SE Asian products you miss most when away

[Pan]

What products do you miss most when you're away from Southeast Asia? And who makes the best x, y, and z products? Naturally, the second question wouldn't apply to fresh fruits or foods made to order in restaurants, stalls, or coffee shops, but it might apply to prepared products like, for example, belacan/terasi, fish sauce, dried anchovies, and various kinds of snack foods. I realize that some of these questions have been addressed piecemeal in other threads, but I think this thread will be useful as a single place to share information on some good products.

[SG-]

cincaluk

[Pan]

Yeah, that's hard to find in places like the US, isn't it?

[Dim Sim]

Sarawak laska ( my stock of laksa paste in running alarmingly low), kopi O ban (icy cold black coffee with sugar, served in a tall glass with ice ), roti canai with a small side dish of curry gravy (we get roti canai here (Melbourne) but it is not the same) "bee lin" that is how we called it in my hometown in sarawak, it is a type of edible fern tip.we have it stired fried with balacan, and oh, and mum's cooking.

[trillium]

Good candlenuts. Good any sort of raw nuts actually, I'm mostly thinking of raw cashews and peanuts. The snack made with deep fried glazed anchovies, peanuts, kaffir lime leaves and chillies. Candied and pickled nutmeg fruits. Decent dried seafood and fish.

regards,

trillium

[aznsailorboi]

Ba Daek I think is the Laotian version of Belacan. Can't find a good kind thats store bought, its always thick and pasty and no whole pieces of fish and or crab. The only good kind is from a family owned Lao/Thai store in Dallas, TX, i have to ask my friend where exactly it is. This store makes their own, their sauce doesnt smell fishy at all and has whole pieces of crab or fish in it. I'm here in Chicago and there's nothing here store bought thats as good as that.

[Pan]

Where are the best candlenuts grown?

[PCL]

Despite my self-professed connoisseurship of fine wild durian, I do miss durian cakes...

...and Kampar chicken biscuits...

[Pan]

As for me, some of you know I miss the really excellent, flaky Malaysian peanut cakes. The ones I used to like best were made in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, by I believe Hong Choong, Sdr. Bhd. and came packed in paper (no plastic packaging in Malaysia in the 70s, I think, or at any rate, not much). As far as I can tell, you can't get really good peanut cakes of that type in New York.

[PCL]

Yeah, I know those... one thing is for certain, I'm due for a trip to KL in a couple weeks/start of March... MAKAN TIME again!!!

[Pan]

Sadly, it figures to be quite some time before I get a chance to come back to Malaysia.

Which brand(s) of peanut cakes do you recommend?

[NickLam]

Was studying in Melbourne for 2 years........and though its easy to find most of the condiments we grew up with in Singapore over there.........trying to find the same taste from the hawkers just 20m from my house was almost impossible.

What did I miss most?

Just from the 24 hour coffeeshop about 250m from my flat in Choa Chu Kang. (Not in any order of perference)

(1) Char Kway Teow

(2) Hokkien Mee

(3) Kway Chap

(4) Cai Dao Kueh

(5) Prata in all forms!

(6) Teh cino

(7) Mee Reebus

(8) Nasi Lemak

(9) Sup kambing

(10) Steamed fish head with white fermented soy beans and preserved plum

(11) Curry fish head

Mmmm I'm hungry now