yunnermeier

You're welcome to if you ever travel to this part of the world:D I'll PM the sambal belacan recipe to you when I get it tomorrow I love travelling, trying different foods and meeting different people! On my defence, I must say that I finance my own travels (most of the time anyway, once in a blue moon, the old man would donate 100 euros to me as pocket money) haha . I love kimchi too:-) I think kim chi is a bit like sambal belacan. Not the taste per se but it's good enough to eat with plain rice, you know? Kimchi soup is awesome too. I like oyster mushrooms , meat and of course lots of kimchi. I always leave the tofu (I hate tofu!) and shiitake Lindsay Ann Sorry, I missed your 2nd post! Yes, strawberry and fruit lo (and no, I don't know what lo means too...) are shaved ice desserts. The fruit lo had grass jelly, watermelon, kiwi, pineapples ,lychees and probably some kind of sweet syrup. The strawberry lo had fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup (with seeds), sago and that's about it I think. I love shaved ice desserts too:) If I have the time tomorrow, I'll grab an ais kacang , an authentic Malaysian shaved ice dessert

I actually didn't want to post this because aren't you guys tired of all these pictures already?! But then Nancy and Milagai sent me a message saying how much they appreciated photos of the street markets so here you are! Photos from today (when I bought the peanut pancake and popiah) Pastries and Bread stall (it's very long and have both local 'kaya' -coconut jam- bread and western pastries such as danishes, chocolate cakes ....) . Of course the quality (for western pastries) here is lower than in a real bakery (and btw bakeries in Malaysia aren't that good either because it's too expensive to source for proper ingredients) but it's cheap and more than edible Fresh sugarcane juice. For some reason, sugarcane carts also sell coconut juice. fruits again Salted chicken. Not dried but just coated with salt and toasted with charcoal. My lekor man He's new. Just in case you missed the first explanation, lekor is ground fish with sago ++. It is not photogenic but it's really good. Where I bought the peanut pancake (only 70 Malaysian sen - US$0.20- each!) More fruits Lo Mai Kai (glutinous rice with chicken and mushrooms)

Hiya, you're right. Indian saffron is also known as tumeric. The belimbing I showed is NOT starfruit. That is for eating and is much bigger (also shaped like a star). This fruit, also called belimbing, is used only for cooking and is not very easily found (only at Malay farmer's market. We have our own tree). I'll post pictures of the tree tomorrow. It's flowering nicely now

You're right I think Malaysians spend more time in the kitchen IF they cook. A normal home-cooked Chinese dinner consisting of 1-2 meats, 1 fish, 1 vegetable and 1 soup takes 1 hour (preparing and cooking). Nyonya or Malay food however take 2 hours to prepare and cook (like today). That's why catering is quite common for working people in Malaysia. The family pays maybe RM6 (less than US$2) per person per day for a simple dinner (usually 3 dishes) to catering companies (they deliver to your house too). I know that when I did the cooking in Holland, I'd cook meat+potatoes+a salad (less dishes plus easy!) or if I stir -fry something Chinese, it would only be rice and that (in Malaysia, that would be considered a very pathetic dinner indeed). And yes, most people just buy something from a stall, eat out or order McDonalds McDelivery (available 24 hours a day) There is no minimum wage in Malaysia. A fresh graduate earns anything from RM1300- RM2500 (US$1= RM3.50 )which is very little compared to the US, EU, Japan and lots of places. Students working part-time get even less which is why most don't work. A bowl of noodles can cost RM2.50- RM10.00 (depending on town , noodle type and restaurant), a cup of coffee costs RM1.50 at a coffeeshop but RM11 at Starbucks or Coffeebean. I think Malaysia is relatively expensive. I mean ,sure when you fit in the exchange rate, Malaysia is dirt cheap but I remember that my money definitely went further in The Netherlands than in Kuala Lumpur (Japan was expensive too though).

