Kemaman stuffed crab 甘马挽酿蟹 has always been on my must try list for decades. I just had the chance to try it in Chukai town in Trengganu, finally.
At Jalan Sulaimani in Chukai town alone, there are at least four restaurants offering Kemaman stuffed crab as their signature dish. There should likely be more restaurants offering this dish in town. Local folks and people from Kuantan, Kuala Lumpur and further afield come to Chukai town for this unique, iconic dish.
The name Kemaman came from the Sungai Kemaman river fronting Jalan Sulaimani in Chukai. Across Sungai Kemaman is the town of Kuala Kemaman, so Chukai town is often referred to as Kemaman and hence, Kemaman stuffed crab.
As this was our first time eating Kemaman stuffed crab, we chose Restoran Tong Juan. The restaurant founded in 1971, created the dish in the 1980s. Tong Juan is run by the second generation 周世礼 Chew TL and family now (who themselves are near retirement).
We made our reservations at Tong Juan and left for the beach to release baby sea turtles - yeah, this is a tourist must do when you come to the Malaysian Peninsula east coast.
Our idea was to release baby turtles (incubated and hatched at the turtle sanctuary) at sunset and then go for dinner at Tong Juan. After dinner, go back to the beach at Teluk Mak Nik in time to see mama sea turtles lay eggs.
So here we are, back at Tong Juan after releasing baby sea turtles to the sea.
Tong Juan is very typical of small town Malaysia shop lot restaurants. No decor, old fading newspaper cuttings of accolades dotted the walls, big round formica topped tables, sturdy wooden chairs, the long narrow space flooded by fluorescent lights.
Super excited when the palm sized stuffed crabs were served. Came garnished with just a few obligatory cucumber slices. No frills, the way I like my food.
Turned one crab over to let you see the top side view which was still glistening from hot grease.
The swimmer (flower) crab shell was loosely stuffed with soft slivers of pulled crab meat mixed with chopped onion, carrot, greens, etc., covered with a thin layer of egg and flour batter. The stuff crab was oil fried till the batter was lightly browned.
I can taste the fleeting, subtle sweetness of the crab meat but it was competing with sweetness from the soft onion and carrot. They were complementary but the proportion of vegetable sweetness and its textures were somewhat distracting in my humble opinion.
Besides stuffed crab, we had steamed red grouper (another signature recommended by the boss), steamed prawns, and stir fried belacan kang kong. The ingredients and cooking were average quality.
Our total bill at Tong Juan came to RM311.
Our tummies full, we went back to the beach at Teluk Mak Nik to watch mama sea turtle lay eggs.
The sanctuary ranger explained the protocol on ensuring the sea turtles and eggs' well being while we watch her lay eggs.
Feeling blessed and grateful that we had the chance to try Kemaman stuffed crab at its original birthplace.
Next time, we shall try Kemaman stuffed crab at the other restaurants along Jalan Sulaimani.
Restaurant name: Restoran Tong Juan 東源酿蟹餐室
Address: K-117, Jalan Sulaimani, Kampung Dusun Nyior, 24000 Kemaman, Terengganu, Malaysia
Tel: +609 859 1346
Hours: 11:30am - 8:30pm (Friday off)
Written by Tony Boey on 1 Sep 2024
A fun sea turtle discovery day in Kuantan and neighbouring Chukai / Kemaman
I'd tried all the restaurants and Tong Juan's version was the lightest and tastiest - which doesn't say much really, as all the food there were pretty rustic, small-town stuff. Stuffed crabs there are adapted from Thai poo-ja, as Terengganu, as well as neighbouring Kelantan, were part of Siam until the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.
ReplyDeleteHi Tony. If you're still in Kemaman, try the kopi at Hai Peng Kopitiam. Old school vibes.
ReplyDeletelove the stuffed crab here , but wondering will they reusing back the crab shell or not ?🤣
ReplyDeleteIt has been quite long ago that we ate this stuffed crab shell in the same stretch, by the river. Lunch trip from Cheating.
ReplyDelete