This shop specialises in selling “Riverfood” such as freshwater prawns and fishes. But the name of this shop seems to mislead the customers as it calls itself a seafood restaurant.

Sun Mee Foong is not the only restaurant to label itself as a seafood restaurant while selling “Riverfood”. Most restaurants along this stretch of road call themselves seafood restaurants while selling “Riverfood”. Especially freshwater prawns.

Almost every restaurant has its own unique prawn dishes because this is the famous hometown of freshwater prawns in Malaysia－Tanjung Tualang.

Mr Wong: These are freshwater prawns, and we have lots of them here. These are many abandoned tin quarry lakes here. The Kinta river also flows through here.

We have steamed big prawns, deep fried prawns, salted egg prawns, sweet and sour prawns, prawns in black bean sauce and drunken prawn heads.

Steamed big prawns are the tastiest. Steaming is the best method of retaining the flavour of the prawns and to enhance their appearance as it keeps them fresh and succulent. Prying open the bright red prawn shell will reveal a layer of tantalizing prawn roe, sucking out the luscious roe will make you realize that the roe is the tastiest part of the prawn. The prawn meat has a crunch to it.

The deep fried prawns. The prawns are cleaned and washed and then deep fried till fragrant. A splash of premium light soy sauce will accentuate the flavour. They have a crispy exterior with a good mix of sweetness and saltiness.

Axian: They’re all local prawns, where are they from ?

Mr Wong: From Perak River, Kinta River and abandoned tin quarry lakes. Prawn fisherman will catch the prawns and deliver them to us.

The freshwater prawns here are sweeter and more tender than those elsewhere.

Ms Wong mentioned that these freshwater prawns know how to clean themselves and brush their teeth !

Really ?

There’s actually nothing amazing about freshwater prawns brushing their teeth and cleaning their body as this self-grooming behaviour is exhibited by other creatures as well. It’s an act based on instinct and not worth making a fuss over.

Axian: What are you going to do with the ice ?

Ms Wong: I’m going to put the ice into the tank to lower the water temperature, because the temperature of the rivers tend to be cooler.  If the water temperature is too high, the prawns will die.

Axian: These freshwater prawns really get to enjoy themselves !

Ms Wong: Yes, like air-conditioning…

The proprietress must monitor the water temperature and quality closely to ensure that the daily supply of freshwater prawns are alive and kicking right up to the point where they’re cooked.

These prawns are big and beautiful. Their prawns are so fresh that steaming is all that’s required for one to enjoy their excellent flavours. Although there’s no need to add extra seasonings before steaming the prawns but some preparation work must be done prior to cooking.

The steamed prawns will have a tantalizingly sweet fragrance of wine. The reddish and fragrant prawn head contains a fat layer of thick and smooth prawn roe, the firm and springy prawn meat is smooth and sweet. These excellent freshwater prawns will leave you begging for more.

Axian: What’s the difference between sea prawns and freshwater prawns ?

Mr Wong: Sea prawns have a tougher texture, the freshwater prawns are fresher and sweeter. The meat is crunchier and firmer.

Axian: What’s so nice about it ? how’s it different from normal prawns ?

Mr Wong: Freshwater prawns are fresher, springier and tastier .

“Soft-legged Crab” is a Cantonese slang that’s use to describe a weak and incompetent person. But the legs of freshwater prawns are not soft at all. In fact, they’re very hard and have many spikes on them. But the meat inside is very sweet and tasty.

Tanjung Tualang used to be a small and quiet town, but the discovery of tin here transformed it into a bustling town. After the collapse of the tin mining industry business revolving around freshwater prawns became Tanjung Tualang’s major source of income and prevented it from becoming a ghost town.

Single day food tours organized by travel agencies brought fame to this breeding ground for freshwater prawns. These freshwater prawns that brought prosperity to the town were given an honorary name “Tanjung Tualang Prawns”. Tanjung Tualang is a small town famous for its tin mines. There were over 100 Chinese mining companies back then. Tin mining is no longer done here now, but this town is blessed with a specialty and that’s freshwater prawns.

Axian: I’ve heard that there’s a different between a freshwater fish that’s bred and one that’s from the wild. The wild fish moves around more, thereby developing firmer flesh. Does this apply to prawns too ?

Mr Wong: The wild prawns have a larger area to roam around. The water currents are stronger too. Hence these prawns get adequate exercise, so they have stronger muscles.

Most of the freshwater prawns that we eat in Tanjung Tualang are freshly caught in this river and sent directly to the restaurants.

Axian: It is difficult to catch the prawns ?

Mr Wong: Not at all. Every evening the prawn catchers would put a piece of coconut flesh into a cage. The coconut flesh is the bait that will lure the prawns into the cage. They’ll collect the prawns in the morning. There are rivers around this area; and these are all river prawns. That’s why we have a large supply of prawns.

“Big head prawn” is a slang used to describe someone who is forgetful and careless. But I feel that the big head prawn truly deserves its name. it has such a gigantic head ! So freshwater prawns are also known as big head prawns.

This restaurant has been around since 1954 and is now in the hands of the third generation. But this wasn’t a seafood restaurant initially, the shop sold dim sum, tea, noodles and buns initially. Back in the 1960s and 1970s the tin mining industry in this area had reached its peak. So during that period, the standard of living here improved. As a result, the people demanded better food. And there was an abundance of fishes and prawns locally. Hence the shop transformed into a seafood restaurant.

Add: 21 & 23, Market Street, Tg. Tualang, Perak， West Malaysia

GPS COORDINATE 卫星导航: N 04° 19.526’ E 101° 3.344’
Tel: ＋605-3609321

No related posts.