One month on SE Asia in the regions food capitals , and you are bound to want to taste every conceivable morsel you smell and see. My food experiences have left me craving all the dishes I fell in love with in SE Asia. There is one major thing you need to understand about this part of the world its rich in fertile land and sea so everything is organic fresh and amazing. Than if you consider the influences especially in Singapore and Malaysia suddenly it becomes this culinary spectacle in which you have Cantonese , Haionese , Malay , Paranikin , Javanese , South Indian and Thai influences , spices and recipes put together and blended into the most amazing food extravaganza all in one place, ensuring that travelers like me have something delicious to experience every time we have a meal .The malay word for eat is Makan and boy or boy did I do it justice !!!!
It was very hard to get a top list of all the food I loved in Asia together , because every meal was that good… but here goes in no order of preference my food love affairs in South East Asia documented and caught on Camera ….
1. Dim Sum – Chili Crab Steamed Dumpling - Singapore
How do I describe this take a piping hot soft steamed dumpling then bite into fragrant spicy crab oozing from the center and there you have it heaven in a bite . This was an amazing dish , I mean I knew I loved dim sum and I ensured that I tried as many variations as possible the pork dumplings were great the shrimp wontons were hot and crispy and so decadent and then I tasted this particular variant and I fell in love instantly it suddenly set the bench mark and I couldn’t stop eating I think I had about 5 and I can still taste it now almost 35 days later. The sad bit is it’s hard to come by a chili crab dumplings in Johannesburg so I have to go back !’
Dim sum was my ultimate meal in Singapore I had it every morning at breakfast and whenever I could snack it was seriously addictive and always so fresh.
2. Spicy south Indian Prawn curry and Roti -The Banana Leaf Apollo Little India - Singapore
The day I went into the Apollo I wasn’t very hungry I just had to see this fish head curry every one raves about , but the minute I walked in fresh “Kadai” smells tempted me and next thing I was having the best damn prawn curry ever. I mean I grew up south Indian so I’ve tasted my fair share of prawn curries and roti before but this one was different . It was all served on a banana leaf with the main curry and then a curry sauce served separate. The prawn itself was huge and meaty . The flavor was intensely spicy with that Soft hint of sour Tamarind every bite was amazing and I sat there engrossed in my meal . I mean I know the Apollo protect their recipes and would never part but what I wouldn’t do for my mum to learn it!!!!
3. Penang – Food Heaven … Laksa … Masala Dosah … Aunty Rahana’s Malay Spiced Fish.
Penang had crazy delicious street food everywhere and your senses are smacked with it the minute you arrive my faves were :
Laksa -my first reaction to it was dubious because the pungent smell can be very surprising but once you give it a go the taste of hot herby sour fishy noodles pulls it all together , really glad I tried it .
Masala Dosah with Coconut Chutney and Sambar- So this one was special because they served it to me in paper and Plastic bags, but I had a really late night at the Hard rock and the minute I got back I remembered I bought street food earlier and it did the trick loved it even though it was iced cold by then it was every bit as delicious
Aunty Rahana’s Malay Spiced Mackerel
Malay food is amazing and I remember thinking there was no ways I was not going to go out and find it, so one Sunday afternoon I took a walk through the streets of Batu Ferrenghi and I came across “Mamu Ali Corner” and Aunty Rahana and her daughter Ruby. The warmth these people showed me was incredible. She runs this Sunday lunch Buffet and everything looked so amazing she walked me through what she had made that day and the decision was so hard and finally I settled on the spicy fish I’m not sure what the Malay word for it is but the universal world should be Wow … it was spiced perfectly really hot and just the way I liked it the fish was amazingly fresh and like with so many of these meals the taste still lingers today. Fortunately aunty Rahana did give me her recipe but somehow I think duplicating it without been in Malaysia won’t be possible J Makan my new favorite word…
1. Kuala Lampur – Chicken Rice – Nasi Goering Kampung – Malaysian White Coffee
Chicken Rice – is a portion of succulent crispy roasted chicken in this flavorful broth served with rice … sounds pretty simple right ? pretty average? hell no! anything but… it’s a burst of deliciousness not very spicy but so much of flavor there’s take away selling chicken rice everywhere in Malaysia they even have a franchise called “the chicken rice shop” that’s where I got mine and that was really cheap and a really great meal in-between all the shopping
Nasi Goering Kampung – is a take on Nasi Lemak their National Dish
Its basically a sunny side up egg served on a kind of brown rice with a spicy Tomato chutney and fried crispy tiny fish almost anchovie like and a huge piece of fried chicken and a kind of heavy papadum . Now to a western palate it might seem like a lot of stuff on one plate and trust me its quite a huge meal but to a hungry traveler its wonderful I loved it even though I ate only half of it . it was memorable and really scrumptious at first I was taken aback by the egg but it works trust me
