Chinese New Year Stories.

We all have our family traditions designed especially for the Chinese New Year. From the wearing of new clothes to usher in a prosperous new year, to the serving of tea to our parents (or you won't get your Ang Pow - red packet with money that signifies good fortune luck and promotes the sharing of wealth among family and friends), to the preparation of the reunion dinner by the eldest member of the family who volunteered to cook!

Every year, we'd look forward to the same few favourites, like the Puck Cheet Kai (Poached Chicken), and many other dishes, with recipes passed down by our mother, our mother's mother, and so on.

Another must-have as we celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year is the appetiser dish Yee Sang (Raw Fish Salad). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng

Some also call it Lo Hei (loosely translated as Prosperity Toss). And it is normally served on the 7th (of 15) day(s) of the Chinese New Year - that's the day known to us as Yan Yat (People's/Everybody's Birthday). But it is now commercially consumed almost one month before the festive season starts.

And it gets even more colourful - The Emperor's dish, or what the Chinese call it, Choy Kiok.

There's a story that comes with this one. Back in the olden China days, a Emperor returns victorious from one of his many battles, and demands for a feast. The Royal Chef was surprised by the sudden decision that he was caught without fresh supply of meat and vegetable in the palace kitchen.

So he had to think on his feet. His solution: Get Gai Choy (Mustard Greens), a vegetable that's difficult to stir fry and tasteless to eat on its own, throw it into the pot along with the leftovers from the night before – the roasted duck, the roasted pork leg, the mushrooms etc, then add in the tamarind peels (flavour enhancing) and dried chillies (appetising appeal).

The Emperor tasted it and, to the Royal Chef's relief, gave a standing ovation for the ingenuous dish. And that's how it came to be.

More New Year favourites? There's Tong Yuen. This is the same dessert we have during the Winter Solstice. It is glutinous rice balls with sesame or red bean paste fillings, served in sweet, ginger soup. The egg-like roundness of the glutinous rice balls signifies 'birth'.

In my mother's words: "We grow a year older with every bowl of Tong Yuen."

Last but not least, the batter-fried Nian Gao (Sticky New Year's Cake) – a 'bribe' that ensures the Kitchen God returns to heaven with a favourable annual report.

Or so the story goes.

Woolley Boolley.

Every corner you turn in good old Ipoh will bring you some kind of good food. And when you don't feel like driving around for different dishes, you'll be happy to just swing by Woolley's in Ipoh Garden and get started on a mini buffet with the many stalls and the near countless varieties.

Chee Cheong Fun (flat sheet rice noodles) with prawn paste, chili sauce & pickled chilies on the side, Yau Yee Oong Choy (sliced preserved squid & water spinach in sweet & spicy peanut sauce) and Penang Banana Leaf Fried Koay Tiao (flat rice noodles) are but some of my personal favourites.

Mee Rebus Ramli.

There is no long, complicated story attached to the name of this restaurant. It belongs to the Ramli family. And their specialty is Mee Rebus - literally translated as 'Boiled Noodles'.

And true enough, the noodles are neither fried nor braised. Just boiled, for probably 10 seconds or more.

But, there's really nothing simple about this Mee Rebus. The special not-too-spicy-but-delicious-as-hell sauce that's poured over the noodles, complemented by a fresh lime that's squeezed on by yourself, garnished by sliced potatoes, fried fitters, cubes of fried beancurd, chopped spring onions, fried shallots and cut chillies, is – uniquely Ramli's.

Other Mee Rebus that you find across Malaysia, (except for the other 2 Mee Rebus Ramli, also located strategically across Ipoh), will not have the same light, refreshing taste that Mee Rebus Ramli offers.

Apart from the must-try Mee Rebus, there's the Ayam Goreng (Fried Chicken) to share among your fellow one2two-ers.

The addresses to the 3 Mee Rebus Ramli are:

767, Taman Tasek Jaya, Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Ipoh, Perak (main) • Tel: 605-547 2026 (7am - 10pm).

28, Jalan Raja Ekram, Ipoh, Perak • Tel: 605-243 7203 (8am - 10pm).

116A, Persiaran Perpaduan Utara 1, Taman Bercham Raya, Ipoh • Tel: 605-547 5092 (3pm - 12am).

The one I went to sits right across the historical Shaw Brothers building... and that's a truly long, complicated story.

Cowan Street Nga Choy Chicken.

Ipoh is about 2 and a half hours drive away up north from Kuala Lumpur. But the difference in the taste and quality of certain delicacies is very apparent.

For example, the perfectly steamed chicken and its exclusive blend of oil, soya sauce and spices at Cowan Street, is simply the best in the world.

Then comes the stumpy, juicy beansprout (which we call 'nga choy' in Cantonese) that's uniquely Ipoh. Most nga choy that you'll find anywhere else are undeliciously long and malnourishedly scrawny.

And to top it all, you have the clear but super tasty soup noodles that complement the nga choy and chicken. Plus a big serving of 'melts in your mouth not in your hands' Low Kai Kiok (stewed chicken feet) that's to be placed in the middle of the table and shared by all.



Last but not least, I'd have to mention that this place opens for dinner only. (That makes this the very first extended hours one2two special edition). And the boss man below, loves to go on unplanned vacations. So you'll be lucky if it's open for business when you do get there. That's how it is when you're the world's best (' ',)