Chneh Chim - the mangrove crab that swims in seawater

Today , we're having crabs ( yes finally ! ) Chilli crabs to be exact . 2 numbers . Oh yeah .

While we weren't particular about the species they were going to cook for us , it turns out that it was going to be one rarely seen on Penang island but regularly sold in this corner of the mainland .

Known as Ketam Nipah in Malay, if one were to rely on individual fishing enthusiasts snaring these in overnight traps set up along the river , supplies could be erratic on certain days . If the species is available at all times , then it is best to check if you are eating locally farmed or imported ones . 

Currently sought after as a cure for dengue where only the soup is drunk and the meat discarded , we are having none of that .

You can have all of the sauce and we will relieve you of the burden of finishing the flesh , thank you very much .

ABC vs OBC - on the subject of tipping

I'll provide a link to the guideline on tipping in the USA further below but for now , let's dwell on the ABC vs OBC understanding of what it means to tip or not to tip while we are in the US .

By the way , ABC stands for American Born Chinese , whereas OBC stands for Overseas Born Chinese .

Both are Chinese but when you put us both in one room there could be a big culture shock to grapple with .

Snooping around the Fishermen ' s Grotto

As it is , I'm thinking of crabs .

 No . Lusting for it .

Especially after seeing some folks polish a gigantic pile at Henry Restaurant in Bukit Panchor the other day . 

Triggered a sudden craving for long legged King Crab in particular which I enjoyed on 3 separate occasions ( it was soooo good ) at one buffet outside Garden Grove . 

A craving which made me evetually dig out my stash of dependable creamy spaghetti sauce with crab bits from Daiso . 

Pathetic eh ? It did help stave off the desire just a little .

Maiden quest for Sitiawan Kampung Koh Chilli Sauce

Ngo Kia Jong which stands for NKJ, is today's trademark acronym for the famous bottled sauce recipe which was originally started by Ngo Kie Swee in 1969 .

Sweet , sour , spicy and tangy , it has gotten most of us hooked till no siew mai or loh mai kai is complete without a small saucer of this sauce by the side .

Plan b. - no prawn behind The Big stone

There is a Malay idiom that goes something like this 

" Ada udang di sebalik batu "

Literally translated , it means 

" There's a prawn behind the stone "

What that means is that one should be wary and expect a motive or trick preceeding an act or offer of goodwill or in this case a fat bait cast outwards that seems to good to be true .

Yep , when I saw this offer on facebook just now , I stared at it for quite a while before I starting scanning the comments section for some spirit sterilising input .

There was none .

So I called up the outlet and enquired about the timing . Oh boy we had to rush . Last call was around 9ish and we had half an hour to battle the jam in Gurney Drive and get there .