>> The east coast of the Malaysian Peninsula is home to many charming villages, beautiful mosques, and some of the most spectacular beaches in Southeast Asia.

Terengganu is often called the Gem of the East Coast.

It really is a treasure chest filled with natural and manmade beauties.

Giant turtles swim thousands of miles each year to lay eggs on these beautiful beaches.

Hey, I'm planning a welcoming party.

Join me next on "Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan."

♪ ♪ ♪ >> "Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan" is brought to you by... >> ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ >> Circulon cookware.

Circles for life.

>> Monogram.

A full line of professional appliances designed for food and entertaining enthusiasts.

♪ ♪ By Melissa's.

The freshest ideas in produce.

By Granite Expo.

Offering a wide selection of cabinet and countertop solutions.

And by B&G Group of Malaysia.

♪ Building Malaysia's tomorrow.

♪ ♪ Welcome to the beautiful Summer Bay Resort, Lang Tengah Island in Terengganu, Malaysia.

This is the first time in my entire life scuba diving up close to look at colorful live corals, beautiful fish swimming around.

This is truly nature's wonder in the deep ocean.

Hey, come and enjoy Mother Nature's the very best to offer.

My instructor also reminds me you've got to learn to respect nature.

Don't touch anything live, particularly corals or any live creature.

All you have to do is don't touch and just watch.

I try to remember that.

This is very important -- to respect nature and the natural environment.

Wow, what an experience!

First time in my entire life scuba diving.

Spectacular!

Magnificent!

That's what I really want to tell and remind everybody, really.

Down there is so beautiful, so spectacular.

You got to protect them so generations and generations of people in the future can enjoy it.

It is just Mother Nature.

Got to protect the environment.

This is truly an experience of a lifetime.

I love it!

♪ ♪ ♪ I have such a good time here... >> Yeah.

>> ...at the Summer Bay Resort, and I hope I will come back again and see you all.

And I thank you so much for your hospitality... >> Thanks a lot.

>> ...taking care of me and all my friends, my crew, and everything.

And I'm quite sure -- you're awesome -- we will come back.

I will come back, and all of you will come back.

Is it true?

Yes.

See, they'll all come back.

Thank you, John.

>> Thank you.

>> We appreciate it very much for the hospitality.

Thank you.

♪ At sunrise, the call to prayer is heard all over Malaysia.

In Terengganu, the call comes from one of the most beautiful mosques in the land.

This is the Floating Mosque.

Constructed with marble and ceramics, this mosque combines modern and classic Moorish design.

It is built on a platform over water, so from a distance, the structure appears to be floating on water.

♪ As you travel around the world, in every small town there's always a popular gathering place where local people or tourists can feel the local pulse and the daily rhythm.

In Kemaman, it is the High Bean Coffee Shop.

This has been a popular hangout for more than 75 years for locals and tourists alike, now run by the third generation, grandson.

Mmm.

This cup of coffee is definitely one of the best I've ever tasted.

Richard.

>> Yes, Martin.

>> I know that to have good coffee, you have to have fresh-roasted coffee beans.

You've got to grind it.

So, do you do it right here in the shop?

>> Yes.

We grind the coffee right here.

>> And also, you have to start with the best coffee beans, too.

>> Yes.

>> How do you eat this?

>> So, usually, people crack their soft-boiled egg on a plate.

Then they'll season it with some soy sauce and pepper.

>> Season with soy sauce.

Pepper.

>> Pepper, yes.

Then you've got to mix it up.

Then you take the bread... >> Yeah, take the bread?

>> ...and you dip it.

>> Mmm!

Very unique.

>> By the way, that's a sign outside that's been handcrafted by my grandfather the day he opened the shop.

>> [Speaks Chinese] >> [Speaks Chinese] >> Mr. Wong originally came from the Hainan Island.

He came all the way to Malaysia and settled here, and he opened this coffee shop 70 years ago.

And then also I was told that he happened to be an author of this book.

And this is how handsome he looked when he was younger.

>> [Speaks Chinese] >> Wow.

>> [Speaks Chinese] >> Wow!

