Pasir Pinji Local Food Guide Series - 100% Perakian Pan Mee
We often hear of, and even utter ourselves the words “it ain’t what it used to be”, when we speak of local dishes and local ingredients. It often follows with “they don’t make it like they use to, and so much more expensive nowadays”. I’d like to contest that and elaborate on some gastronomo-psychological theory to disprove it; but I’d be lying, or at least in the Malaysian context anyway. However I was pleasantly surprised by a hawker named “Plump Panther” who actually touched the bottom of my heart today when I had my breakfast this morning at a Pinjirean coffee shop on Prince Street. It was a conversation that restored my faith on food and beverage hawkers that took place over a very masterfully crafted bowl of “Chilli Pan Mee”. It’s not the first time I had this beauty of a breakfast dish; I can testify for its consistency of delivery from at least four occasions over a period of 15 months.
For those who are unfamiliar, it is a popular dish widely consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner of homemade pasta/noodle that is ‘presse a la minute’(rolled and cut to order). In this case, it is laced with a ground and roasted chilli and dark soy infusion, stir fried minced meat, crispy dried anchovies (ikan bilis), enriched with a anchovy & chicken broth which is then emulsified with the yolks of 2 perfectly poached eggs. The ground chillies are grown and air-dried by a smallholder in Menglembu. The dark soya sauce is brewed by a factory that originated from Pasir Pinji but have expanded out to the outskirts of the city. The sweet potato leaves in the chicken and anchovy broth is from a farm just down the road from his home. The crispy anchovies are from Pangkor and airdried in Pantai remis. The composition of this dish tells a personal story and paints a very beautiful picture of about the Perakean landscape.Other than the flour, this dish is truly 100% made and grown in Perak. You have to see it to believe it, taste it to understand it; it is absolutely heaven! If I was a Michelin guide inspector, and there was a Malaysian Michelin Guide, this would definitely get at least one star. But my excitement isn’t over its imaginary Michelin Star, but the words he uttered over our conversation. When I questioned him on how feasible it is to buy local anchovies from Pangkor, that are often edging on double the price of their Vietnamese and Thai equivalent (Vietnamese wholesale at average of RM30/kg and local Pangkorean at RM70/kg); he cut me short by telling me that what he pays extra, he gets far better quality in return. It sent shivers down my spine. In this day in age, where foreign players flood local markets with substandard commodities for the sake of winning price wars and thereby drowning local producers from offering high quality products, it is rare to find small holders who take pride in using and offering locally sourced and produced goods. On the same token, when competition is stiff within the local context, factors that often drive good food businesses such as quality, consistency, uniqueness are often substituted with quantity, haphazardness and monotony and the same old inferiority. It’s a self-perpetuating vicious cycle in the guise of ‘market-forces-driven’ commodity trade. Gone are the days where local dishes evolve and grow in popularity in accordance with the availability of fresh local ingredients and its continued growth in depth of quality in production. Integrity and pride is no longer affordable; Its now a free-for-all race to the bottom, where the cheapest wins and the best is relegated or assimilated for the sake of survival. Yet, to still see a hawker speak of, as well as literally put his money where his mouth is, it gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling of motivation to work harder as a legislator to ensure local agricultural producers are not only protected but helped to grow as operators develop a new generation of artisan foodstuff producers. There are countless studies worldwide that proves that local money spent on local businesses and local produce and products, creates a stronger local economy; which in turn means more local jobs and therein feeding a virtuous cycle. This is no-brainer to ensure our local economy can prosper and local businesses can thrive with more sustainable and equitable fruits to their labour. More importantly, this virtuous cycle is the one and only way to combat the vicious cycle the status quo promotes. Ultimately, this could ensure my future generations and I can continue to enjoy the fruits of the artisan gastronomy of my friend Plump Panther, and the inheritors of his trade and craft as a ‘Artisan Food Professional’ .
