Monday, July 7, 2008

Terkenang semasa dulu....part 10: Zaman Alor Setar...Nasi Tat dan Mee Tonggek

Back in the mid-70s, Nasi Tat and Mee Tonggek was very famous in Alor Setar especially with the hostel guys.

I remember very well, on Saturdays when we were allowed to go for our weekly outing( especially when its early in the month) many of us will go in small groups) to Nasi Tad stall.

Nasi Tad was run by a fat guy whom we call Abang Tat.. Maybe his real name is Mokhtar but we never knew his real name.And we never asked him.Such a jovial person Abang Tat was. We he sees us hostel guys come along the small back lane making our way to his stall ,he will start with his thick Kedah dialect: "Mai...mai....Abang Tat bagi nasik special kat hangpa....".

Nasi Tat stall was situated near the taxi stand and his neighbour was a car workshop. Its in the backlane of Jalan Langgar( now its the ITTAR Alor Setar campus and former Hankyu Jaya).

Why is Nasi Tat so famous with Kolej students? First its the only place which serves delicous tasty Nasi Campur which is CHEAP. For a plate of white rice with sambal sotong , half peice of salted egg(telur masin) and vegetable plus a small bowl of nasi tambah it will cost about RM 1.40. The ais kosong will be free of charge.

Sometimes when have maybe a ringgit in our pocket. a plate of rice with sambal sotong gravy and half a piece of salted egg Abang Tat will only charge us 40 cents( and we will set aside 40 cents for a third class re-run Kung Fu film).

Another spot frequented by Kolej boys was the Mee Tonggek stall.Mee Tonggek was situated besides the Empire Cinema Hall(Panggung Empire,which was famous for Hindi films) and is run by 2 mamak(Indian Muslims).Their only recipe is Mee Goreng with Taugeh.Nothing else. Not chicken,no beef,no prawn. Just noodle and taugeh.
They will fry the Mee Tonggek in a big kuali with kilos of noodles and taugeh at a go. When served these fried mee will be topped with groundnut gravy(kuah kacang) like the one served with satay.

There will only be 3-4 stools at the stall. So whoever wants to eat a plate of Mee Tonggek will either have to stand while eating or one need to squat at the drain. Squating is mencangkung in Malay and not tonggek, but as it is its called Mee Tonggek.

Bussiness was good especially if there a box-office Hindi film in twn and because a plate of Mee Tonggek cost only tiga kupang( 30 cents) and sekupang( 10 cents) for a glass or air sirap.


Update: an extra info from mak ayang about Nasi Tat:

Are you referring to the Tat otherwise aka Tat Baghdad? If you are, then Tat's last business place was at one the stalls at Stadium Darulaman. Noticed the past tense? Yes, he passed away about 3-4 years ago..his wife carried on with the business until she too passed on a couple of years ago. Tat Baghdad was a not so-distant cousin of mine and ja anuar's. Al Fatihah. Betul lah kata2, manusia mati meninggalkan nama!

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doc,Salam empat Rejab di Sore Senin.Doc cerita hat Aloq Setaq tapi ingat tak cendoi mamak kat pekan Tepen.Amboi kalau saya sampai sekarang teringat ingat,Lagi satu kat Kpg Pinang tu ada mamak kandaq periuk juai bubuq gandum dgn bubuq kacanwaktu petang. Uniform tipikal nya yg serba putih.Aduhai indah nya memori silam.Salam mesra. Rio alang sedayu.

Mat Salo said...

Bro Doc, boy kenit aku yang cheeky to tanya bila nak turun M'ca lagi.. he..

Amboi.. ingat dah takda dah citer2 mee ni.. Kesannya masih ada ya? Kalau citer mee teringat 'sodo', pastu hang sebut pulak tonggek. Sekali imbas bunyi cam tonggeng. Pastu ada lak 'tat' lagi. Waduh! Bahaya tu Doc. Pak Lah pun dah fed up... :)

Another classic from your kenangan series. Doc, hang miss my komentar on your Part VIIII...

tokasid said...

