Madras Coffee at Ananda Bahwam

Ananda Bahwam is an Indian restaurant along Tanjung Bungah and they serve a special Madras Coffee which comes in 2 parts. The coffee is in the main cup and the milk is in the saucer below to enjoy as you please. Picture Credit : Hooi Keat (Thanks!)

From Wikipedia :

South Indian Coffee, also known as Filter Coffee is a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans (70%-80%) and chicory (20%-30%), especially popular in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The most commonly used coffee beans are Peaberry (preferred), Arabica, Malabar and Robusta grown in the hills of Kerala (Malabar region), Karnataka (Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru) and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris District,Yercaud and Kodaikanal).

Outside India, a coffee drink prepared using a filter may be known as Filter Coffee or as Drip Coffee as the water passes through the grounds solely by gravity and not under pressure or in longer-term contact.

Preparation

Metal South Indian coffee filter disassembled

South Indian coffee is brewed with a metal device that resembles two cylindrical cups, one of which has a pierced bottom that nests into the top of the "tumbler" cup, leaving ample room underneath to receive the brewed coffee. The upper cup has two removable parts: a pierced pressing disc with a central stem handle, and a covering lid.

The upper cup is loaded with fresh ground coffee mixed with chicory (~2 tablespooons of mixture per serving). The grounds are gently compressed with the stemmed disc into a uniform layer across the cup's pierced bottom. With the press disc left in place, the upper cup is nested into the top of the tumbler and boiling water is poured inside. The lid is placed on top, and the device is left to slowly drip the brewed coffee into the bottom.

Traditional Madras-style Dabarah (or) Davarah and tumbler placed with the open end facing down as customary

The resulting brew is very potent, and is traditionally consumed by adding 1-2 tablespoons to a cup of boiling milk with the preferred amount of sugar. The coffee is drunk from the tumbler (although a word of English origin, it seems to be the most commonly used name for this vessel), but is often cooled first with a dabarah - "daBbarah" (also pronounced in some regions as 'davarah'): a wide metal saucer with lipped walls.

Coffee is typically served after pouring back and forth between the dabarah and the tumbler in huge arc-like motions of the hand. This cools down the very hot coffee and leaves a thick layer of froth on top. Less dramatically, the coffee can be swirled around gently inside the dabarah to cool it.

Economy Rice

My friend Hooi Keat shot this nice picture of his lunch...economy rice. It is basically rice with your choice of meats and vegetables, a sort of cheap fast food. It's very common in Penang and quite tasty!

Carrot Milk Drink

Carrot Milk Drink, originally uploaded by tidaknama.

Carrot juice with milk and ice...very refreshing on a hot day. I like the Jumbo sized one which is served at Gossip Corner, which is the drink stall at the Pulau Tikus wet market at night. It's the little hawker drink stall to the far right.

Soupy Wantan Mee

Soupy Wantan Mee, originally uploaded by tidaknama.

Here is the Wan Tan mee in a soup. Very nice on a rainy day.

Kwan Lo Mee

Kwan Lo Mee, originally uploaded by tidaknama.

Or dry wantan mee at Pulau Tikus for breakfast.

Hokkien Prawn Mee

Hokkien Prawn Mee, originally uploaded by tidaknama.

A tasty noodle dish in a prawn based soup with lots of chilly, fried shallots, pork and prawns of course. This as also at Bee Hooi.

Oyster Omelete at Bee Hooi

Oyster Omelete at Bee Hooi, originally uploaded by tidaknama.

My second day home and is off to Bee Hooi in Pulau Tikus to have my favourite Orr Chien aka Oyster Omelete. Costs RM6 a plate of freshly cooked eggs and omelete eaten with chilly sauce.