Category: Malaysia

Seafood and Eat It!

I almost avoided eating seafood in KL because I knew I’d soon be sea-side on the beautiful island of Langkawi. It was certainly worth the wait! There’s seafood in abundance here, even though there seem to be a surprising number of establishments that have gone to the wall. The island is certainly much quieter in terms of visitor numbers than I expected, although it seems those working in the tourism industry see 1st December as some sort of line in the sand, after which they expect serious visitor numbers for a number of months. But I digress, back to the food!

Seafood here is fresh, in many cases still living when you arrive at your table, and this makes it pretty damned delicious! In many cases, you can also tuck into your seafood supper whilst you watch the bright green lights of the squid fishing boats bobbing on the horizon, catching the next day’s dinner. There’s certainly no excuse for frozen seafood here!

My highlight so far has got to be the wok fried crab in chilli paste and lemongrass, which I enjoyed at The Cliff, where I arrived looking like a drowned rat following a particularly spectacular rain storm! Having dried off at the bar with a very potent purple cocktail, we were seated overlooking the sea, and my love of crab won out, particularly since I’d spotted some fine looking specimen perched on ice as we entered!

What made my chosen dish spectacular was that despite its punchy flavour, and being packed with onion and peppers, it was the vast quantity of crab that remained king. Its sweetness was utterly glorious. and I dug in with gusto, getting spectacularly messy and loving every minute. I fear my enjoyment was most amusing to the wait staff, but they seemed quite happy to keep replacing my waste-plates as I sucked, slurped and fished flesh from the shells.

This was not a dish for a diner who prefers their food served without the need to eating effort, which suited me fine as it meant my husband was inclined to leave the dish almost entirely to me! His chosen dish of butter prawns, which came surrounded by a super fine and flaky egg floss, required a little effort, but this seemed simple as compared to the deconstruction of crab!

The only fish I’ve had so far was served as part of a meal at the end of an evening mangrove tour. Large chunks of lightly battered sea bass were presented alongside the ubiquitous chicken satay, and I loved it dunked in the slightly sweet and spicy chilli sauce by which it was accompanied.

My next seafood fave was an off-menu order, discovered thanks to some very helpful Google reviews of a Chinese seafood restaurant close to our hotel. The idea of squid with salted egg (apparently not on the menu because it’s not always available) struck me as a very good one! Now, I should explain at this juncture that my first ever experience of salted egg was not a good one. I love a boiled egg dunked in sea salt, so when I saw salted eggs for the first time whilst living in Thailand, I thought these sounded like a fabulous snack. As I took a huge bite from said egg, I began to gag, having totally underestimated just how salty they would be! It was several years later, and thanks to an Indonesian chef neighbour, that I dared to try them again, now understanding that they were to be treated more like a seasoning and not as a stand alone treat!

I had expected the squid dish to be a stir fried again containing small chunks of salted egg, but what arrived was surprising. Rings of deep fried battered squid, so fresh that they almost melted in the mouth and with no rubberiness at all, were served in a rich, creamy salted egg sauce. Now I realise that this could potentially sound disgusting, so you’re going to have to trust me that it was a combination made in heaven!

I’d love to pretend that when I’m travelling I eat nothing but local cuisine, but I’d be lying! Sometimes I enjoy a club sandwich by the pool or a burger by the beach, just as a way of re-setting and letting me get back to enjoying local fare. Today was the best of both worlds for me. After a hot morning of island exploration, we were dropped by the Grab next to a restaurant that was well designed to look cool, comfortable and appealing. But its menu did not offer local delicacies, so I decided that a bowl of pasta with garlic and chilli prawns ticked the seaside box whilst also giving me a bit of a flavour change. What was unexpected was just how good it was, in the main because of an ingredient that I’d give my right arm to be able to get at home. My pasta was full of the small, super-sweet garlic that you find all over Southeast Asia – it would not surprise me if I consumed a whole bulb of the stuff in this small bowl of perfectly al-dente pasta. By the bottom of the bowl I was using my spoon to scoop up whole cloves of the stuff and loving every bite. It’s almost impossible to accurately re-create many Asian dishes at home because I can’t find this garlic, and its flavour is so unique. This dish, therefore, seemed to tick the ‘local’ box for me despite being pasta, as it was certainly Asian in flavour and seafood. No guilt required here!

