Malaysian Food

[Josh]

Just been for a couple of weeks in Malaysia so thought I'd share my culinary experiences over there.

They like to eat some strange stuff over there for sure. The gf and I impressed all her family though by eating everything that was put in front of us. They told us they'd been worried about what to feed us as they know how fussy the english are but we soon showed them that we're not all squeamish when it comes to food.

Breakfast was one of my favourite meals of the day. Either loads of dim sum, plates of noodles or noodle soups, roti with egg and curry sauce, plates of curries or big bowls of congee. For the first week we were with the gf's family so got to eat in local restaurants which don't appear to get a lot of white folk as people stared at me continuously while I ate. There's no rest from weird bits even in the morning though and a couple of the breakfast delights were mixed pork noodle soup (pork, intestines, liver and stomach being the mixed pork) and another dish consisting of a big slab of fried, then braised then stuffed pig skin a top a plate of fried noodles. Both of these were actually really tasty though and I'd happily order them again.

Down in Semporna with just the gf and I we had lots of lovely seafood: crab, mantis prawn and slipper lobster from sea to plate within about 10 minutes. We couldn't let the new food experiences stop here though just because we didn't have any locals with us though so we had fish stomach soup one night and fish head soup the next. I really liked the fish stomach soup which was made with salted veg and loads of chunks of the fish stomach which was similar in texture to the braised pig skin but with a nice sweet fishy taste, the gf wasn't a fan though although she loved the fish head soup but I found picking all the bits of fish off a bit of an effort, the heads did give the stock a great flavour though.

All over the place we had a great veg called kangkong

http://www.tribo.org/vegetables/kangkong.html

fingers crossed they sell it in china town as the irony stalks and leaves were great with oyster sauce or chilli and shrimp paste.

We had one fine dining experience which was quite nice. In a country where a huge bowl of fresh seafood noodles costs 5 rm (80p) we had abalone with oyster sauce and a bowl of birds nest soup each at 100 rm. The abalone was great (even if you got one 50 gr slice for that) but we mistakenly ordered a sweet birds nest soup which was like coconut rice pudding.

We took the plunge and ate a durian too. The taste is actually quite nice although the smell is fairly revolting and very overpowering, especially sat next to a stall with about a hundred fruit on it. The flesh is very moist and warm and sort melts in the mouth coating the interior like a ripe and runny cheese. Definitely worth a go although the durian sweets I bought back for the colleagues aren't going down to well.

One Tawau delicacy we had was very reminiscent of cerviche. White fish was sliced thinly then mixed with sesame oil, vinegar, chilli sauce and lots of ginger then left so the vinegar could 'cook' the fish a bit. This was so tasty and will definitely be attempted at home.

All in all the food is amazing as is the country. The only real disappointing meal was in a hotel which served western food along with the eastern food but we only went there as some of the gf's family liked to eat western food for a treat.

I took lots of photos of the food (and a few non-food) if you're interested

http://www.cig.canon-europe.com/album/g ... cale=en_GB

[jenny_haddow]

Thanks for sharing that with us Josh. What a great experience and super pictures.

Cheers

Jen

[Oddley]

Well impressed with the photography, it looks like you had a great time. I would love to try all that food. But not all at once...

[tristar]

Hi Josh,

Looks like you had a good time in Malaysia, So you have shown us Malay Chinese, when are you heading back to give us a full report on the other cuisines of Malaysia:

Etnic Malay
Indian
Mamak
Nyonya

I am glad you had a go at the durian, they are an acquired taste, but after a couple of times you don't even notice the smell! I love the things and am looking forward to getting home in a months time, as the durian season should be in full swing!

Very interesting report and photos, I look forward to the next installment.

Regards,
Richard

[Josh]

I suppose it is very chinese. That's what we were always served really. The roti and curries must come under another bracket to chinese malay though.

I'm sure I'll be back though as there's lots of the gf's family out there.

Durian's all good, I reckon it'll take a few more goes before I'm fully used to it though.

[tristar]

Hi Josh,

The roti and curries, will be Indian and or Mamak, the Mamak is actualy halal and therefore will contain no pork. Doesn't it make a magnificent breakfast though, Roti Chanai, curry sauce and Teh Tarik. One thing I miss living in Indonesia!

Don't give up on the Durian, I remember the first time I ate it, my secretary took me into Chinatown in Singapore one evening, and treated me. I could smell it on my hands for at least a week afterwards and was sure it was coming out of every pore on my body!, nothing I did would remove the aroma!. I was always most aware of it whilst travelling on public transport, where, even in those days it was banned.

Strangely I hardly notice the smell now, apart from knowing that Durians are somewhere close for sale when I smell it!

If I still exude the same odour as I did then, I hate to think what my expat friends make of me when I am with them after having a Durian session with the family!

Regards,
Richard

[Lance Yeoh]

Hi Josh,
Glad you liked my country. We really have a lot of different types of food he due to the many races and people from different countries that make up the people here. The majority is Malays and the Chinese comes in second.
The variety of food available here is just mind bongling, sometimes you're just at a lost of what to eat, especially when you visit our local night markets called pasar malam here.
The dish you referred to as fish stomach is actually the swim bladder of the fish and not the stomach.
Durians are in full season now and is available at a very reasonable price now. You can see loads of them being sold by the roadsides and these stalls will close down after the season is over.

[Wohoki]

I pu on loads of weight while I was in Malasia, purely thanks to the pasar malams. I just couldn't stop eating, and I didn't eat anything I didn't like. Fast food in the West really could take a few lessons ffrom SE Asia.

Durian is well worth eating. I find that it is one of the foods that I taste in my mind from time to time, but I can't get any (if you know what I mean.) Durian sweets or ice-cream just don't have the same oomph to them that the fresh fruit has.

[georgebaker]

Hi
You can buy all the durians you want round here. My problem is that I don't want to spend money on something that I have heard mixed views on. You have to buy a whole one and they are BIG.

George

[Wohoki]

Give it a go, George. You'll never know unless you try. (But buy it the day before the bins are emptied, just in case. They do pong.)

[Lance Yeoh]

Durians are a truly unique fruit. Either you like it or you'll hate it. But most people here love it! I'm a durian lover as well and each season I'll probably ploish off a couple dozens of them maybe more.
You've gotta eat them fresh, when they're made into stuff like sweet, candies, cakes etc, it just doesn't taste the same.

[vinner]

I enjoyed it al, Josh. I would really like the recipe for the Tawau "ceviche", as the mexican version is one of the family's all time favorite recipes. I am keen to try the Malay version.

[Dazzajapan]

really floats my boat to be honest..and the nasi lemak coconut rice.
I have heard that durian really raises the body temperature and that it can be fatal when mixed with alcohol..is that true?

[Spuddy]

Another common local belief is that the durian is harmful when eaten with coffee or alcoholic beverages. The latter belief can be traced back at least to the 18th century when Rumphius stated that one should not drink alcohol after eating durians as it will cause indigestion and bad breath. In 1929, J. D. Gimlette wrote in his Malay Poisons and Charm Cures that the durian fruit must not be eaten with brandy. In 1981, J. R. Croft wrote in his Bombacaceae: In Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea that "a feeling of morbidity" often follows the consumption of alcohol too soon after eating durian.

Doesn't sound like fatal symptoms could result but more like a "feeling of morbidity" could result. This suggests some sort of "mind altering" quality when the two are combined.

Interesting!!

[Dazzajapan]

I have had two days of feeling morbid after my work's booze-up.Maybe it ain't the durian!! LOL