eG Foodblog: yunnermeier - Malaysia Truly Asia

[Domestic Goddess]

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.

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In the Philippines, we call them "makopa". It's a favorite snack for kids and makopa trees are favorite yard trees and we actually lived in houses with these trees in the front/back yard. I remember eating them and looking first to see if there were black ants to brush away.

With regards to your korean meal, you said

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.

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.

[yunnermeier]

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!

[yunnermeier]

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!

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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.

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!

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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

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?

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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

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.

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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!

With regards to your korean meal, you said

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.

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.

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Thanks for clarifying what that drink is called. It was just a bit too sweet and strange for boring ol' me

Edited May 17, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[yunnermeier]

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).

Edited May 18, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[Smithy]

This food looks so good, and so totally foreign. I'm fascinated! One thing strikes me is that it all seems to take some sort of assembly: making several components and then putting them together, and doing that with a whole lot of different "dishes" to make a multi-faceted meal. It's more interesting, but looks like a lot more work than what I still think of as a typical American meal (with my apologies to all the many, many North American residents who eat differently than this): cook up a pot of vegetables, a starch, and a hunk of meat, and call it done. Maybe throw those things all together in the same pot. Maybe add some fruit or a salad on the side. Although there is a lot of room for making sauces or slow cooking or chopping things up and wrapping them around each other, it still seems exotic to a lot of folks I know who'd be perfectly happy with fried chicken or pork chops every night. Those folks crank meals out in a hurry. What do people do in Malaysia if they're in a hurry to eat? Go down the street to the nearest food stall?How long would you say it takes to prepare a "typical" meal, if there is such a thing?

Your photos are wonderful.

[Hiroyuki]

I'd like to know how cheap restaurant and street foods are in your country as compared to a minimum wage, for example.

In Japan, the average starting monthly salary for a college graduate is around 195,000 yen, the minimum hourly wage is around 650 to 700 yen (varies from prefecture to prefecture and from industry to industry), and a bowl of ramen at a ramen shop is around 400 to 600 yen.

Just give us a general idea, will you?

[yunnermeier]

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...

Edited May 17, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[yunnermeier]

This food looks so good, and so totally foreign.  I'm fascinated!  One thing strikes me is that it all seems to take some sort of assembly: making several components and then putting them together, and doing that with a whole lot of different "dishes" to make a multi-faceted meal.  It's more interesting, but looks like a lot more work than what I still think of as a typical American meal (with my apologies to all the many, many North American residents who eat differently than this):  cook up a pot of vegetables, a starch, and a hunk of meat, and call it done.  Maybe throw those things all together in the same pot.  Maybe add some fruit or a salad on the side.  Although there is a lot of room for making sauces or slow cooking or chopping things up and wrapping them around each other, it still seems exotic to a lot of folks I know who'd be perfectly happy with fried chicken or pork chops every night.  Those folks crank meals out in a hurry.  What do people do in Malaysia if they're in a hurry to eat?  Go down the street to the nearest food stall?How long would you say it takes to prepare a "typical" meal, if there is such a thing?

Your photos are wonderful.

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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)

I'd like to know how cheap restaurant and street foods are in your country as compared to a minimum wage, for example.

In Japan, the average starting monthly salary for a college graduate is around 195,000 yen, the minimum hourly wage is around 650 to 700 yen (varies from prefecture to prefecture and from industry to industry), and a bowl of ramen at a ramen shop is around 400 to 600 yen.

Just give us a general idea, will you?

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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).

[Pan]

I've gotta go to a rehearsal, but a couple of clarifications:

Nasi kunyit means rice with turmeric. Also, belimbing is called starfruit or carambola here. (That is, to the extent it's called anything. I've never seen domestically-grown starfruit for sale, only imported stuff that's pretty green and seldom looks that good, and it's usually sold for at least $1 apiece.)

Everything looks great! I'll check in again later.

[yunnermeier]

I've gotta go to a rehearsal, but a couple of clarifications:

Nasi kunyit means rice with turmeric. Also, belimbing is called starfruit or carambola here. (That is, to the extent it's called anything. I've never seen domestically-grown starfruit for sale, only imported stuff that's pretty green and seldom looks that good, and it's usually sold for at least $1 apiece.)