Dinner was so good Ok first, this is so markemorse knows, everything (except possibly the buah keluak) had candlenuts in it. This is dad pulling his weight in the kitchen( well okay okay, my dad definitely pulls his weight since he does more than half the cleaning ). I never knew he has such slim fingers *wonders where she got her pudgy fingers from* Kerabu bendi ( Okra salad with sambal belacan,lime, shrimp and who knows what else Buah Keluak (some kind of mangrove palm seed?). This is very traditional and a bit time consuming. First, you have to scrub and clean the seeds and leave it in water for at least a week. You also have to change the water everyday. Then you scrub it again and make a hole in the seed. The insides are very creamy and good ones are really good. Sometimes you get bitter ones (but you can avoid that by picking the good ones). It's an acquired taste. And I know the picture isn't appetising (my brother saw it and commented something....) Chilli Garam chicken (one of my all-time favourite dish) Pucuk Paku (wild fern shoots) with santan (coconut creme) , sambal belacan etc (Pan, this is a kind of ulam ). And finally, Lemak Kangkung (Kangkung+ sweet potatoes+ shrimp etc). My dad loves all kinds of lemak but it is very fatty so my mum pretends she doesn't hear his requests. I didn't ask my mum to make Pong Teh (chicken+pork+ shiitake mushroom+ potato stew) which is a quintessential Nyonya dish because we are all so sick of it My aunt makes it on Chinese New Year and also every erm.. prayer, for lack of a better word (basically on grandparents' death anniversaries, All Soul's Day etc) . She makes such a big pot that all we have to eat is Pong Teh for days! I feel like dessert.... Too lazy to go buy something...

Some of the ingredients ( belimbing-kind of sour fruit used in cooking, shallots and roasted candlenuts) Pucuk Paku (wild fern shoots) Pounding paste for one of the dishes Kangkung from the kampung (village). Kampung Kangkung have round leaves. The ones we buy in Kuala Lumpur have long skinny leaves. But before we continue further (no,dinner is not ready yet), we must have some coffee with some snacks. Coffee wasn't anything special, just Malaysian style coffee (using some kind of net and boiling hot water) . Popiah (Vegetable roll) Peanut pancake Both from the 'pasar malam' (night market) down the street (every Thursday).

Hi Lindsay! Yes, I am sending you stuff but I don't know what! So if you see somehting you like here, let me know. If there's nothing you want then I will send you stroopwaffles when I go back to Holland. Hi C.Sapidus, I still remember your nasi goreng:) Malaysians eat Chinese, Malay and Indian food everyday but more of their own ethnic cuisine than the rest. For example, a Malaysian Chinese would usually have Chinese dishes for dinner, Malays would have Malay food and Malaysian Indians would probably have curry or something on most days. Other meals however will be a mish mash of everything. Typical day's 'menu' - breakfast: nasi lemak (Malay), lunch : tom yam kuey teow (this Thai dish is very popular here), dinner (Chinese/Malay/Indian), supper : mamak mee goreng/roti canai/naan/etc (Indian). And yes, supper is VERY important in Malaysia! You can find stalls even at 3a.m. in the morning! I eat supper nearly everyday but I'm trying to cut down because bikini season is approaching Night markets used to take place only in cities but is now everywhere. I don't think it's to avoid daytime heat because there are still morning markets everyday. I think night markets tend to focus more on street food whereas morning markets sell more fresh produce (but both also have street food and fresh produce). It could be that most Malaysians work or have school and can't go to the morning markets or it could simply be a sort of casual outing (families and friends like to just walk, eat and buy). Tell me how your ikan bakar goes.. I love ikan bakar Either with sambal belacan rubbed on top of it (like the picture) or the lightly spiced fish with this wonderfully tangy sambal belacan dip Mmmmmmm errrr... I don't like tempoyak, sorry:-D Mangosteens with sambal belacan is awesome. Actually anything with sambal belacan rocks. When my dad is home alone with no dinner and is too lazy to buy something, he cooks rice and makes sambal belacan ! Simple but so good:-) I don't eat ulam too. Honestly, I don't really like 'herby' meals such as ulam or nasi kerabu That meal was bought from a stall at a coffeeshop. I'll get back to you about those noodles- have to do some research first! I am pretty sure you had shik hye (sweet malt beverage), the nuts on top are pine nuts and the drink is made out of malt, sugar and cooked rice. It's actually a nice refreshing drink after a greasy/spicy meal. ← Thanks for clarifying what that drink is called. It was just a bit too sweet and strange for boring ol' me

