.
While the Malaysian hipster café scenes are becoming increasingly famous and Instagram worthy, there are old-fashioned, simple hawker stalls that still attract many customers. One such hidden gem is Teh Halia Titiwangsa, which is a little tea stall located in Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur. My father used to bring me here whenever we had to run errands around the area. He’s been a satisfied customer of this stall since his early working days.
It is an understatement to say that this stall serves the tastiest ginger tea in Malaysia for only RM 2.70 per cup. Its owner, Subramaniam Govindapillai, better known as Uncle Subra, has been serving his special ginger tea for about 28 years now.
Uncle Subra single-handedly brews every cup of tea that’s ordered in this stall.
Besides its famous teh halia which is an absolute pleasure to one’s senses, the stall also serves assorted Malaysian teatime delights such as curry puffs, nasi lemak and pulut panggang (grilled glutinous rice in banana leaves). These snacks are perfect compliments for the spicy hot ginger tea which is brewed to perfection. I prefer having my cup of ginger tea with plain bun dipped.
Memories from childhood, no? Plain bun dipped in hot drink.
Unlce Subra says he uses about 300 kg of ginger on monthly basis. Besides serving his loyal customers, he also receives orders for different events around Kuala Lumpur, sometimes up to 5000 cups. Despite being in the business for many years, Uncle Subra has not put up any signboards for the stall. He solely depends on the reputation of his tea and recommendations of his always satisfied patrons.
Another special element of the stall is its setting that encourages people to make conversations and forge new friendships over a cup of spicy ginger tea. If you are up for a change of setting from the oh-s0-famous cafes, or looking for a place to have a classic teh tarik session, this is the place to go.
Teh Halia Titiwangsa operates daily from 2.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m., only closes for Deepavali.
Caution : Be ready to brace the hot Sun if you intend to go around 3-5 p.m.
Location on Google Maps : Lorong Titiwangsa 5, Jalan Pahang, Titiwangsa
This article was originally written as submission for The Star’s 45@45 Giveaway contest.
The Rainbow Hat 