Everything looks great! I'll check in again later.

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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

[Abra]

I totally want to come to dinner at your house! And that peanut pancake looks so good too. Would your dear Dad share his recipe for sambal belacan with us? It looks like I need to have some at home.

[racheld]

I'm so glad you're blogging again!!! And from a totally different place---you young folks just jet around the world, sampling and enjoying all the different cuisines, like it's just a trip down the street.

I'm enjoying all the photos of the restaurants, your Mom's cooking, etc. The great tableful of banchan was a marvel. And the kimchee soup I've never had kimchee served hot---my favorite is a really peppery one with small cubes of crisp turnip.

[yunnermeier]

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)

Edited May 17, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[yunnermeier]

I totally want to come to dinner at your house!  And that peanut pancake looks so good too.  Would your dear Dad share his recipe for sambal belacan with us?  It looks like I need to have some at home.

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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'm so glad you're blogging again!!!   And from a totally different place---you young folks just jet around the world, sampling and enjoying all the different cuisines, like it's just a trip down the street.

I'm enjoying all the photos of the restaurants, your Mom's cooking, etc.   The great tableful of banchan was a marvel.   And the kimchee soup    I've never had kimchee served hot---my favorite is a really peppery one with small cubes of crisp turnip.

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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

Edited May 17, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[miladyinsanity]

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

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I'm guessing here, but maybe the lo is sort of like lo in 'lo yee sang'? You're supposed to mix it all up to eat, right?

And I think you eat the tapioca with grated, fresh coconut meat. Dessicated coconut is the dried, awful stuff you buy in the supermarket that keeps forever.

IMHO, Malaysia's cheap (okay, I spend SGD, so maybe it's different), if you stick to local products.

[SuzySushi]

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

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I love the street market photos too! Only in M'asia would you find a street vendor wearing a chef's toque!

[Smithy]

Thank you so much for the street market photos! Oh, I feel like I'm traveling! And I actually see a few fruits I recognize! Those strawberries look luscious, as do the watermelon. The colors are so intense - either you're getting good with Photoshop or everything is being picked at its ripest, as it should be.

The cost of bringing in ingredients for baked goods makes me wonder: where is wheat grown? I think of wheat as not being an Asian grain, and I can imagine that flour would be expensive. From how far away must these ingredients come to make the European-style pastries?

Oh, and sugar cane juice, freshly pressed, has to be one of the world's nicest street treats. Tell FarmBoy that he absolutely has to try it.

Thanks again! I'm loving this blog!

[mizducky]

Hi, yunnermeier! Just dropping in late to say "great blog!" I'm up to my ears in work and probably won't be able to participate much more substantively than that, but I will be reading along as best I can!

[Abra]

Who could ever get tired of street market photos from any country? These latest ones look like the market is in a very suburban area, as opposed to the intensely urban markets I usually think of in Asia. Or is that just a trick of the photos?

[Hiroyuki]

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).

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Very interesting observation. In Japan, an ideal meal is "ichiju sansai" (one soup and three dishes (i.e., one main dish and two side dishes)), in addition to rice, which I failed to properly demonstrate in my foodblog because of the time I could spend on cooking (30 min. to 1 hour).

I have a feeling by looking at your meal photos that the concept of staple food is much less apparent or nonexistent in your multi-cultural country than in other Asian countries. Like I said in my foodblog, rice is more than just a staple food in Japan, it's the king of foods and all other dishes (okazu) center around it.

[yunnermeier]

I'm guessing here, but maybe the lo is sort of like lo in 'lo yee sang'? You're supposed to mix it all up to eat, right?

And I think you eat the tapioca with grated, fresh coconut meat. Dessicated coconut is the dried, awful stuff you buy in the supermarket that keeps forever.

IMHO, Malaysia's cheap (okay, I spend SGD, so maybe it's different), if you stick to local products.

