eG Foodblog: yunnermeier - Malaysia Truly Asia

[Pan]

yunnermeier, I think you should show these fine people real Malaysian udang galah, if you have the chance. And definitely get something with belacan, if not sambal belacan. And show them Ais Sago Gula Melaka. Again, if you have the chance.

Edited May 16, 2007 by Pan (log)

[jumanggy]

yunnermeier, am loving your blog! The pictures are great; makes me want to go there, buy as many sticks of satay as my fist can hold and munch on them all afternoon.

SuzySushi, I concur with May; those are indeed Rose apples (Syzygium (Eugenia) jambos). I didn't think they could be sold in markets because they spoil so quickly!

[miladyinsanity]

SuzySushi, I concur with May; those are indeed Rose apples (Syzygium (Eugenia) jambos). I didn't think they could be sold in markets because they spoil so quickly!

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They are imported here, usually from Taiwan or Malaysia, all the time. They don't seem to spoil much faster than most other fruits, at least compared to tropical fruit. Apples and oranges don't count.

[mochihead]

yunnermeier, am loving your blog! The pictures are great; makes me want to go there, buy as many sticks of satay as my fist can hold and munch on them all afternoon.

SuzySushi, I concur with May; those are indeed Rose apples (Syzygium (Eugenia) jambos). I didn't think they could be sold in markets because they spoil so quickly!

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SuzySushi: They are also locally grown here in Hawai'i. They call them mountain apples here. We have a tree in our backyard.

yunnermeier: Wonderful to seeing you blog again!

[sazji]

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? 

Oh no! You mean everyone just orders one thing like in a western restaurant? Come to think of it, that's what we did when I was a kid and my grandfather would take us out to a chinese place. But after that it was just a given (whether with Asian or non-Asian friends) that we would get several things and share them all.

Malaysia has been No. 1 on my wishlist of places to visit for a long time now...amazing food, culture, and amazing botanical treasures all in one place. Maybe next year...I refuse to make my first trip there outside of durian season!!

[sazji]

P.S. - re Image Gullet - I found the easiest way was to open it in a separate window. Then it was easy to just grab the URLs and put them into my posts.

[JumblyJu]

Okay, I recognize the pears on the left and the dragonfruit on the right. But what are the red fruits in the center?

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In Hawaii it's called Mountain Apples. They're hard to find now days as most fruit comes from people's back yards. My aunty has a tree but the fruit is much smaller then the ones pictured.

I have seen them at the Hilo farmer's market but not at any on Oahu.

[yunnermeier]

You call that messy?

Hah!, say I.

That is mere clutter. Otherwise, your fridge is a model of organization -- paraphrasing Bill Cosby, "everything's right where you put it."

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I (my fridge in Holland) and my mum do have plenty of half-open bottles !

Which part of Malaysia are you in?

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In Petaling Jaya. Let me know if you come for a visit:)

Okay, I recognize the pears on the left and the dragonfruit on the right. But what are the red fruits in the center?

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May is right. Those are indeed jambu air (rose apples).

Your Mother's Day dinner looks amazing. What do sweet potato leaves taste like? They're gorgeous looking...

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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!

Not to worry about the stroopwaffles! I was just glad you got your cookies before you had to leave!

So glad to see you blogging again. I know exactly NOTHING about Malaysian food, so this will be a real treat for me. The market and Mother's day dinner photos are incredible!

Can't wait for more!

Kim

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Kim, let me know if you see something you'd like to try

curry...assam....any laksa at all, actually only being selfish as have been amply supplied with recipes...too bad egullet doesn't have smellevision

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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.

What is on top of the rice and in the piles above the rice?

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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

The market pictures are gorgeous! Is there a reason why the signs are in English?

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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.

Nice to see you home and blogging! Is there any chance you'll have some rojak this week? I get an "Indian rojak" at the Malay restaurant here and it's so weird and good.

Shaya, be sure to go to Malay Satay Hut when you're in town!

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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

yunnermeier, I think you should show these fine people really Malaysian udang galah, if you have the chance. And definitely get something with belacan, if not sambal belacan. And show them Ais Sago Gula Melaka. Again, if you have the chance.

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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....

