Whenever anyone goes to Cameron Highlands, they will surely try out one of the many steamboat restaurants there. Due to the cool weather up there, steamboats are indeed quite a wonderful way to warm up and fuel up too!
The last few times we went there, we never did get around to trying the steamboat restaurants. Somehow, we were more than content with dining on snacks and fresh fruits bought from the weekend night market. So, recently, we decided to give the infamous steamboat restaurants a try. It will never do that each time we went there, we did not even try one of the steamboat restaurants once!
We chose the Cameron Organic Produce Steamboat Restaurant because it has the magic word ‘organic’ and we have heard great recommendations of it from friends. We obviously made a good choice because by 7pm the place has started to fill up. Perhaps due to the holiday weekend with loads of tourists or simply because it was that good.
They have two different types of soup base to choose from, the normal chicken base soup or the more special, lentil based soup. Daring to be different, we chose the lentil based soup. It was a good choice because the soup was not salty and too ‘rich’. It was a clear and refreshing soup base. No strange lentil taste or anything.
The dishes that go with the steamboat are plates of fresh organic vegetables, shrimps, squids, chicken and a variety of fish-balls. The usual steamboat fare except with more vegetables than we are accustomed to in Penang.
The vegetables are of course very fresh and so sweet, it is absolutely heavenly. The soup base is also great in the sense that it was not too cloying and does not become too thick and salty after we had cooked most of the ingredients in it. Instead of turning murky and salty and a tad too ‘ richly chicken-ish’, the soup actually tasted really good towards the end.
My only complaint was the shrimps which weren’t really fresh. But since we are in the highlands with the sea way, way, way below, it is understandable and forgiven.
Rating: 7/10
Price: $$ (RM18 per person)
You can make your very own steamboat at home too because it was quite easy to prepare the soup base and you just need to use the electric steamboat or like the one used by restaurants to serve.
Steamboat Lentils Soup Base Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups mixed lentils, soaked to softened
6 in of burdock, skinned and diced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup dried red dates, seeded
Half clove of garlic, diced (or less if you don’t like garlic)
1 pot of water
Instructions
1. In a big pot (of up to 5litre), fill with water up to about 4 inches from the rim. Heat it up to boil.
2. Add all the ingredients in except for the garlic.
3. Let it simmer over low fire for between an hour to two.
4. Fry the garlic in oil to make garlic oil. Set aside.
5. The soup is ready once you bring it to a boil and the lentils have all softened.
6. Pour the soup into the electric or coal steamboat, it is ready to serve.
7. You can serve it with any raw / half-cooked ingredients you like. After putting in the vegetables, shrimps, chicken, etc, pour in some of the garlic oil and wait for it to boil.
8. Once it comes to a boil, dive in and enjoy.
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i passed by the shop too, but since i can have organic steamboat right in the organic park back in my hometown, so i did not try tht.
I bet those vegetables are not grown organically. Only the restoran name is “organic”.
Where got people so free in Malaysia grow real organic vegie. Malaysians everything want good and cheap, real organic farmers eat East & South wind got.
xin: wow, you have an organic park in your hometown…that’s so convenient.
engineer: eh, you have to open you eyes and educate yourself lar. There are so many organic farms cropping up in Malaysia lar and yes, the organic vegetables aren’t cheap but a lot of people are now more conscious about going for organic food so there is a niche market for it. In case you think these farms are not really organic, PAN is quite active here and I doubt that it could be so easily fooled.
You the one talking bout cancer and carcinogen and stuffs should be more encouraging of organic food wat.
Wei… why you post so late? I read this after my trip to Cameron Highland le! Well, of course, I had steamboat for my dinner when I stayed at Brinchang. RM18 per pax at Kowloon Restaurant. Not bad. Hubby had ate a lot of green vege. I think the most in his whole life. He hates green stuff. LOL
Choonie: Heheheh…I was waiting for hubby to upload the pictures for me so in the end waited for about a week lor. Eh, tell your hubby, green veg good for him lah and even my toddler knows that! My toddler loves green veg and ate quite a lot of it too!
Hey, having say so much where exactly is this place? Anyone have the address to share?
dlp: Sorry, I don’t have the address.