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That might be possible (the lo thing), we didn't mix it up though because if we did, the top part might fall off! haha

And indeed, thanks for telling what that coconut meat thing is called. I was like 'arghhh what's the English equilvalent? '?!. I think Malaysia is cheap is you earn in SGD or other strong foreign currencies but not when you're earning in Malaysian Ringgit. Last night's dinner which wasn't particularly special (in terms of price of ingredients) cost RM40 (US$1= RM3.50) , I could do nearly a week's worth(only dinners) of groceries for 2 with 40 euro in The Netherlands. Going out for dinner only costs 20 euro at a normal restaurant (those 3-gangen menu), in Malaysia for the same service and food, expect to pay RM60. I know Singapore is similiar- meaning locals are more willing to part with their money. I really never realised this trait until I went to Holland and found out that practically no one my age would spend 20 euro for dinner (snack bars or kebab shops all the way) or 9.50 euro for 100 grams of cookies.....

I love the street market photos too! Only in M'asia would you find a street vendor wearing a chef's toque! 

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Hahaha, again this is something I didn't notice but I think food handling rules (I don't know if these are official rules) have been improved here. In The Netherlands, they do not wear gloves when handling food which was really strange! One time, this guy at a frite shop had a cold and kept wiping his nose before shovelling my fries... But then, the Netherlands is still much more cleaner than Malaysia (drains, no rats and simply cleaner streets after markets).

Thank you so much for the street market photos!  Oh, I feel like I'm traveling!  And I actually see a few fruits I recognize!  Those strawberries look luscious, as do the watermelon.  The colors are so intense - either you're getting good with Photoshop  or everything is being picked at its ripest, as it should be.

The cost of bringing in ingredients for baked goods makes me wonder: where is wheat grown?  I think of wheat as not being an Asian grain, and I can imagine that flour would be expensive.  From how far away must these ingredients come to make the European-style pastries?

Oh, and sugar cane juice, freshly pressed, has to be one of the world's nicest street treats.  Tell FarmBoy that he absolutely has to try it. 

Thanks again!  I'm loving this blog!

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Hahaha, no none of the photos have been photoshopped! I'm horrid at graphics and anything too technical Consumers are very demanding here- no one will buy anything unripe! It's OK to be slightly unripe (like in the case of rambutans , some are greenish red) but only if it can be eaten in a few days.

About the pastries, I don't know much- only from personal experience. Flour,sugar and eggs are quite cheap but the extra things like cream( RM9.00 for 50 ml), vanilla beans (RM20 each- this was 2-3 years back so it might be cheaper now), good (not super but just not horrid) cooking chocolate (RM10 per 100g) etc. And in the end, each bun can only be sold for RM1-RM2 each. Of course there are higher end bakeries where a slice of cake is RM 5.90 but even then the taste is just.. so disappointing from the cakes and pastries I've tried in Japan and The Netherlands (incidently Japan makes the best cakes by far from any country I've visited and The Netherlands make the best pie).

Hi, yunnermeier! Just dropping in late to say "great blog!" I'm up to my ears in work and probably won't be able to participate much more substantively than that, but I will be reading along as best I can!

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Thanks for dropping in ,mizducky! I was wondering if my blog has failed! Not many responses haha.

Who could ever get tired of street market photos from any country?  These latest ones look like the market is in a very suburban area, as opposed to the intensely urban markets I usually think of in Asia.  Or is that just a trick of the photos?

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Yes, this one is in a suburban area (mine!). It is still quite a large one though, more than 50 stalls (and most stalls have more than 1 lot). I like this better than the night market in Chinatown because I don't like and am not shopping for fake branded goods and I think there's only one sad, fake branded stall in the night market where I live EDITED TO ADD: My dad says that the pasar malam has 200 stalls, not 50. The pasar malam on Monday has 3-400.

Very interesting observation.  In Japan, an ideal meal is "ichiju sansai" (one soup and three dishes (i.e., one main dish and two side dishes)), in addition to rice, which I failed to properly demonstrate in my foodblog because of the time I could spend on cooking (30 min. to 1 hour).