Three Food Faces – Kuala Lumpur

It’s been many years since I last visited Malaysia, but the clarity of my food-related memories was bound to bring me back. I’ve yet to find another country where the strength of multiple food influences results in such distinct ‘types’ of cuisine that are yet each totally local.

But here, there are clearly three dominant food cultures that create an incredible array of Malaysian food, something that provides a wonderful variety before you even need to consider consuming anything else to have a change. Local food can, in the main, be divided into a trio of distinct groups: Malay; Chinese; Indian. That is not to say, however, that each has not been influenced by the others. We took a trip off the beaten track with Food Tour Malaysia to get a view of all three.

Malay

Native to the Malay Peninsula, Malays make up the largest ethnic group in Malaysia. Rice is generally considered to be the centrepiece of a meal, with everything else being an accompaniment. Nasi Lemak, which competes as one of Malaysia’s national foods, is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut and pandan leaf. Traditionally served with sambal, boiled egg, crispy anchovies and peanuts, Nasi Lemak is eaten throughout the day and with varied accompaniments.

Our tour also saw us sampling Mee Goreng at the Malay inspired stop, a spicy fried noodle dish made with thin yellow noodles and another classic and prevalent Malay dish.

Otak Otak (a fish cake with chilli, grilled inside a palm leaf), beef and chicken satay, and Sup Kambing (a rich spiced goat soup made with celery) were also all served at this stop. All were delicious, but I could have gone on eating the Mee Goreng all night if I hadn’t known how much was still to come!

Chinese

I think a fuller Chinese meal is required here to really enjoy what’s on offer, but the Chinese stop on our tour gave us a little taster of some of what’s to come when we go. A plate piled high with lobak (rolls of five-spice flavoured pork wrapped in bean curd) and Fu Chuck (fried tofu skin), alongside beansprout stuffed spring rolls, each dunked in a mix of thick soy and chilli sauce before consumption, provided a delicious snack with a cold beer.

Hokkien Mee, thick noodles fried with thick, dark soy sauce and prawns, fish cake, cabbage and all sorts else, was a very unusual dish that didn’t quite hit the mark for all diners. Personally I found it very pleasant, just not as good as the previous noodles.

Indian

Our Indian stop was at something of a Kuala Lumpur institution, Kayu, and I have to admit that this was my favourite!

We kicked off with Nasi Kandar, steamed white rice with a medley of curries. I will 100% be tracking this down to eat it again. The heavily spiced, but not overly spicy, dish, originally from Penang, was food heaven for me.

The idea of Cham had not been a pleasant one for me, but I stand corrected! Ordered for me, this hot mix of coffee and milk tea is actually delightful and I’ll be having it again too. It went beautifully with the Indian food, both sweet and savoury.

Before the sweet feast started, our Nasi Kandar and Cham were also served alongside the famous roti canai, buttery roti served, in this instance, with dipping bowls of dal and a fish curry sauce. I personally favoured the Thosai, a crepe-like pancake made with fermented rice flour and served with the same dipping sauces as the roti, but with the addition of some delicious coconut chutneys.

The roti theme continued through to dessert, where we ate both roti kayu (stuffed with the prevalent and surprisingly delicious local coconut jam) and the spectacle that is roti tissue! Roti tissue arrived at the table in towering form, and is an extremely thinly stretched (and therefore crispy) roti coated in salted butter, sugar and condensed milk. I referred to it as the crack cocaine of desserts – I just couldn’t stop eating it despite being full to bursting.

I am super happy to have many more days to continue this food exploration, enjoying again the things I loved from this tour and finding plenty more to enjoy along the way too!