I guess most our friends know by now that we’re back in Malaysia And like most Malaysians who come back from overseas, the first thing we do is indulge in local Malaysian delicacies we have missed!!!

The first thing on Hubby’s mind was: DURIAN. Yup, he had been hankering for the ‘king of the fruits’ for such a long time because he didn’t have any during our last trip back around Chinese New Year.

Since the durian season was tailing off in Penang, he literally slammed on the brakes when we passed by a roadside stall selling local Malaysian durians LOL. The tot and I were getting bored in the car already when he FINALLY walked back toting the delectable durian with the overwhelming stench

WE LOVE YOU, DURIAN, THORNS AND ALL
Hubby is a true durian connoisseur as he likes the durian with a slightly bitter taste while I prefer only the sweet durians. Luckily, he bought one which was just perfect for me: golden yellow, thick and creamy flesh with a mid-sized seed and deliciously sweet!

I think I ate about 3 seeds and stopped because the smell was getting slightly too much for me (must be the pregnancy!). Hubby enjoyed what he bought and could happily return with his mission accomplished.

The tot? Sigh, as hard as I tried to cajole him with, “Try a bit…it’s nice. It’s sweet. Just ONE bite. If you don’t like it, you can spit it out.” he refused to open his mouth hahaha. Guess we’ll have to Malaysian-ize him when he’s older…

Tips for eating durian:
1. If you let the tap run along the thorns, you’ll easily get the stinky smell off your fingers when you wash your hands with soap – I swear it’s true!
2. If you pour about half a cup of drinking water into the hollow of the durian shell (after you’ve removed the fruit), you’ll have less chances of getting a sore throat from overindulging in the ‘heaty’ fruit. Or, tuck into ‘cooling’ mangosteens to get your body back into balance.

PENANG FRIED KOAY TEOW
Remember my desperate attempt in June to cook up my own Penang Fried Koay Teow? It sure felt good to be able to order a plate of fried koay teow anytime I want now

This maiden plate of fried koay teow was okay only because it wasn’t a famous one (the prawns were slightly undercooked so they had a yucky taste) and the uncle included sambal belachan with the fried koay teow???

I hope I’ll be able to tuck in to my favourite char koay teow from Gurney Drive or Bayan Bay soon…

PENANG ASSAM LAKSA
Because the nearby steaming pot of fish soup smelled so, so, so tempting, I asked Hubby if he wouldn’t mind sharing a bowl of assam laksa with me and he gallantly obliged his expectant wife.

This bowl of rice noodles scalded in fish-based soup (tuna fish or some local Malaysian fish) topped with fresh onions, pineapple, lotus buds and a sprig of mint was again only passable. Probably because I’m craving for more spicy foods rather than sour foods.

That spoon of brownish paste is actually liquidized fermented shrimp paste, which sounds totally disgusting but it gives the Penang assam laksa its interesting sour-and-sweet taste. Hey, don’t diss it before you dig into it!

THE TODDLER’S LUNCH
Wherever we stop for lunch or dinner on outings, we’ll always see if there’s something suitable for the toddler. Luckily, the economy rice stall had a nice selection of home-style cooked dishes.

Hubby and I took turns to feed him his white rice accompanied with stir-fried tofu, steamed pork, long green beans, pumpkin. Unless he has a good meal to fill his tiny tummy, neither of us can enjoy our food. So, when he’s happy, we’re happy

THE FIGHTING FISH (SEOW PHAK HOO)
This is actually boiled dried longan juice in ice and served in old glass jars (probably fermented soybean paste jars), which is a signature drink in Penang and mainland Seberang Perai and Bukit Mertajam.

While the folks in Kuala Lumpur (especially Petaling Street) may order their “mata kuching (Malay=cat’s eyes), we folks in Penang don’t bat an eyelash when we order our “seow phak hoo (Hokkien=fighting fish).

Our overseas visitors can’t help but smile when I translate it – the story is that the old glass jars were usually used by young boys to store their fighting fish (aargh…can someone enlighten me the name of that little, black fish species???).

At battle time, the two Contenders are placed in a fish bowl where the ferocious little fish will attack each other in honour of their namesake i.e. “fighting fish”. The winning (and living fish) will then return to its tiny glass jar to be shown off by the proud (and usually boastful) boy hahaha.

Only certain coffee shops serve a nicely-boiled longan juice so unless you sip into a cool and refreshing glass (not overly sweet), then you know you’ve got one of the right ones. Bliss on a blistering hot day!

And that’s the start of our Malaysian food frenzy. We actually managed to stop over at some of our favourite Indian, Indian-Muslim, Malay and Chinese restaurants so you can look forward to some mouth-watering Malaysian dishes.

Is this the end of the China posts? Of course not! I’ve still got LOADS of food and folklore stored up on my computer and camera. Just wish I had more time and energy to post them up.

For now, let’s live it one day at a time, shall we? Jom makan (Malay=let’s eat!)…

• None Found