Malaysian White Coffee
Is a chicory tasting milky coffee that’s served all across Malaysia and south east Asia . When the heat is killing and there’s no escaping it this ice cold sweet milky coffee does the trick its stronger compare to your average latte but I loved it My preferred franchise was old town coffee to them what star bucks is to the rest of the world . I brought a few sachets back but its not the same I think you have to be there for it to be that good
1. Bangkok – Satay and coconut ice cream
The thai food while very fragrant wasn’t very pungent so I think that was going to take some getting used to after all the spice I experienced in Singapore and Malaysia. Bangkok’s food none the less was always beautifully presented they have a true art for fruit carving and food décor and I couldn’t help but marvel at the way food was presented . I remember once sitting in traffic and observing a street hawker cut his fruit for sales that day and he did it with so much neatness pride and precision I marveled at this and was very tempted to go buy his entire cart fascinating people these Thais .The most delicious thing I had in Thailand though was fresh coconut ice cream in 55 degree heat the sweetness and pure indulgence of it still leaves me craving
the second was Satay I LOVED IT and practically lived of satay the entire time
6. Duck Embryo in a Bia Hoi side street shop – Saigon Vietnam
So let me set the scene a BIA Hoi café is a side street tavern that has kiddie chairs and tables. As the shop gets more patrons the street becomes the café and more chairs and tables are added one by one Back packers and Saigon’s locals start filling the café and the Bia (Home brewed fresh beer) flows .How much does each draft cost ? 3000VND WHICH IS equivalent to 20 American cents and about R2 hence the total popularity. Now on my first night in Saigon I met a bunch of alternative backpackers in one of the side street restaurants I found and they took me to my first Bia hoi café run by this tiny 90 year old lady who couldn’t speak a word of English. That night I became a Bia Hoi fan I loved it ,I loved how everyone just sat where they found a spot and people intermingled so well , the locals were great and they were having Duck embryo I was offered it several times but couldn’t pluck up the courage until the next night when I took people from my contiki crew with me to the very same place. We found some locals and they organized the duck I was so going to do this, morality aside I just had to . So the deal is that you first drink the soupy mixture inside the egg. You then chew herbs for flavor and as you peel around the embryo you eat at it. I must say it was really delicious very flavorsome almost like a mix between tender chicken and egg . I found the experience lovely yes it sounds gruesome but when in Saigon do as the locals do right!
7. Fresh prawns on the Nha Trang Beach
So heres the reality about Nha trang Beach once you laying down on that deck chair you don’t have to move for the entire day , things will just come to you Fresh Fruit smoothies , Curios , Pedicures , Pringles , Massages , fruit , and the delight of all fresh shellfish that was literally taken from the sea ten minutes earlier . I Kid you not we never moved that day the smoothies somehow found their way to us on a motorbike and the pedicure lady showed up and then next thing you know they were cooking our prawns right there on the beach ! wow what a day , total cost of sitting on that beach about 200000VND About $7
8. Spring roll oh Spring roll- everywhere in Vietnam !!!!
By the end of my trip I was so sick of spring rolls its all over vietnam and you get different variants too there’s the fresh spring rolls (Which I had the privellage of making) deep fried served all the time and the specialty vermicelli ones which are so crispy and delicious as sick as I got of spring rolls I crave the buggers now
9. Vietnamese Street food – ground pork and fish skewers served with herbs – Hoi an
I loved the smell of this I mean I’ve seen it cooked many times on tv but when you there and you get the smell you realize just how delicious this street snack is
10. Sweet Spiced Pork belly cooked in a clay Pot – LY club Hanoi
This was the one of the more extravagant meals we splashed on . The Ly club is a renowned exclusive eatery that serves Vietnams best dishes I had the pork in clay pot and every morsel of it was delicious it epitomized Vietnams cuisine , refined and tasty yet so many different things coming together from spice to sweet to slightly sour , unfortunately the belly was very rich and by the 5th bite I was full but Loved it just like so many of the other meals I had in Vietnam
11. The Vietnamese Meal I cooked myself
At the risk of sounding arrogant I must say that one of my Best meals in Vietnam was the one I made myself at Lulus Morning Glory cooking school in Hoi An everything we made that day was delicious and we had a excellent teacher
I made a fresh Chicken and Shrimp spring roll , Chicken and Fish BBQ skewer with papaya salad And a Vietnamese Pancake which is a rolled with a crispy egg omelet inside the entire meal was scrumptious and it showed me just how complex Vietnamese flavoring is complex yet so delicious
So yeah I pretty much ate my way through south east Asia but the one disadvantage is that everytime I’m hungry I remember these dishes and everytime I think about asia I get hungry guess I just have to go back
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