Yesterday, I bought this loaf of bread for RM18 (4 euro/US$5) which is very expensive (the average loaf is only RM2) but I thought it tasted better. That's what I had for breakfast My mum then marinated some rice to make nasi kunyit (kunyit is Indian saffron). Served with some fried prawns, boiled eggs, curry (can also be served with dried chicken curry) and cucumbers. Unfortunately, I was much too busy to make Chufi's surprise but I will tomorrow:-) I also didn't wake up to go to the farmer's market oops:P I went to bed at 4a.m. yesterday and when Mum called me at 8a.m., I just didn't feel like it... The small Nyonya spread tonight is still on though:) Off to the kitchen now!

The ikan bakar was definitely good mmmMmmM . It's one of my favourite things in the world. I loved stamppot in The Netherlands. It was so comfortable (I love potatoes, btw) and Dutch pastries are of course amazing! Sure, after eating stampot 3 times a week , you start to get bored (just like me and brother getting McDonalds McDelivery everytime my mum makes nasi goreng or fried noodles bleuk) ;-) I hate Chinese and Indonesian food there.. I think it's kind of like what a Dutch person would feel if I mashed potatoes with curry sauce and throw in some pineapples and call it stamppot hahaha (someone really did it btw and I even had to eat it...). About Farmboy.... I tried to prepare him but I think my parents are going to be so disappointed You see, they're used to 'westerners' but they forget that the westerners who come here actually choose to do so..in other words the adventurous kind who will try anything:-D Farmboy on the other hand is just a village Dutch boy . He told me today that he doesn't think he should eat food at the coffeeshops/markets/stalls/hawker centres because he may get sick I think he'll be OK though and I'm going to make sure he eats them all in the name of love Let's say tomorrow's surprise is something with layers.

Haha it's quite true and I don't think everyone was lucky enough to even have tapioca0_0 The Japanese army at that time took all the rice rations and other stuff. It was quite a horrible time for Malaya at that time but then eGullet is not a Rape of Nanking website sooo The younger generation however love all things Japanese and even today, there was a Japanese food fair at the supermarket which was very crowded The little pudding of little balls is called Sago in Malaysia (you can see it on top of my strawberry lo) . The tapioca in my picture itself is not sweeten but you dip it into a saucer of fine granulated sugar. It's also sometimes eaten with gula melaka (palm sugar) and (I don't know if I'm using the right term) fresh dessicated coconut (you know the fluffy coconut thingies)

I had such a good time A new Korean restaurant opened close by and we decided to eat there for a change. We ordered this set (1 chicken, 1 pork and soup) and it arrived with about 20 banchans We usually only get ...5-10? Whoops, first I'll show you one of the dishes my mum made tonight. Mangosteens with sambal belacan My dad was so happy! Korean BBQ Pork Chicken (the pork was better in my opinion) Banchan More banchan Kimchi Soup (so addictive. I love kimchi.) We each had a slice of watermelon and this strange drink as part of the set. The drink was sort of milky yellow. It probably had almonds or gingko in it and it was very sweet and thick. I didn't like it much, the sweet nuttiness just didn't work for me. (no pictures- I forgot) It was still early so my friend and I decided to drink something. Coffee at night means no sleep until tomorrow morning for me so we walked over to a tong sui (Chinese dessert soup) shop. I ordered Strawberry Lo and my friend had Fruit Lo Aren't they pretty? Tomorrow, I'll show you pictures of another market plus some of my garden's produce. Tomorrow's dinner will be a typical Nyonya Peranakan fare. I also have a surprise for Chufi(Thank you ,Chufi for helping me out with ImageGullet) and Markemorse should be able to use his buah keras (candlenuts) one of these days