>> [Speaks Chinese] >> [Speaks Chinese] I don't know about the local pulse, but mine is definitely up.

The coffee here is some strong stuff.

But the story behind it is emotional, educational, and reminds me how to live being a better human being.

That's the best experience I'll ever have.

In this little town, Kemaman, in terms of food, the most famous is stuffed crab.

[ Chuckles ] I am so happy to be here because many of the original Chinese immigrated here from Hainan Island, the southernmost island from China, and they bring with them culture, tradition, heritage, and good food.

And today, I'm so happy to meet chef-owner Mr. Chew, or Chef Chew of this Tong Juan.

First, we're going to try the most famous stuffed crab.

First, you open the crab right in the middle.

And then you put two little teaspoons of chili sauce inside.

Mmm.

Exceptional.

You know why?

Because the crab meat is so fresh, so sweet, and then of course the carrots give you color and texture contrast.

This tastes so delicious.

I want to learn how to do it.

Thank you, Mr. Chew, for having me in your paradise kitchen.

You start with the freshest fried crab.

Then you open this up, get all this crab meat, the freshest, the most delicious crab meat, and then you have chopped garlic, cilantro, green onion, carrot, and diced onion all together.

Put all of these ingredients and enough crab meat and then toss it around.

White pepper.

And then a tiny bit of salt.

Toss it again.

And stir-fry it.

It smells so good.

When it's done, let's put it right here.

Ah.

Perfect.

Okay.

Stuff it.

Then you beat up the egg white.

Use the machine.

Boom, it's done.

Finish it up by putting all of this right here.

Then with this all nice and done, we take it over there and deep fry it just for a few seconds until golden brown.

Thank you, Mr. Chew.

The east coast of the peninsula is predominantly populated by Moslem Malaysians, but I was surprised when I came upon a small Chinese community during my journey.

There I met the fabulous Madam Bee, a Nyonya and a local legend.

And of course she has a restaurant.

And of course I talked her out of her favorite recipe.

Here it is -- spicy sour squid from the sweetest Madam Bee.

Here, look at the squid.

So the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to make a special curry sauce.

This is a really, really, really hot and spicy sauce.

And it's very easy to do.

I have lemongrass.

I crush this.

And I bring it all together, and then I cut this up like this.

This is the easiest way to do because it's very fibrous.

And you put it over here.

And this is lemongrass.

And this is some chili, some crushed chili.

I soaked them so it's easier to pound.

And then I have some [ Speaks indistinctly ] and some garlic.

I crush the garlic a little bit.

And I also put it here.

and I have some shallot.

So this is going to be a very aromatic flavoring for our squid.

The squid is basically pretty bland, so if you have some really nice, aromatic ingredients, then it will make the dish look really, really and taste very, very good.

And then always, always clean up, okay?

And then I pound this.

I put my hand here, and I pound it like this.

I pound it and then crush it.

Look at this.

Now let me show you another thing.

You open this.

It looks beautiful like this, okay?

You open this.

This is the outside.

This is the inside.

I turn it.

And this you don't have to do at home.

I do it like this -- 45-degree.

45, 45, 45.

And then 45, 45.

And I cut one, two big pieces, and I put it here.

And this one -- I cut it open once a little bit so they open up.

Okay, so this is all together.

Now, after you cut this up, score it, inside -- tiny bit of pepper.

Tiny bit of pepper, tiny bit of salt, tiny bit of cornstarch.

It'll help to seal in the juice.

But after you marinate these, they might get stuck a little bit, right?

So what you do is put a tiny bit of oil to lubricate, just like oil in an engine.

Just a little bit.

Set it aside.

Now, all the other ingredients -- I have shallots.

Cut into smaller pieces.

Set it aside.

I have palm sugar.

I don't know whether you have ever used this.

In Thai cooking and Malaysian cooking, a lot of palm sugar.

You crush it like this, okay?

And then I have some Vietnamese mint.

I cut it up.

I cut it up.

A whole leaf.

Like this.

And then I also have tomato.

And I cut the tomato.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

And all the tomato.

You have shallot and tomato.

So we will quickly sauté this.

We've got the sauces all ready and have tamarind and some curry here.

