AirAsia to Start <b>Kuching</b> – Kota Bahru Service from late-March 2014 <b>...</b> |
- AirAsia to Start <b>Kuching</b> – Kota Bahru Service from late-March 2014 <b>...</b>
- <b>Kuching's</b> first ever 'Car-Free Morning' campaign draws 1,000 <b>...</b>
- Swee Kang Ais Kacang, <b>Kuching</b> | The Food Pornographer
- aseancap » ASEAN NCAP Grand Prix Awards 2014 Successfully <b>...</b>
| AirAsia to Start <b>Kuching</b> – Kota Bahru Service from late-March 2014 <b>...</b> Posted: 21 Jan 2014 10:20 PM PST Update at 0540GMT 22JAN14 AK5507 KCH0700 – 0855KBR 320 246 CommentsRelated Media Powered by Routes TVRoutes Africa 2014 Highlights 828 viewsRoutes Africa 2014 Highlights  |
| <b>Kuching's</b> first ever 'Car-Free Morning' campaign draws 1,000 <b>...</b> Posted: 14 Sep 2014 10:30 AM PDT KUCHING: The first 'Car-Free Morning' here has been a success, with 1,000 people taking part. The campaign yesterday, with the objective of reducing carbon emission (CO2) to 40 per cent by 2020, also saw various activities being held such as a 20km bicycle ride, 1.5km walk, fitness demonstration and lucky draw. Managed by Kuala Lumpur (KL) Car Free Morning co-founder AsiaTourismAlliance.com (ATA), the event even saw one family bringing a young child to ride a bicycle with training wheels. ATA president Kho Sze Min said he aimed to run the city's Car Free Morning on every second Sunday of the month, in collaboration with local councils and strategic partners – hoping that it could be turned into an iconic eco-tourism product. "We should make the event a platform to forge greater collaboration in promoting Kuching as an international tourism and shopping destination," he said, adding that this city could be cross-promoted via the Kuala Lumpur (KL) Car Free Morning campaign by way of offering new extended tour packages here. Driven by the 'Go Green' movement, ATA would be looking into new activities including morning mass fitness at Kuching Waterfront, apart from the normal cycling, jogging, walking and roller-blading that could help promote healthy lifestyle to urban dwellers especially the youths, as well as domestic and international tourists. "All these initiatives are crucial as it will impact the country economy and eco-tourism industry," Kho said, hoping that ATA would expect the local councils, organisations, clubs, government agencies and even residents' associations to hold similar initiatives going forward. "These activities would not only help improving our health but also strengthening family bonds and develop friendships across all ages." The cycling and walking events were flagged off at 7am by Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Talib Zulpilip, who is also Sarawak Economic Development Corporation chairman. Also present were Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) Datuk Bandar Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai, Tourism Malaysia domestic marketing division director Datuk Musa Yusof, KL Car Free Morning chairman Naim Mohamad as well as ATA executive vice chairman cum chief operation officer Jamilah Shukri. ATA can be reached at www.AsiaTourismAlliance.com.  |
| Swee Kang Ais Kacang, <b>Kuching</b> | The Food Pornographer Posted: 25 Oct 2011 03:47 PM PDT After visiting Petanak Wet Market, it's time to cool down with some ABC, which stands for air batu campur ("mixed ice" in Malay). But there are savoury delights to enjoy too. ABCWe stop at Swee Kang Ais Kacang, an ABC haven famous among Kuchingites. The original Swee Kang shop opened in 1953 opposite Kuching's first fire station. Now located at the ground floor of a two-storey shophouse, Swee Kang Ais Kacang serves a large range of colourful icy treats, with over 18 variations of ABC and drinks on the menu, including their namesake ais kacang. The jagung susu (literally "corn milk" in Malay) sounds awesome – sweet corn kernels in a creamy milk base with shaved ice topped with a lavish sprinkling of Milo powder – but for me, the choice is easy: I'm having ais (ice) durian!  Swee Kang Ais Kacang, Kuching The man preparing our order has been in the ABC business for over fifty years. I hang around to watch this veteran ABC mixologist at work. He assembles the bowls and glasses then adds various fruits and jellies, red beans and green "worms". I keep one greedy eye on the bowl filled with durian flesh – it's got my name on it (not that I think anyone is going to fight me for it)!  