Going where I’ve never been

We have only a few short days left in Malaysia and I believe that the time has come to pay tribute to this country in the form of yet another food blog. We’ve pretty much given up on the Chinese options; they’re all excellent, but just not our thing. We need spice in our lives! The following are all Indian, Malay or something that blurs the line between…

*Nasi Lemak – This classic and super-cheap Malay breakfast consists of a mound of rice soaked in coconut cream then steamed, served with a scoop of spicy sambal (see below), a handful of peanuts, a sprinkling of dried anchovies and typically topped with a fried egg, sometimes chicken. The best versions are done hot and fresh, though this a common takeaway food as well, prepackaged into a banana leaf pyramid for easy transport.

*Cendol/ ABC – These are two shaved ice desserts that can be found everywhere. Cendol contains green, sweetened pea flour “strings” underneath a heaping mound of shaved ice, doused in coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. ABC is similar, though more of a layered concoction, often including beans, corn, tapioca sweets and sometimes icecream mixed into the cherry syrup-laced shaved ice. These may sound odd, but they’re fantastic!

*Roti Canai – Another typical breakfast or snack, a roti is basically a piece of flaky layered dough fried on a hot griddle. They stuff them with all sorts of things, but your basic roti canai is just a piping hot square of bread served with a bowl of dipping curry. Simply, delicious, and oh-so-unhealthy!

*Asam Pedas – This is a tamarind-curry fish, native to the city of Melaka. The spicy red bowl of curry is served with a delicious tender fish (that you picked out) and typically some pineapple, along with the obligatory plate of rice.

* Sambal – Though the word technically means “sauce,” it is used to refer to the spicy red accompaniment to nasi lemak and multiple fried meats. Sambal is made up of chilies, onions, garlic, lemongrass, tamarind and tumeric and is especially delicious when big chunks of white-meat chicken are fried in it – this was a Juara Beach specialty!

* Peanut Sauce – I don’t know what all goes into this decadent sauce that is served with satay and grilled meats alike, but all I really need is a spoon!

*Tosai Sayur – I mentioned tosai before (dosa in India) – it’s the massive but light rice/lentil crepe that is wrapped around all sorts of intriguing fillings (or just served plain, but who wants that?) and then served with three different curries or chutneys. A new favorite is tosai sayur, which came stuffed with a colorful array of vegetables, big chilies and tons of chopped roast chicken.

*Sesame balls – Here is my one tribute to Chinese food (snack, really), that I finally tried in Singapore, though I’ve seen it on vendor carts all over Asia. This looks like a bit donut hole, a ball of fried dough covered in sesame seeds. Upon actually eating one, however, it wasn’t oily and it wasn’t all dough; the inside contained a huge chunk of what tasted exactly like honey-laced chunky peanut butter. Thank goodness I’m just now finding this out!

*Beehoon curry – Nothing more special than a rice noodle soup, full of roast chicken and a variety of vegetables, but the curry that it comes soaked in is phenomenal, a whole new twist on noodle soup for us!

*Murtabak Ayam – These have to be shared…sort of like a roti, but heavier and better! The best way to describe a murtabak is to call it a thick chicken and vegetable omelett, wrapped in a thin layer of dough and quickly fried on a griddle before being served with an array of curries for dipping. Wow, wow, wow.

*Banana Leaf meals – A traditional way to eat Indian food, a banana leaf meal is just that. You pick your main dish, whether it be rich mutton masala(our personal choice), chicken tikka or something else, then the fun begins! A giant banana leaf is placed in front of you, then the guy comes around with a four-sectioned container of various veggie curries and yogurt chutneys. He puts a scoop of each one on your leaf, adds a small piece of flatbread and maybe a vadla (fried chickpea cake), then a bowl or two of dhal and dipping curry. Your meat comes in a side bowl, then an ungodly amount of rice is piled onto your banana leaf, signaling go time! Your food get mixed together, sopped up and shovelled in, preferably without any utensils – Gabe and I are painfully stuffed after sharing one of these, but the veggies, rice and sauces are bottomless for those with second stomaches! The cost? Less than $2.

On that note, we need to go hike some of this off and make room for more – time is slipping away!

Malaysia, thus far, has been both the most modern and westernized place we’ve been (no litter, sturdy buildings, orderly traffic), while at the same time the most exotic (veiled women, gorgeous Indian dress, music, Chinese temples, Muslim mosques, a crazy mix of cultures all coexisting) – we are more than pleased so far!

It wasn’t easy getting here, although it should have been. In a nutshell, we took a bus from Krabi to Hat Yai where we were presented with one option for getting over the border: a minibus that seemed quite overpriced for a three hour journey. Declining that method in the name of thrift and adventure, the entire trip ended up taking 15 hours and covering a lot of ground, from Krabi to Hat Yai to Pedang Besar to Kangar to Alor Setar to Butterworth and, finally, to Penang by a midnight ferry.

In the end, we only saved a few dollars but we did have a number of encounters that left us with a great first impression of Malaysia. This country is made up pretty evenly of Malays, Chinese and Indians, the majority of which are devout Muslims. Right away I stuck out in my shorts and exposed blonde hair, as 99% of the women in those first few conservative towns were veiled and certainly didn’t show their knees. We definitely drew some attention, but not in an uncomfortable or unfriendly way; rather, we were greeted by some of the warmest and most helpful people yet!