Oh no! You mean everyone just orders one thing like in a western restaurant? Come to think of it, that's what we did when I was a kid and my grandfather would take us out to a chinese place. But after that it was just a given (whether with Asian or non-Asian friends) that we would get several things and share them all.

Malaysia has been No. 1 on my wishlist of places to visit for a long time now...amazing food, culture, and amazing botanical treasures all in one place. Maybe next year...I refuse to make my first trip there outside of durian season!!

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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!

[yunnermeier]

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.

[yunnermeier]

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...)

[Marigene]

What a wonderful blog so far, Yunnermeier! The food looks wonderful and so colorful. I, too, know nothing of Malaysia so this is going to be a great learning experience.

[miladyinsanity]

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...)

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They are? I was never told that, but my parents never leave me alone in the hotel room anyway--we usually go into a huge group, from the littlest to the oldies, and the oldies take turns to go strike jackpot.

I've not been up in years.

I'll let you know, but I don't think it's likely I'll be visiting. When are you leaving Malaysia?

[yunnermeier]

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.

Edited May 16, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[yunnermeier]

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

[Hiroyuki]

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.

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I had no idea that the invasion had such a side effect... I don't know what to say...

[Abra]

That ikan bakar looks so good, better than the lunch itself! I'm curious about the tapioca. Here what we call tapioca is a pudding of little balls and bits, like in Thailand. But it looks like in Malaysia it's the root (manioc?) itself, boiled and sweetened?

I've never had those crispies in bak kut teh. That looks like a really good addition.

[yunnermeier]

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

Edited May 16, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[yunnermeier]

I had no idea that the invasion had such a side effect...  I don't know what to say...

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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

That ikan bakar looks so good, better than the lunch itself!  I'm curious about the tapioca.  Here what we call tapioca is a pudding of little balls and bits, like in Thailand.  But it looks like in Malaysia it's the root (manioc?) itself, boiled and sweetened?

I've never had those crispies in bak kut teh.  That looks like a really good addition.

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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)

[Chufi]

That ikan bakar looks so good, better than the lunch itself! 

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that's what I thought!

I also have a surprise for Chufi

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Ooh, I can't wait!

Everything looks so beautiful, colorful and delicious. I can't imagine what you must have thought of Holland and all it's grey, bland food when you first came here! And also, I can't imagine what Framboy will think when he comes to Malaysia! He'll be in food-shock for sure!

Edited May 16, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[yunnermeier]

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.

Edited May 16, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[LindsayAnn]

"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!"

No worries Yunnermeier...I completely understand.

Plus - now I still get to look forward to receiving your package of goodies....you are still sending something arent you? Haha!!!

Your blog is awesome so far, I too (as many have said) have ZERO knowledge of these types of foods....stuff sureeee looks yummy though!

Blog on and keep up with the pictures - loving em'!

P.S How did you like the cookies I sent to you? Did you have a favorite? Did you like them all? Did they meet your expectations? Let me know!

[LindsayAnn]

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 

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What is strawberry or Fruit Lo? fruity ice stuff??? I am intriuged....I love love love shaved ice and italian ice...is this similar?

[C. sapidus]

Yunnermeier: Your last blog was so much fun, it is delightful to have you blogging again. I am especially interested to see how different foods fit into your life in Malaysia – which dishes are everyday home foods and which dishes you eat at restaurants, night markets, or on special occasions. Did night markets develop to avoid the daytime heat, or is there another reason?

Your pictures and descriptions are definitely inspiring – I want to make a Malaysian dinner soon. I have only made a few Malaysian dishes so far, but I love the wonderful combinations of spices and chiles. Based on your pictures and descriptions so far, I have added ikan bakar, sambal belacan, and kai lan to my list. Keep those inspirations coming!

[Pan]

Love that ikan bakar!

So, we've already had sambal belacan and cincaluk. Any chance for some tempoyak?

Blog on!

P.S. I've never had mangosteen with sambal belacan. In the kampung, sambal belacan was for ulam, in my experience. Do you eat ulam?

[snowangel]

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.

Tell me more about these noodles! What all is in them? Are they from a wagon or a stand? One of the things I missed the most about leaving Thailand was the profusion of noddle shops and wagons, although I was especially fond of the bird's eye chili/vinegar condiment.