So this is going to be very delicious.

First I want to get all these flavors -- get the flavor of the sauce.

Okay?

This is so beautiful.

Whoa.

Look at this.

Nice.

Get the flavor out.

And get the squid in.

Doesn't take too long.

Going to be so delicious.

And then tiny bit of this.

Tiny bit of palm sugar.

Tiny bit of shallot.

And a tiny bit of tomato.

It's so colorful.

And a tiny bit of curry.

Curry powder.

Tiny bit of salt.

Tiny bit of sugar.

Tiny bit of extra pepper.

Tamarind sauce.

This is going to be so good, just a little tangy plate.

And it smells so good.

And this is it.

And it's done, and it's so delicious.

Never overcook, okay?

When you overcook, it ruins everything.

Then when it's done, I put this over here.

I want to show you how beautiful it can be.

Garnish.

I put this right here.

Okay.

Nice.

And I put this right in here.

Look at this.

Right in the middle.

And this -- look at this -- all cut up, looks like a flower.

Look at that.

This is what I have cut up.

Beautiful flower.

Okay.

And then I garnish it with a tiny bit of these Vietnamese mint, then Vietnamese mint.

Look at that.

The dish is very simple.

One protein, which is squid.

The spice is what makes it interesting, and the Vietnamese mint.

So this is a very nice dish that everybody can go home and try, particularly you, Ben and Kiki.

You go home and try this.

I'm going to serve these to you right here.

♪ ♪ ♪ At the Tanjong Jara Resort hotel, the guests get to say, "Good morning," to the South China Sea every day at their front door.

This morning, they're also getting their breakfast on the beach.

Now I'm going to introduce one of my most beloved, talented good friends, Chef Ann.

How are you doing, Chef?

How are you doing?

>> Fine.

>> So, Chef, what are you going to show us today?

>> We're going to cook the beef rendang.

>> Okay, look at this -- all the beef is already cut up into thin strips.

>> We start with this garlic, chopped garlic.

>> This is chopped garlic.

>> Shallots, lemongrass, chili paste, star anise, cloves, shredded coconut.

>> Palm sugar.

>> Palm sugar, salt, dried tamarind, kaffir lime, cinnamon stick, and cardamom.

This is very important for cooking rendang.

>> Very important.

This is the turmeric leaf.

>> Turmeric leaf.

>> What is step number one?

>> We have to make the curry seed, so we put inside.

No need to put oil.

>> No need to put oil.

>> Get golden brown.

>> It smells good.

We're going to put it here, right?

>> Yes.

>> We're going to put it over here and pound it.

>> Right.

>> You do this.

I do this.

>> Yep.

[ Pounding rhythmically ] >> Ah!

>> Smells...aroma.

>> Ah!

Amazing.

Okay.

>> Now, we start.

Put this, about 1 full teaspoon of oil.

So we start with garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoon in.

>> 1 1/2 teaspoon of chopped shallot.

1 teaspoon of ginger.

>> Ginger.

>> 1/2 teaspoon of galangal.

1 teaspoon of turmeric.

>> You guys like spicy?

You can put 3 teaspoons of chili.

Lemongrass.

We need cardamom, cinnamon.

>> Cardamom, cardamom, cardamom.

>> Star anise.

Palm sugar, dried tamarind, kaffir lime.

Now we start to get in -- put the meat inside.

You mix it together like this.

Don't forget curry seed.

We have to put 2 teaspoons inside.

>> Tiny bit of salt to flavor.

>> Turmeric leaf and put inside.

Don't miss the coconut milk, about 4 teaspoons.

>> It smells so good.

Let's taste.

>> Mmm!

>> It is done!

Now we're ready to serve.

This is the final dish, beef rendang.

Give me five!

Thank you very much.

Let us eat beef rendang.

>> You like this, right?

>> I love it.

I love it.

>> Pickle.

>> And I'll give you some more of the -- >> Could be you like the fried chili.

I've put a little bit of gravy here.

I need a little salt.

Little bit of rendang gravy, then you wrap this meat, mix it all together.

Look at this.

Mmm.

>> Mmm.

>> Together.

You wrap it up.