At the border crossing we were easily stamped in on a free 90-day visa and congratulated by the immigration officer on our new president. The guards on the other side repeated the congrats, told us where to get money and catch further transport, then wished us a great visit. We walked in Pedang Besar, still a bit uncertain about how to get to Butterworth; upon asking a Chinese woman for information, she went out of her way to explain that we needed to go to Kangar first, called the train station to see if there were any more trains that day and, upon finding out that there were not, walked us to a spot where we could flag down the bus, told us what the fare should be, advised us not to trust taxis and wished us safe travels.

In Kangar, as we searched for the second bus station, a veiled girl pointed the way and shouted a genuine “Have a great day!” after us. A bus driver rescued us from some touts who were trying to get us to overpay a bus fare, then chatted Obama news and his wishes for no more wars with us for the duration of the trip. Everyone that we met wore huge smiles, spoke perfect English and went well out of their way to assist us and wish us well. It added much needed smiles to a frustrating travel day!

Our first morning in Penang began much the same way; we were wandering around Little India, marveling at the incredibly diverse population, beautiful architecture and rich culture all around us (not to mention the food…more on that in a moment) when a Chinese man on a bicycle approached us. He asked where we came from, about our trip, what we hoped to see, what we hoped to eat, how we felt about our new president, etc. I think we were both expecting there to be some strings attached, since there usually are in Asia (especially when the opening question is “where are you from?”), but no – this guy was as genuine as it gets! He gave us some sightseeing suggestions, chatted a bit more and then pedalled off, wishing us well. We passed him a few minutes later at a fruit stand where he waved us over and bought us each slices of fresh papaya. When we attempted to pay he would have none of it, telling us that he is the host and we musn’t insult his generosity. What wonderful people!

The only thing better than the people is the food! Penang is a culinary wonderland, absolutely bursting with Malay, Chinese and Indian food at every turn. The smells are incredible and mingle with the various incenses that burn at the temples, mosques and churches; this is a true melting pot of a place. We’ve made many Chinese food discoveries from the innumerable hawker stalls, tried several Malay specialities and of course indulged in absolutely amazing Indian food from canteens staffed by enthusiastic, overzealous Indian men who also love their food! I will list some new favorites below…

*Rojak (Malay) – A salad made of cucumber, jicama, pineapple, apple and tofu, topped with a tamarind/palm sugar/chili sauce and crushed peanuts.

* Char Koay Teow (Malay) – fried wide rice noodles with prawn, egg, bean sprouts, Chinese sausage and chilies.

*Assam Laksa (Malay) – Noodles in a sour fish soup seasoned with tamarind, mint, onion, pineapple, chili and ginger.

*Lok lok (Malay) – Basically you have a street stall absolutely stacked with satay sticks of every imaginable meat, veggie, dumpling or wonton creation. Each are color-coded according to price (each costs 5-15 cents) and you simply graze; pick a stick, dunk it in the big vat of boiling water to heat it, then dunk it into any one of the available sauces (sweet/sour, peanut, spicy) and enjoy. Just hold on to your sticks and the vendor will add up what you owe at the end…a dangerous game!

*Chee Cheong Fun (Chinese) – big steamed rice rolls stuffed with shrimp or meat and served with an oily chili sauce, peanuts and sesame seeds. This is one of many delicious dim sum dishes (basically all sorts of small dumplings that allow diners to pick, choose and sample til full!)

*Wonton Mee (Chinese) – yellow noodle soup with big prawn-stuffed steamed wontons and barbequed pork.

*Curry Mee (Chinese) – yellow noodle soup with a thick coconut curry sauce and various meats.

*Garlic Naan (Indian) – All naan bread is delicious, but we can’t stop eating the garlic, which is indescribably savoury. They throw a thin (but large) disk of dough into the tandoori, cook it on the side of the oven for a few moments, scoop it out, glaze it with buttery, delicious garlic cloves and serve it piping hot with a side dish of dhal (lentil curry). Cost? Less than 50 cents!

*Kashmir Naan (Indian) – Another wonderful naan bread, stuffed full of dates, nuts and spices. A meal in itself!

*Tandoori Chicken (Indian) – That incredible red roasted chicken that they skewer and cook in the tandoori – served with spicy curry sauce and best with hot naan bread.

 *Masala Thosai (Indian) – A huge rice/lentil “crepe”stuffed thick with a curried potato and onions, served with three kinds of dipping sauces. A super filling meal, 50 cents.

*Nasi Kandar (Indian) – All sorts of things – the Indian version of a “point place,” where there are trays upon trays of curries and meats and yogurt dishes and spicy vegetable casseroles…point and have it scooped onto a big plate of rice!

*Samosas (Indian) – Sort of like a hot pocket, but way better dough, fried hot and stuffed with anything from spiced mutton to potato curries. We can share a couple for 50 cents.

*Pulled Tea (Indian) – Tea mixed with milk and sugar then “pulled” – tossed from one cup into another until it is nice and frothy, then served on ice. Perfect with spicy Indian food!

Other delights include the fresh fruits vendors; not only do they serve up juicy slices of pineapple, papaya, banana, dragon fruit, kiwi and starfruit at rock bottom prices, they also make any sort of fruit juice you can imagine! 30 cents will get you an icy cup (or bag) of pure (healthy) deliciousness – they put nothing but fruit and ice into the blender.

We have only touched the surface of food and friendly people (pretty impressive for 3 days, huh?) and I can promise that this won’t be the last time that you hear me rave about Malaysia – tonight’s dinner alone should be full of new delights!

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