Wassalam Rio:

Mamak cendoi Tepen mana boleh lupa.Tahun sudah saya ada buta entry pasai cendoi tepeng, cendoi Ansari yang dulu kat restoran Bismillah. Fellow blogger Lukman buat pasai cendoi Tepen 2 bulan lalu.

La ni bubuq gandum hat kandaq tak dah.La ni bila saya balik Kemuntin kalu nak makan buboq gandum kena di pasaq minggu pagi Ahad di Kemunting. Tapi lukman kata di Taman Mewah Kemunting ada org Pantai Timur buat bubuq and serawa setiap petang tapi saya tak dan try lagi.

Lagu mana pun bubuq gandum mamak tak sama dgn hat org Melayu buat. hat mamak buat ada lebih kick.Ada lemak.Melayu buat lebih manih dari lemak.

tokasid said...

Pak MS:

Aku baru re-komen komen hang.

Masa tu lagu Black Dog Bone baru tak ada depa dah bubar masa tu. Masa tu aku baru beli Heavy Machine so kira macam nak bagi org Tepen dengaq Heavy Machine.

Bila2 hang nak mai Melaka bawak budak2 tu just give me a call first. Kita pi tempat lain pulak.

Unfortunately Mie ni di panggil mee tonggek.Tu yg macam terjkena with the current situation kot.

Otak hang tajam sampai boleh kaitkan mee tonggek and nasi tat with mie sodo...

cakapaje said...

Salam Doc,

Kat rumah ni, kalau time makan mee apapun, kalau takdak taugeh dan timun maka tak laku.

Anonymous said...

Are you referring to the Tat otherwise aka Tat Baghdad? If you are, then Tat's last business place was at one the stalls at Stadium Darulaman. Noticed the past tense? Yes, he passed away about 3-4 years ago..his wife carried on with the business until she too passed on a couple of years ago. Tat Baghdad was a not so-distant cousin of mine and ja anuar's. Al Fatihah. Betul lah kata2, manusia mati meninggalkan nama!

tokasid said...

Salam Shah:

Aku ni kalau mee ada taugeh sikit2 takpa tapi kalau banyak sangat hilang rasa mee.Dan alangkah lazatnya mee goreng kalau ada kerang dan telur taruh dalam.....

tokasid said...

Salam mak ayang:

Yes.nasi Tat abang tat baghdad. I know dia related to Ja-Anuar(Ja did mention it in her blog) and I knew Abg Tat dah meninggal from my Aloq Staq friends but his wife's death is new to me.Thank you.

KSAH is celebrating its 100 years and someone is writing a book about it. I was asked to contribute something on Nasi Tat and Mee Tonggek and this posting was actually my write up for that coffee table book.I'm not sure if its gonna be used or not.Anyway I have forwarded your comment to the publisher( baru je tadi).
Thanks for the info.

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Tokasid
Remember Ache, one of the "musketeers" who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year? He undertook his first 5km run Sunday. I posted his latest pic on my blog.
Do visit. He wants you to know he's doing fine.

blackpurple @ jowopinter said...

Salam doc.

Dulu-dulu. 30 sen dah dapat mi. 10 sen dah dapat air sirap.

Macamanalah agaknya rasa Nasi Tat dan Mi Tonggek itu ya?

Anonymous said...

Assalammualikum
Saya ni satu badge dengan awak tapi bukan budak hostel. tp budak2 hostel yg saya ingat Awang (budak Sabah)Marianus -minggal accident bas toyu..Osman Mat,Razak??..

Blog awk ni nostalgia la...

tq for the sweet momories at KSAH
Jangan lupa 100 years on 26 July 08

tokasid said...

Fauziah:

Thanks for the update. Browsed ypur posting today and saw his photo.And he doesn't look like he had the Big C at all.

tokasid said...

