Iowan Eating His Way Through Malaysia

My three week trip to Malaysia last summer was amazing! So much to see and experience. One of the best parts of my trip was eating only what the locals ate. Malaysian cuisine is made up of various cultures from all around the world which gives it a symphony of flavors and makes it quite exotic. Being born and raised in Iowa, I hadn't really experienced different culinary cultures. Malaysia was the perfect place to start!

Pig Intestines was probably the most surprising thing I ate. I was originally tricked into eating them. After getting over my fear of something so unknown to me, turns out the intestines taste like chicken and are quite tasty! Luckily Malaysians enjoy having plenty of condiments available to them, some spicy and some sweet. Sliced birds eye chili in soy sauce or having a peanut sauce are perfect for dipping Pig Intestines!

Pig Intestines with Peanut Sauce on the right, fried egg oyster omelette to the left.

Another experience was eating with my hands. Indian restaurants serve banana leaf rice with assorted vegetables, and curried meat on banana leaves. Then you get dirty by eating with your hands. This proved to be difficult for me because I am left handed. It is considered rude to eat with your left hand as this is the hand used for personal hygiene (wiping).

Fried whole fish with spicy gravy.

Ever think of eating a fish whole? Malaysians think it is weird that we don't eat them that way. I ate my first fish whole there! In a separate experience, I almost swallowed fish bones that was in a curry I ate.

Without a doubt, curry based meals are my favorite. Dishes called "curry" may contain meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish, either alone or in combination with vegetables. They may instead be entirely vegetarian. Both dry and wet curry is guaranteed to stimulate the taste buds with the mixture of spices and ingredients an experienced Malaysian cook will use.  
                                                           

Durian

I really liked how everything was fresh! The butcher is still a very common fellow in Malaysia and the markets are always full of different fruits and vegetables, many of which I had never seen or heard of before. So much color and a huge variety of healthiness. One of my favorite unique fruits was the notoriously known Durian. It is definitely an acquired taste and unlike anything I have ever tried or smelled before. Durian smells so bad that it has been banned from certain public areas in Southeast Asia. .

A wide array of fresh tropical fruits.

If you visit Malaysia, street food is definitely something that should not be missed. Everything is delicious and the selection is endless. I enjoyed the meats marinated and placed on sticks for easy eating, and more pig intestines which are very common in Malaysia. There really are too many amazing dishes to name of.

Plan on going to Malaysia hungry because a huge part of the culture is eating. It's actually the food that made me take an interest in the kitchen! I consider it my soul food.

I am now blessed with having a roommate from Malaysia that is slowly teaching me to cook like a Malaysian and still introducing me to new Malaysian cuisines. His dishes are some of the best that I have ever had.  Hours of prep time are well worth it for one of these dishes.

Signing off.... MALAYSIA BOLEH!

Guest Blogger G-Love: Taste of Malaysia in Iowa

As an avid traveler one my favorite experiences is to get a feel for the taste of each culture and the best way to do that is through food. Recently (well, for about 7 years now), I have been studying and living in Cedar Falls, IA. Yes, you guessed it, most of the taste here comes in the form of meat, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Due to the financial constraints that come with being a student I wasn’t able to travel a whole lot. However, I was able to travel through the words, stories, and kinships I established with friends from all over the world. One of my dearest, most fabulous, loving, giving, and hilarious friends is Kenny.

When talking about an array of topics over a glass of wine, one topic almost always comes up and that is the topic of home. And with that the topic of food is always mentioned as a close second to family and friends. Kenny is a newborn chef cook who has delighted plenty of people with his love for Malaysian food and his enormous sense for hospitality.

Bak-Kut-Teh was my first Malaysian dish I tasted. It is a broth noodle soup with a variety of vegetables. Traditionally,  Bak-Kut-Teh is made with pork ribs, however, since I am a vegetarian Chef cook Kenny was able to modify the traditional recipe. Since I am generally fond of Asian cuisine, I jumped right in. With chopsticks in one hand and the spoon in the other, hints of anise, cinnamon, garlic, cloves, and mushrooms met my taste buds…and I was hooked.

Kenny explained that Bak-Kut-Teh is traditionally a Chinese-Malaysian dish. He also explains that Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur is a melting pot, which influences the cuisine of this country in tremendous ways. As we go for seconds, our conversation continues. A history lesson is usually included with each meal. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to sit, talk, and eat home cooked Malaysian food with Kenny – it made my heart, world, and appetite bigger! 

Love only,

Goerkem 

The Migrationology of Mark Wiens

I've been searching the web for videos on what people thought of Malaysian food . I found a ton of videos posted on YouTube about people's experience with Malaysian food while abroad. I came across this foodie and travel blogger who I found quite interesting (especially when one calls himself a Durian addict!) and is definitely worth talking about! 

Mark Wiens, who originally hails from Phoenix, Arizona, was uprooted from the States along with his family to France, Congo and finally to Kenya. He found his way back to the States when he attended college at the Arizona State University where he pursued a degree in Global Studies with an emphasis of Art and Culture. 

He eventually ventured to Southeast Asia and has apparently fallen in love with the region ever since. Mark is now based in Bangkok where is he working on building an online business allows him to travel and experience foods from around the world. He makes his living through freelance writing, blogging, food and niche websites.

The '11 Amazing Things To Do in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia' video on YouTube and his '14 Malaysian Food Photos - Are You Ready To Drool?' blog post definitely won me over. I was very intrigued by the fact that someone from the other side of the world has nothing but good things to say about Malaysian food.

Besides eating his way around the globe, Mark maintains two websites where he writes and vlogs about his food experiences, Migrationology and Eating Thai Food. Check it out!

Follow Mark on Twitter @Migrationology

-That Malaysian Boy-