I have a feeling by looking at your meal photos that the concept of staple food is much less apparent or nonexistent in your multi-cultural country than in other Asian countries.  Like I said in my foodblog, rice is more than just a staple food in Japan, it's the king of foods and all other dishes (okazu) center around it.

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Oooh, rice is also very important here. All meals (unless it involves noodles) is eaten with rice (usually white). The difference here is that we like to put soup and gravies on rice (I know Japanese people hate that! The rice has to be pure and untouched ) when we eat them. For many people, they don't feel full unless they eat rice. If I take old -fashion people like my dad for a hearty steak and kidney pie for dinner, he comes home and eats rice anyway......

Edited May 18, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[Pan]

[...]Oooh, rice is also very important here. All meals (unless noodles) is  eaten with rice (usually white). The difference here is that we like to put soup and gravies on rice (I know Japanese people hate that! The rice has to be pure and untouched ) when we eat them. For many people, they don't feel full unless they eat rice. If I take old -fashion people like my dad for a hearty steak and kidney pie for dinner, he comes home and eats rice anyway...... 

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Further to yunnermeier's point, when I was living in a Malay village, a standard greeting would be "Makan nasi doh?" That's East Coast dialect for "Have you eaten rice yet?" Just as in Chinese, in Malay, "to eat rice" means "to have a meal," and it's used even if you had something like lempeng or jemput (types of pancakes) for breakfast, instead of rice. A lot of people had three rice meals a day, though.

What's the difference in taste between the different varieties of belimbing? I never remember coming across the variety used for cooking. I'm not sure they had it on the East Coast.

I'll digress for a second to tell a funny story about the starfruit variety of belimbing. The mother of my old girlfriend from the village (who's now married with two beautiful sons) has a pet bull (that's right: a tame, pet bull with a very sweet disposition and the run of a little village, a kind of small neighborhood with little traffic and a few houses). While we were over at her middle daughter's (also her next door neighbor's) for lunch, the bull came by, and the mother cut up a bunch of belimbing from her daughter's tree that the bull happily ate. Several other belimbing were cut up and served to the human beings as part of our lunch -- or, rather, as a snack while lunch was finishing cooking.

[Hiroyuki]

(incidently Japan makes the best cakes by far from any country I've visited

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Oh, what are your favorite Japanese cakes? Mont blanc, strawberry sponge cake, souffle cheese cake, and...

I wonder if you can find rare (= unbaked) cheese cakes in your country.

Edited to add: Thanks you, Pan, for your further comments about rice. Interesting story!

Edited May 18, 2007 by Hiroyuki (log)

[yunnermeier]

Oh, what are your favorite Japanese cakes?  Mont blanc, strawberry sponge cake, souffle cheese cake, and...

I wonder if you can find rare (= unbaked) cheese cakes in your country.

Edited to add:  Thanks you, Pan, for your further comments about rice.  Interesting story!

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All of them! But yes, I probably order Japanese strawberry sponge cake and 'mille feuille' (sp?? however the Japanese mille feuille is not the french mille feuille but more like MeganBlocker's Gateux aux Crepes in RecipeGullet) most often. What I like most about Japanese cakes is the quality of ingredients and how light they are. You don't get sick of Japanese cakes - every bite is savoured.

Yes, unbaked cheesecakes are quite popular here (Oreo cheesecake and what-not). Another thing is, remember that hideously expensive loaf of bread I posted earlier?? That is called Gion and sold on a cart outside Jusco. They claimed it was Japanese..I don't know... could just be a marketing thing...

Pan, that is a really funny story! May I ask why you lived in Malaysia? Were you posted there?

Edited May 18, 2007 by yunnermeier (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Another thing is, remember that hideously expensive loaf of bread I posted earlier?? That is called Gion and sold on a cart outside Jusco. They claimed it was Japanese..I don't know... could just be a marketing thing...

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Probably Danish bread. Danish bread and pastry have become very popular in Japan. Examples of Danish bread can be found here.

Edited to add:

I love mille-feuille of Maxim's de Paris.

Edited May 18, 2007 by Hiroyuki (log)