Salam Wak Pinter:

Ye Wak.Zaman pertengahan 70-an memang gitu lah harganya.Jadi kami budak hostel kalau ada seringgit dah kira besar dan dah boleh keluar outing pada hari Sabtu.

bagi yang tak keluar, bila waktu lunch akan mewah dgn ikan kembung masak lemak dan telur sebab menu lunch di asrama hari Sabtu ikan kembong.

Nasi Tat ialah nasi campur tapi cara masakan lauk pauk amat sedap. terutama sotong sambal manis. Saya jarang ambil lauk ayam atau ikan sebab itu semua dapat makan kat asrama. Jadi lauk saya bila ke Nasi Tat ialah sotong sambal manis,telur asin dan kadang2 rendang hati.

Mee Tonggek hanya mee kuning dan taugeh dan di goreng. Cuma di sebabkan di taruh kuah kacang di atas membuat ianya sedap. Dan murah....

ZABS said...

Salam Doc.,
Tentu sedap makanan tu semua, sebab sampai sekarang masih dingat.
Nasi Tat ambil sempena nama abang Tat lah kot.
Mee Tonggek tu, mungkin mamak tu tak boleh sebut taugeh dengan betul, jadilah ia tonggek agaknya. Hahha..

tokasid said...

Salam Anon:

Satu batch? Hang kelaih mana? Nama?
Masa tu budak2 Sabah yg sama kita ialah Awang, Ibrahim Jidin, parman,mardianus,Karim. Ada lagi yang aku ingat muka tapi nama tak ingat.

InsyaALLAh kalu dan aku ke Aloq Staq 26hb ni.

tokasid said...

Salam Pak Zabs:

Nasi Tat memang sempena Abang Tat. Ada yg panggil Tat baghdad.Tak tau mungkin sebab pernah belajar di Baghdad kot.

Mee tonggek bukan sebab mamak tu masak sambil tonggek tapi pelanggang terpaksa bertinggung di tepian longkang kerana kekurangan kerusi.Mamak ni guna kerata sorong je dan parking kereta sorong di dinding sebuah kopitiam dan panggung Empire( cerita Hindustan)

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Salam Tok Asid,
I first heard about mee tonggek from my cousin, Abg Chop (Yusof Ariffin of Jitra). He once told us why it's called mee tonggek ..he..he..

BTW, if you're an ex-KSAH, you must have known Abg Chop's sibling - Abg Non (Hasnul) and his cousin Abg Nip (Mohd Hanif Ismail of Lorong Sharif). My dad (I think you know him) is Cikgu Halim R. Many of his students would mention that he's like a singa..he..he.. My high school teacher (who was his ex-student) would always comment about my AYAH. Bengang betul time tu..

tokasid said...

Salam DDI:

You anak che'gu Halim?
Keciknya dunia ni....
Che'gu Halim was my Form master masa Form 3 and he taught us BM.And of course Ayah you is famous for his pantun pantin( I had his pantun book somewhere at mak's place in tepeng kot). You dad like singa??Not in our class back in 1977. He will get upset if you don't do your homework or make too much noise in class.And your dad dress smartly(and how can I forget his big cincin)

If I remember well, last year there was an interview with him in one of the Malay newspaper kan?

Chop and Anip kalu tengok muka mungkin I kenal kot but I remember your brother who was 1 year my senior( and budak2 kata abg you takut kat ayah you,betoi ka?)

Dalam Dakapan Ibu said...

Salam Tokasid,
He..he.. small world... So you know my eldest bro Halmi? Tak tau pulak dia takut kat Ayah... hmmhh..

My dad is still working hard despite his age. He's going to be 71 this December. Currently dia banyak jadi judge/penceramah utk pantun & stuff. Ada jugak masuk newspaper & magazine. Cuma anak-anak dia yg tak ikut jejak dia..

tokasid said...

DDI:

Yes abang you Halmi. Budak2 hostel classmate dia dulu dok sebut,che'gu Halim anak dia sendiri dia marah lebih dari budak2 lain.Mungkin dia nak tunjuk dia tak amalkan favouritism dalam class kot.

Your father's love towards pantun memang tak boleh nak di nafikan.