>> And then... >> Up.

Mmm.

>> Mmm.

>> You've got a pickle also.

You put together.

Mmm.

>> Mmm, pickle.

Mmm, pickle.

>> This.

>> Mmm, very good.

We're enjoying a very romantic breakfast facing the beautiful South China Sea and share this with you.

Thank you so very much.

♪ Everybody knows coconut water is a healthy drink, so when I come to Malaysia, first thing when I get thirsty -- coconut water.

So I'm going to get some coconut, get some juice.

Ah.

Just like the locals, you got to get it yourself.

[ Grunting ] It's not easy.

I think I'm going to call for help.

Let me introduce my good help monkey.

♪ Ah.

Ah.

So refreshing.

Not only that -- healthy.

Thank you so very much for your help.

Thank you.

You're good.

I am searching on the beach to look for giant turtles.

They come up here to lay eggs.

And hopefully, I'll get lucky tonight.

But I think I can get very lucky because with me is the turtle-watch expert, Mr. Aziz.

>> But, Chef Yan, you have to turn off the light.

>> I have to turn off the light?

>> You have to turn off the light, yes.

>> Oh.

Okay.

>> Okay.

So, the whole area needs to be very, very dark.

Because there's a lot of turtles in the sea, they want to come to the beach to lay their eggs.

But when you turn on the light, when they see the lights, then they don't come to the beach.

They always go to the place where there's no light at all.

The numbers of turtles is getting less and less every year because the problem now is global warming.

>> But if it's too warm, it will be mostly either male or female, and so it's very important that we do not destroy the environment.

>> Yeah.

♪ >> I am in one of the very few turtle conservation and information centers, and with me, my honor, Mr. Hajji Karim, the curator, the chief of this conservation center.

Mr. Karim, tell me why you set up this conservation center.

[ Speaking native language ] >> Some of the turtles can live up to 140 years old.

>> Yeah.

>> And that's why in Asian cultures, they always believe turtle is a symbol of longevity and a symbol of good fortune.

And I appreciate your work and your team to preserve some of these endangered species and protect our environment.

And this is all for our future generations to enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The east coast of the Malaysian Peninsula is never known for its Chinese settlements, so I'm quite surprised to come upon this traditional Chinese street in the heart of Kuala Terengganu.

The architecture of this place can rival many historical towns on the west coast, like Ipoh and Taiping.

And like so many historical old towns, everything here seems untouched by the passage of time.

♪ >> Mr. Teo, I find this housing complex truly amazing, and I'm curious how old this whole complex is.

Looks like you have been here, the whole family have been here for a long, long time.

>> Yes, I'm the seventh generation living here.

>> Seventh generation?

Wow.

>> Yes, since the Qing dynasty.

>> Qing dynasty!

Qing dynasty!

>> Qianlong.

>> Qianlong.

>> Qianlong, Qianlong.

>> Look at all this architecture.

>> Yes.

>> You can tell this is old Chinese architecture just like kung fu movies in the old days.

>> The Chinese -- >> The Chinese windows.

And then this is totally different.

>> Yes, it is Malay kampong architecture.

>> In fact, we are the Peranakan family.

>> What is Peranakan?

>> Peranakan in Malay is local-born Chinese for many generations.

>> Oh, Chinese born in Malaysia.

>> In early years.

>> So a lot of things are very traditional Chinese, and then also fused with the local Malay culture, Malay flavor.

>> Yes.

>> The east coast of the Malaysian Peninsula is filled with gems and surprises.

Join me next time for more "Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan."

Bye-bye.

>> You can visit our website to learn more about Martin and his travels, get information about upcoming events, find and print selected recipes, provide e-mail feedback, and more.

It's all at yancancook.com.

"Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan" is brought to you by... >> ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ >> Circulon cookware.

Circles for life.

>> Monogram.

A full line of professional appliances designed for food and entertaining enthusiasts.

♪ ♪ By Melissa's.

The freshest ideas in produce.

By Granite Expo.

Offering a wide selection of cabinet and countertop solutions.

And by B&G Group of Malaysia.

♪ Building Malaysia's tomorrow.

♪ ♪ ♪