Breakfast was Ipoh kuey teow(flat rice noodles). Ipoh kuey teow are the best and differ from normal kuey teow. This was bought by the way. Food outside is cheap and good in Malaysia and Mum barely cooks now that she's old enough to have at least 5 grandchildren I like to eat this with bird's eye chilli drowned in soy sauce. For lunch, my mum made chicken curry and Dad bought some kind of Indian Muslim chicken (it has some honey and probably tomatoes . Sorry, that's the best I can do ) and some 'balitong' (mangrove snails??). The snails were lovely but I don't like them so much anymore after I sucked one out and slime came out Later for tea, my mum boiled some tapioca. I don't like tapioca. I don't like traditional Malaysian snacks . Many of the older generation don't like this dish because this is all they had to eat when the Japanese invaded Malaya so it was tapioca 3 meals a day for more than 3 years The tapioca is served with some fine granulated sugar. I'm meeting a friend for dinner tonight. Tonight will probably be Italian or Japanese . Can't wait

Hi! I came home late and didn't feel like wrestling with ImageGullet but all the pictures have been uploaded now so be prepared for a photo flood We had very simple dishes for dinner at a little Chinese restaurant very close to the mushroom farm. Dinner only cost RM73( +- US$23) for 8 people. Sorry about the lousy pictures. First up is Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs soup). This is usually eaten alone with rice and 'yee char kuay' (some kind of deep-fried Chinese pastry) but my dad really wanted it so... Deep Fried Fish Fried rice 'Kong Nam' (place in China) noodles Singapore fried mee hoon Thai Chicken Claypot Tofu 'Kai Lan' (Chinese broccoli?) Despite stuffing our faces, my cousin and I stopped by a coffeeshop (not of the Dutch variety ) for some 'ikan bakar' (grilled fish- or in this case, half a grilled ray) with sambal belacan ,vegetables and accompanied by a cincaluk (fermented shrimp)+lime+chillis etc. dip.

Lunch was 2 giant currypuffs, eaten in my aunt's hotel room. Travelling with the circus family oftens means bringing enough food to feed an army. Apparently, we'd die of hunger and food can't be bought there or something. Everytime we travel, my aunt brings bread, pastries, instant noodles, drinks etc. She even used to bring huge bottles of water and pots and pans but we've cured her of that! We used to be so embarassed of her hahaha. She's a nice lady though. The oldies got some free rooms at this mountain an hour away. Genting Highlands is famous in Malaysia for ONE thing- legal gambling (the only place you can do so here). We stopped by Chin Swee temple before we went to the hotel View from the temple We then stopped by the mushroom farm for vegetables and mushrooms of course. My mum also bought these edible flowers (they're yummy fried with garlic or with belacan). When I was younger, I was convinced they were bat wings. This Ling Zhi mushroom is supposed to be good for cancer patient I already had dinner because I want to go back to KL with my cousins. I know how boring tonight will be from previous experience The normally wholesome oldies would be up til maybe 6am in the morning ,trying to strike the jackpot And I'd have to stay with them because I'm too chicken to stay in the hotel room alone (everyone knows hotel rooms in Genting are haunted ,right? ) Dinner pictures when I get back (in an hour or so...)

Due to rushing this morning, I posted the same dim sum picture twice. I actually wanted to post this picture too: I dip they all in Kampung Koh Garlic Chilli Sauce . My parents had a combination of sweet dim sum sauce and Kampung Koh.