Adding fruits, jellies, red beans and green worms He ladles syrups into the various bowls and glasses. He works quickly, with fluent, elegant movements.  Making ais durian  Making a white lady  This reminds me of the teh tarik pull! Next, he places handfuls of freshly shaved ice on top of the fruits, jellies and syrup.  Handfuls of freshly shaved ice are placed on top He adds evaporated milk to the icy peaks.  Adding evaporated milk  Our order is placed on a tray for delivery to our table Most of us have eaten ais kacang before, but none of us have heard of a white lady. It's a sweet milky drink served in a tall glass filled with ice, fruit and jellies, topped with a slice of lemon.  White lady But I only have eyes for my ais durian. It looks frumpy and dull next to the pretty white lady but to me, it's a beautiful bowl of heaven. The metal spoon absorbs the chill of the cold milk and ice, adding to the pleasure of each refreshing mouthful. The milk has absorbed the flavour of the durian. Every scoop I get ice, milk and durian and it's glorious.  My ais durian "Ais kacang" literally means "ice bean" in Malay but has evolved over many years from a simple shaved ice and red bean dessert to variations made with beans, corn, colourful jellies, tinned fruits, palm seeds ("atap chee"), rose syrup or palm sugar syrup and more. Each spoonful is like diving for treasure as you discover what's hidden beneath the ice. But eat quickly, before your snowy mountain dissolves into a slushy mess!  Ais kacang Char kway stallWhile we're sitting enjoying our ABC, other people nearby are eating delicious smelling plates of hot food. It's char kway – yam "cake" (note: I know char kway as "radish cake" but they referred to it at Swee Kang as "yam cake". I've heard it referred to as radish cake, yam cake and carrot cake) fried with soy sauce, garlic and eggs, cooked fresh to order on a gas bottle-powered barbecue hot plate at the front of the shop. It smells too good – we order two servings to share. I hurriedly gulp down my last mouthfuls of ais durian so I can watch our char kway being cooked.  The yam cake is browned in a little oil on the hot plate.  Next, the garlic is cooked. Lots and lots of garlic. It smells fantastic.  Hope you guys like garlic! A bit of seasoning and soy sauce are added to the garlic and yam cake.  Adding soy sauce to the yam cake When the yam cake is nice and brown, a couple of eggs are broken into the mixture and stirred through until cooked.  Breaking an egg into the char kway  Almost ready for plating I cannot wait to taste it. This is one of the times I wish there was "smellovision" so you could smell this too.  Serving up the char kway Before he hands the plates over, he squeezes a squirt of fiery chilli sauce on each plate. The crispy edged yam cake is delicious. I use my fork to hunt for every last morsel of fried garlic.  Char kway RojakWe're on a roll! We also share a plate of rojak, another famous Malaysian dish. Here at Swee Kang it's made with pineapple, cucumber, jicama ("bangkuang" in Malay), tofu and crunchy fried yow char (Chinese crullers), all mixed in a thick, dark sweet sauce and garnished with a sprinkling of ground peanuts.  Rojak stand The rojak lady slices up the ingredients fresh to order into a large mixing bowl. She adds the sweet sauce and stirs it all through.  Slicing cucumber into the rojak bowl It's a new crunchy taste sensation for most of our group, who have not tried rojak before.  Rojak As we're getting ready to leave, a little cat wanders over. It yawns and stretches and has a bath under my chair. It doesn't mind at all when I grab my camera and get closer to take its photo.  A cat under the table at Swee Kang Ais Kacang Swee Kang Ais Kacang is a great place to stop for a meal, drinks or snacks. As well as various ABC drinks, char kway and rojak, you can also get beehoon belacan and laksa. Definitely worth checking out if you visit Kuching. I've left room in my tummy for another snack at our next stop, a famous roadside food stand of Kuching… Swee Kang Ais Kacang TFP visited Kuching, Malaysia as a guest of Malaysia Kitchen, MATRADE and Tourism Malaysia. Read the posts in my Kuching Trip 2011 series (in order):
More Kuching posts are on the way! Where is Kuching, Malaysia? |
