Thursday, August 28, 2014

Two satay eateries in town reel in the biggest crowd

The Star, Wednesday August 27, 2014 

THE fourth instalment of The Star People’s Food Awards for September is satay. 

If you would like to recommend a few good places for satay, post them on Metro Online Broadcast (MOB) and stand a chance to win attractive prizes such as hotel stays and dining vouchers.

The stall you nominate will be up for the best Malaysian street food title in the Klang Valley.

Participating is easy. Just take pictures of the meal and a general shot of the eatery with your smartphone.

Write us a short note and post it on mob.com.my

Nominations are open for the first 10 days of the month (Sept 1 to 10), followed by voting from Sept 15 until the end of the month.

Every month until May next year, the public can vote for their favourite category-based street food such as satay, asam laksa, nasi lemak and char koay teow.

This week, MOB features two popular satay eateries. 

HAJI SAMURI (MEDAN SATAY KAJANG)
Jalan Sulaiman, Bandar Kajang, Kajang, Selangor

Kajang has been famous for its satay since the 1960s, with Sate Kajang Haji Samuri said to be one of the best.

The infamous Haji Samuri Satay at its first stall in 'Medan Sate Kajang' has since sprouted numerous outlets around the Klang Valley and one in Negeri Sembilan. Grilled to perfection, the combination of Beef and Chicken satay comes highly recommended as they are both succulent and well marinated with a slightly charred bitterness that contrasts with the sweetness of the meat and sauce. There are however a number of other satay to choose from made with Beef Tripe, Chicken Liver and Gizzards, Mutton, Fish, and the unusual Rabbit. A choice of Nasi Impit and Ketupat with a side of onions and cucumber are availabe for dipping in the deliciously nutty Peanut Sauce that can be made spicier according to taste with the chilli paste oil.
The eateries skewed meats are succulent and well marinated.
 
The stall that was set up in Medan Sate Kajang in 1992 has since become a large franchise with several outlets around the Klang Valley, Putrajaya and one in Negri Sembilan.

Freshly cooked over a charcoal grill, the sticks of satay are usually eaten with peanut sauce (kuah kacang).

The aromatic grilled skewered meat consists of chicken and beef tenderloin. The meat is succulent with well-marinated flavours.

There is a slightly crispy, charred texture on the meat, which is a nice contrast to the nutty sauce.

While the peanut sauce looks slightly diluted, it is still flavourful and not too sweet. You can make it more spicy by adding chilli paste oil.

A variety of meat is served on skewers including beef tripe, chicken liver and gizzard, local mutton, fish and rabbit.

The Javanese recipe, believed to date back to 1917, is made at the Haji Samuri factories in Kajang, offering a standardised taste across the eateries. 

Haji Samuri in Medan Sate Kajang is open from 10.30am to 12.30am on Mondays to Thursdays, 4pm to 1am on Fridays, and 10.30am to 1am on Saturdays and Sundays. By YVONNE T. NATHAN

WILLY SATAY

Ramal Food Junction, Jalan Sungai Ramal, Kajang is the place to be for the best satay in the Klang Valley, say fans. 

Willy Satay has been reeling in customers since it first opened in Kajang in 2008. 

The stall gets so packed that sometimes customers are told their order will only come after an hour.

Rosman Shahid, the owner of Willy Satay, began his business in Hassan Cafe, Sungai Ramal, in 2005 and later opened another stall in Ramal Food Junction in 2008.

Star Street Food Awards Satay Willy.
In a day, Willy Satay can sell between 9,000 and 15,000 sticks of satay.
 
“Aside from the marinade, our satay sauce is what draws people. The peanut sauce is mixed with a secret ingredient, which is my father’s creation,” said Rosman’s son, Fariz Ki.

Their bestseller is the lamb satay but unfortunately, when I arrived, they had none left.

At 7.30pm, their stall in Hassan Cafe already had a line of people waiting for their take-away. 

I then went to their new two-unit restaurant in Nilai, about 25 minutes’ drive from their current location. 

Here, I sampled their chicken and beef satay. 

Out of the 10 sticks of chicken satay, the meat was mostly tender and lean.

The beef satay, however, was a little tough. 