I (my fridge in Holland) and my mum do have plenty of half-open bottles ! In Petaling Jaya. Let me know if you come for a visit:) May is right. Those are indeed jambu air (rose apples). They taste like vegetables (haha I know I know, I'll try to explain) . They 're a little softer and don't really have a strong flavour. I really can't explain it better, sorry! Kim, let me know if you see something you'd like to try I wish eGullet has smellevision too ~ I am not a big fan of curry laksa but I love asam laksa . It will probably appear sometime this week since I eat it once a week. If I have time, I could also show Sarawak or Johor laksa too. The gravy is chicken curry. My dad later added rasam (some kind of Indian soup) -not shown on picture-. Top row (left-right) : Poppadom (the cracker thing), some vegetable I can't remember, another vegetable I can't remember, okra with green chillis and onions+ cucumbers. They all have a somewhat sour-ish tang (maybe because of limes?) . The brown lump is fried fish English is widely spoken in Malaysia (because Malaysia was a British colony). I'm not sure, the signs may be in English because of the different races and languages. But then again, they could have used Malay too. Hmm. There is actually a rather well-known Indian rojak place close to where I live. I hate rojak though! My parents buy it frequently and I'm sure they'd be pleased to do so this week There may or may not be belacan in this blog. I love belacan:-) I had plans to visit a great uncle in Melaka who supplies cendol (Malaysian dessert soup) to hotels there. Everything is made with natural products (he doesn't use colouring to make the green bits) and his cendol is excellent. However,I don't think I can fit in Melaka this week.... Indeed! Some Dutch families do order one dish per person and then share but then I've met more who just pick from their own dish so....... You definitely will have to come to Malaysia!

I'm in a hurry so I'll answer all your questions later My parents and I had a quick breakfast as we have to leave soon. Dim Sum I'm not a big fan of Dim Sum. I think it's OK but not something I would actually request for, if you know what I mean.

Belated Mother's Day Dinner/Supper There is a steamboat (Chinese fondue) restaurant not too far from home. I love this place, not just because of the steamboat but because they have wonderful razor clams. Unfortunately, they were sold out today (as were the crabs and crayfish ). We had the dishes below with white rice and Chinese tea. Asam fish. They do this very well too Claypot Tofu 1/2 Herbal Chicken Egg soup with seaweed and fishballs Clams Sweet Potato Leaves This is precisely why eating Chinese food in Holland depressed me. We had 6 dishes for 4 people (and today's dishes weren't impressive ). In Holland, I'd have just one dish to eat with rice (which is OK and everything but I somehow find it very unsatisfying). Total cost of dinner: RM63 (about US$18!). Cheap,huh? I'm off to bed. Have to go somewhere tomorrow

Foo... ImageGullet is a pain in the arse to use ! Argh! There is a morning market daily and there are 2 night markets within walking distance on Mondays and Thursdays. I love night markets . Sure, plenty of stalls sell fake stuff, ugly clothes and cheap Made-In-China toys but night markets in residential areas tend to focus on street food, fresh produce and other 'necessities' like sandalwood joss sticks (for Buddhist/ Taoist altars) , bread etc. I wanted to take pictures of everything but I doubt eGulleters would want to look at 138 pictures! I decided to exclude foreign street food (takoyaki, Taiwanese fried chicken, Taiwanese sausage, bubble tea, pastries and cakes etc) and non-food stalls. Fruits Satay Salted Eggs (they look evil,don't they?) Stall selling nuts,seeds, umapudi (Crunchy Indian snack) etc. Mata Kucing (a fruit) and Soybean drink stall Ikan bilis (dried anchovies) ,dried shrimp etc. Lok-Lok (Chinese fondue) Jackfruit Apam (kind of very thin pancake) I (or rather my dad) bought 3kg of mangosteens (small because the season is nearly or already over), 1 kg of Thai dokong (the small brown grape-like thing), a packet of 3 guava-apples (I think they were probably rubbed with green sugar?), keropok lekor (fish mashed with sago and some other stuff and then deep fried. It's really good!) , corn, jackfruit and apam. Have to go for dinner. It's already 9.46p.m. now and I don't feel like eating (I ate all 10 lekor) and neither does my dad. However, a promise is a promise and we're eating dinner late (as sort of a heavy supper). Shaya: I love roti canai too:) I'll definitely eat roti canai somewhere this week and I could post a recipe but trust me, no one really can replicate it at home because tossing that thing requires lots of skill I don't live in KL but very close to it (Petaling Jaya).

