This Little Piggy Went To Market

and you didn't think I was referring to moi, did you?

I've always had a fascination with local markets even though there's a good chance they'll make their usual assault on all the senses and leave you trailing muddy feet home- at least in this part of the world. They hold rich secrets to the ordinary lives of people residing in the area. Fresh produce reflect the local agricultural activity and the history of local and foreign influences in their cuisine. The spice and dried good stalls foretell of the complexity of ingredients that get stirred into the every day sustenance put on the table. Food stalls which exude tempting smells and colours quickly melt into flavours on the palate, are an instant reminder of the simple good things in life. Clothing stalls are a quick cue to the local dress code and life style, displaying a choice ranging from the hot trends for the younger set to the traditional favourites.

meandering line of stalls

The Temerloh Sunday Market, or Pekan Sehari (one-day market) as it is commonly known, was our weekend escape from the city. Taking the snaking Karak Highway out of town through the mountain range with a pleasant drop in temperature, we arrived within two hours. It was mid-morning and the approach to the market was lined with cars double-parked as the crowds had already been coming through since operating hours were from sunrise to about just past noon. The scene was bustling and bursting with people but had a good Sunday feel to it, probably owing to the fact that its riverbank site meanders along the Pahang River (the longest river in Malaysia). We squeezed ourselves into the crowd and got swept along with kids trailing behind their parents.

local version of cereal- long grain and glutinous rice pounded flat

Some entertainment was provided in the form of the itinerant herbal potion seller inseparable from his microphone broadcasting promises of youth and vitality and the wild honey harvester with faded photographs attesting to his tree-top life-endangering efforts. Adding uniqueness to this market is the produce foraged from the nearby jungles by villagers, like the brown feathery fungus, freshly cut bamboo shoots, fragrant wild honey, fern leaves and others I could not identify.

feathery fungus foraged from the jungle

rosehip cultivated locally

destined for the pot

Having listened to the ravings of a friend about this fish called the patin, I had to find out for myself. The patin is a silver catfish that's a highly sought after local delicacy. Since its bred along the riverbanks in traps and not living on the riverbed, the constant flowing river ensures the absence of the muddy taste characteristic of the catfish.

live patin and tilapia sold in abundance

In fact, when we were leaving town we came across this huge billboard official declaration that Temerloh is the "City of the Patin". That was clear indication that we could not leave town without the inevitable patin tasting.

The Malays specialise in patin masak tempoyak. At the first tasting it seemed to have the perfume of a strong fragrant fruit. My guess was that ripe nangka fruit (jackfruit) had been added to flavour the rich creamy yet spicy sauce. It turned out I was mistaken but a strong fragrant fruit had indeed been used in the dish.This gulai dish was cooked with fermented durian paste which gives it a distinct if not, acquired taste. The more we tucked into it, the more it grew on us.The rich coconut milk based sauce spiced with turmeric, ginger, chillies and lemongrass left us entirely satisfied.

But we couldn't leave without trying the Chinese version of this speciality. True to Chinese tradition, the freshest fish is best steamed with slivers of aromatic ginger, with a burst a saltiness from a few scattered preserved plums and curled strips of spring onions to compliment with a touch of colour. It was the texture of the fish that came through whatever the preparation method emplyed. The satin softness and smoothness of the finest tofu came to mind.

We headed back to the bright city lights after our fill of patin!