Willy Satay at Hassan Cafe only does take-away from 11am to 8pm while the Ramal Food Junction stall operates from 3.30pm to 11.30pm. 

The chicken satay is 80 per stick, beef satay (80sen), lamb satay (RM1.20) and tripe satay (RM1). All come with nasi impit or ketupat lontong. By KATHLEEN MICHAEL

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Illegal dumpsite in Hulu Langat continues to burn after 10 days

The Star, Wednesday August 6, 2014 

Workers at an illegal dump site along Jalan Hulu Langat seen attempting to stifle the burning rubbish by heaping sand on top of the pile.
Workers at an illegal dump site along Jalan Hulu Langat seen attempting to stifle the burning rubbish by heaping sand on top of the pile.
A PEAT fire is raging under an illegal dumpsite in Hulu Langat, Kajang.

A heavy blanket of smoke covers the entire area and the situation has worsened with the prolonged drought and haze.

Smoke has been emitting from the site for the past 10 days.

StarMetro visited the dumpsite along Jalan Hulu Langat on Monday and found that most of the waste consisted of construction debris and broken furniture.

The dumpsite is also a threat to the environment as it is near the Ulu Langat Forest Reserve.

A nearby resident who did not want to be identified said the illegal dumpsite has been operating for several years.

“People would collect money when rubbish trucks enter the area.

“This has been going on for more than 10 years, but the authorities have turned a blind eye,” he said.

The site was poorly fenced with discarded materials and a few workers could be seen in the vicinity.

Feedlot owner Azlin Khalid, who operates a feed yard for livestock at the top of the hill, said he was shocked to see flames and smoke at the site.

“I had to relocate my animals to higher ground as I was afraid the fire would spread,” he said, adding that he has about 300 livestock.

“Personnel from the Kajang Fire and Rescue Department came to put out the fire on the first night and they were here for three days.

“But, the rubbish pile is still emitting smoke and it is worse at night,” he said.

Azlin added that despite complaints to the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj), no action had been taken to close down the site.

A representative from the Fire and Rescue Department said they would continue to monitor the situation.

“The fire will not spread as it is contained within the rubbish heap.

“It is difficult to put out the flames completely. In addition, there are no water sources nearby.

“We have to get a fresh supply every half an hour,” he said.

Dusun Tua assemblyman Razaly Hassan said there was an issue over jurisdiction.

“Neither MPKj nor the Hulu Langat Land and District Office could confirm who the land belonged to, but it should either be a forest reserve or state government land.

“I have brought this up many times during the Hulu Langat Action Committee meeting, but still no action has been taken,” he said.

Razaly added that he would pursue the matter with the relevant authorities.

Council mulls setting up spy team to nab litterbugs

The Star, Wednesday August 6, 2014

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) is considering to create a “spy team” to nab litterbugs and those who put up illegal advertisements.

Councillor Bryan Lai, who was speaking at the MPKj full board meeting, the council already had existing bylaws to counter such illegal activities but they were not enforced.

“Allan Liew from MCA recently criticised that enforcement was lax in MPKj; he is right.

“The council’s health department inspectors have the right to nab litter bugs but to my knowledge, there was only one litter bug nabbed so far,” Lai said.

He said the council’s town services department had suggested that a spy team be set up.

“RM1.3mil is spent to collect illegally dumped rubbish.

“If we spend so much, we might as well spend money on nabbing the offenders and issuing them fines.

“This will in turn generate revenue for the council.

“The maximum fine is RM1,000 for vandalism,” he said, adding that councillors were pushing for the set up of this team.

It was no surprise that the long-standing issue of waste management had been raised at the meeting again.

The council’s waste contractors are currently going to the landfill in Tanjung Dua Belas in Kuala Langat, about 40km from Kajang,

The Selangor government has suggested that the council either build a transfer station or repair the Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) centre in Semenyih.

The RDF now has 30,000 tonnes of unprocessed rubbish since May.

Currently, the council is reducing its collection frequency in residential areas from thrice a week to once or twice a week as a short-term plan.

Lai urged that a task force be set up to study and solve the waste management problem immediately.

Kajang Municipal Council president Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman said the council would look into the suggestion to see if there was a need for a task force.

A new councillor, Chan Su Sann, was sworn in last week.

Chan was formerly a councillor of the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council.