Thank you for all your replies and keep those questions coming! Oops,my mistake. Not pickles but just dried,pickled plum! Yummy. Rawa Tosai doesn't really taste like pancakes. It is much more fluffy and has a sour taste because it was fermented (a little) before it's cooked. The batter is made from a combination of rice flour ,cooked rice (left overnight hence the fermentation) and a few other ingredients. Laksa might appear, I don't know yet:-D What kind of laksa do you want to see? According to my dad who has made his own alkaline water (also known as air abu ), alkaline water is made from fruit (my dad uses durian skin) which has been dried and then burned. You then dissolve the ashes into water (the ashes are alkaline). Ta-da! She is indeed very happy to have me home haha. Will be having a belated Mother's Day dinner with her tonight Sure, requests are good! I can't promise to fulfill everything but I'll try! Lucky you, there WILL be a dish with candlenuts (called buah keras here) somewhere later this week

It was a wonderful blog,Klary:) I think basterdsuiker is caster sugar? Insomaniac: Hahaha the potato person? Incidently , I think I actually look like a potato! :-D

Hrhr. My family is similiar to hamsters. We hoard. My aunt's fridge is stuffed to the brim (even more than mine!) and she lives alone! We also buy fresh things in bulk. My mother has a childhood friend whose cousin is a fisherman (living in this part of Asia means any connection equals 'better service and prices' - quite scary! I'd be scared to do business here;) ) so whenever he comes back , we'd have about 20kg of fresh fish which we distribute to the rest of the family. Instances like these are why the fridge is always full! hahahaha. I used to find it iritating but I'm starting to appreciate all the quirks of this circus family p/s: Hello again Pakcik Pan Whereabouts did you live in Malaysia? Somewhere in the east coast if I recall correctly??

Couldn't post earlier because there was a thunderstorm and I was afraid my modem and computer would get roasted (again) and god forbid I be internet-less on foodblog week! We had brunch down the road at one of the many Indian Muslim restaurants. Limau Kasturi (Calamansi) juice with pickles Iced Nescafe Tarik (pulled- meaning the man would pour the coffee from another container about +-1 meter from the cup (back and forth) until there's a lovely froth. Rawa Tosai with chutney and fish curry. Rawa Tosai has green chillis (not spicy), carrots, onions and a few other herbs. Banana leaf rice When you're done eating, you fold the leaf (facing upwards) to indicate that you have finished. About an hour after we got home, Mum started making Kuih Talam. She makes this very often because it's easy. First, you grind pandan (screwpine) leaves and squeeze the juice with a muslin cloth. Add rice flour ,a little alkaline water and I can't remember what else (I can check if you're interested). Boil until thickened. Steam for about 15 minutes Then, gently pour the santan mixture (combination of coconut cream, salt, rice flour etc). If you don't do this gently, your kuih will have ugly holes:-D The finished product Fresh coconut cream (ie. you have to squeeze it yourself!) and fresh rice flour is very important. You'll have funny tasting kuih otherwise! If the day becomes less gloomy, I will go to the night market for you, eGullet-ers

Hello and welcome to my foodblog! I am back home into the loving,cosy- sometimes suffocating- arms of Malaysia. I only had about 30 hours between actually buying the ticket and leaving The Netherlands (it was a bit of an emergency which is over now) so apologies to Kim Shook and Lindsay Ann for not sending the stroopwaffles (in exchange for Girl Scout Cookies) yet! Short update: Farmboy and I DID go for the relationship visa in the end which I received approval for shortly after (to the jealousy of other foreign spouses who have been waiting for nearly a year). He's coming at the end of June for nearly 2 weeks to meet my family and to get to know Malaysia. It should be fun This was my foodblog's teaser: No, it is NOT a potato! It's a very old-fashioned fruit. That was my first time trying it. This fruit is called buah nanam and I believe it is a relative of the guava family. It's a little sour,slightly bitter (because of the skin which you eat as well) but quite addictive. It is small (about the size of a very large strawberry) and rather flat. I guess it's time for fridge photos. I have a very messy fridge. Freezer Middle compartment Fridge Next: Pictures of breakfast (I woke up late and will have brunch soon) and Ma's Kuih Talam (Malay dessert/snack)

the pastries look yummy. is that your dog?? one of my favourite things about holland is how dogs are allowed everywhere:)