| aseancap » ASEAN NCAP Grand Prix Awards 2014 Successfully <b>...</b> Posted: 27 Aug 2014 10:08 AM PDT ASEAN NCAP Commemorates High Achievers in Crash Test & Automobile Safety Supporters Kuching, 27 August 2014 – The New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) commemorates the achievement of its test program and ASEAN automobile safety supporters in the region in the Grand Prix Awards 2014. This event, which is held in Kuching's Grand Majestic Hotel, also marked the celebration of ASEAN NCAP 1000-day establishment (27th August is the ASEAN NCAP 993-day). ASEAN NCAP also held its 4th Technical Committee Meeting on 26th August 2014, followed by the 8th Steering Committee Meeting the next day. Also, on the 27th August 2014, ASEAN NCAP held its inaugural ASEAN NCAP Automobile Safety Forum (001/2014) that brought the region's road safety and automobile safety players together in sharing the knowledge and developments. The first session featured ASEAN road safety experts from Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Laos, and closed by a keynote speech by the former MIROS' Director-General, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Farhan Sadullah, entitled "NCAP: A business case proposition for nation sustainability drive". The forum continued with the session called "The Galaxy of NCAP" with latest developments being presented by the representatives from Korea NCAP (KNCAP), Japan NCAP (J-NCAP), Australasian NCAP (ANCAP), Global/Latin NCAP, as well as the ASEAN NCAP. The forum ended with the third session for the "Japanese Crash Testing Technology Symposium" that comprised of technology providers namely Kyowa, Photron, Iwasaki, IST Japan, Hodogayagiken and Sinfonia. The Grand Prix Awards 2014 primarily commemorates the achievement of the cars involved in ASEAN NCAP assessment since its first testing (pilot phase: divided into sub-phases 1, 2 and 3) until the latest release in August 2014 (ASEAN NCAP Quarter 3 2014 August Release). It also featured other award segments for safety technology (OEM and car maker category), media contribution award, and the appreciation award to organizations and individuals involved in the Technical & Steering Committee of ASEAN NCAP. ASEAN NCAP Chairman, Prof. Dr. Wong Shaw Voon, who is also the Director-General of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) said, "I'm very indebted to all parties who has helped MIROS and realized our NCAP dream so far. It started with a small effort with outdoor crash testing, the paper-based star-rating evaluation in MyVAP (Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Program) and today we managed to have the NCAP not only for Malaysia but also for the benefit of the ASEAN region. I'm also indebted to the government of Malaysia for putting the trust on us, MIROS and ASEAN NCAP, to introduce this kind of intervention in road safety with both financial and technical support." ASEAN NCAP Secretary-General, Mr. Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim, added, "We hope ASEAN NCAP will grow stronger and be one of the influential platforms for car safety as well as for road safety as a whole. I'm looking forward for healthy competition among the manufacturers to produce safer cars with commendable safety standard. I personally looking forward for a 5-Star car with an affordable price in the region, and perhaps with only one or two variants per model for ASEAN region with safety not being compromised. We will see the result in the next Grand Prix two years from now." Download the press release here: ASEAN NCAP Grand Prix 2014 List of Award Recipients Best Child Occupant Protection (COP) Mini Car: Kia Picanto Small Family: Volkswagen Polo Medium Family: Honda Civic Large Family: Toyota Prius MPV: Perodua Alza SUV: Honda CR-V Pickup: Isuzu D-MAX Best Overall COP: Toyota Prius Best Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) Mini Car: Mitsubishi Mirage Small Family: Honda City (2014) Medium Family: Proton Prevé Large Family: Toyota Prius MPV: Toyota Avanza SUV: Honda CR-V Pickup: Chevrolet Colorado Best Overall AOP: Honda City (2014) Safety Technology Award Car Maker Category: Honda LaneWatch OEM Category: Bosch Academician: No Winner Media Contribution Award Cars, Bikes & Trucks (CBT) Paultan.org Appreciation Award Global NCAP (GNCAP) Australasian NCAP (ANCAP) Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) Certificates ASEAN NCAP Technical Committee Members ASEAN NCAP Steering Committee Members |
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