Satu lagi yang kami perasan is that he was a heavy smoker. Nak masuk kelas dia hisap rokok. Bila dia bagi assignment dalam kelas dia keluar sat hisap rokok.Habis kelas nak pi teacher's room dia pasang rokok lagi.Tapi masa tu ramai lagi che'gu Melayu yg kuat hisap rokok macam dia.Cikgu Osman Bakar dan Cikgu Mansur dan Cikgu Man Blang.

kak ja said...

Salam Doc,
Anuar sampai ari ni dok teringat sambal sotong Tat Baghdad..I buatlah sedap mcmana pun, dia tetap kata sambal sotong Tat gak yg sedap.. tak larat nak merajuk dah..dah mangli..

Ini citer lain skit.. Anuar ada pi ziarah family Zaim ptg tu, selepas balik dari Penang. Tak dan nak jumpa Munzar sbb Munzar dah terbang balik paginya.. Dia beruntung dpt wife yg strong mcm tu..Tak tau plak if Mynn was there..

Nak nyampuk skit, Anuar pun masih ingat Cikgu Halim R katanya.. N Cikgu Mansur, I ada jumpa last year masa kematian my uncle.. kami ada sangkut adik beradik..

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

uisshh...baca entry ni terus lapar. you know la doc, how fond i am with nasik. too bad we dont have someone like abang Tat here in kl. mungkin ada but a real dying breed la. my idea of a perfect meal is just that; a plate or 3 of white rice, sambal sotong/udang/ayam, ikan goreng, telur and a glass of iced drink, and i'm good to go!

mantra-indeeptots said...

Salam Doc
Waa.. so many things to catch up over the past one week.. i was away for a while!

Mee tonggek and nasi tat... always finger likin good! It does sound cheeky... well thats the catch.

Anonymous said...

salam tokasid,
Hang punya old memori power la..camna banyak yang dah terdelete ni..BTW thanks for nostalgia tu walau takdan p makan mee tonggek tu.

tokasid said...

Ja:

memang, sejak tinggalkan KSAH dan Aloq Staq saya pun tak pernah jumpa sambal sotong sesedap yg di gerai Abg Tat Baghdad. Jadi takpayah Ja nak hotmbuat buang karan saja.

Anuar takdan jumpa Munzar coz dia balik pagi tu flight 7am kat Min.Min ada di sana masa tu.

tokasid said...

Ahmad Kerpomovic:

I know you would like Nasi tat .Aku tahu you know how to appreciate food and those who cook 'em.

tokasid said...

Jeejag mantra:

well...its sound cheeky but it got no relation to the hoohaaa of last week.

tokasid said...

Mama drzeze:

yang boleh ingat pasai dok buka album gambaq zaman dulu-dulu. Ni dok krosek cari gambaq masa Asasi and medic dulu.
Kalau ingat apa2 yg menarik aku igat nak tuleh laa

Unknown said...

Mee tonggek? Habih dah la. Nanti depa pi cari mamak tu suruh mengaku dia kena 'lewat' masa dok tonggek. Kalau jadi macam tu, hang punya salah la pasai bagi idea kat depa.

tokasid said...

Che'gu:

Aku pun tak tau mamak tu ada lagi ka dak...hari tu talipon memba2 Aloq Staq tapi tak tanya pulak mamak tu idup lagi ka dak...

tapi ada 2 lagi mamak Aloq Staq yang idup....hang kenai sangat ngan depa.

Anonymous said...

In 1st ,dec 1981 I took over the mee tonggek business ,last week after 30 years i've found back the original hand written recipe of my aruah father,i'm thinking of selling this famous mee tonggek this ramadhan,maybe in bandar darulaman jitra bazaar,all are welcome here to try the mee tonggek & bring back the memories,of course not tiga kupang lah

Kamaludin Adam. said...

Salam ramadzan dan salam idilfitri buat tn.doktot..kenangan hebat ketika di KSAH tiada bandingnya...mee tonggek..nasi tat..kedai busu...mamak kuih jual petang-petang depan asrama A...masih segar diingatan.