It sounds crazy, but in the twenty years since my parents moved out Liverpool way (some 32 km from Sydney’s CBD), we’ve never ventured out to eat at any of the restaurants there – nearby Cabramatta has always been our default for food and dining. I realised I’d be so lost if I were to find myself in the middle of Liverpool and feeling hungry, so I decided to fix that and join a Liverpool food tour.

Taste of the World – Liverpool! is one of a number of ticketed events run by Taste Cultural Food Tours, a charity which trains refugees, migrants and local youth to be tour guides.

Over the course of 3 ½ hours, I had the opportunity to sample food from The Middle East, Vietnam, India and The Balkans – as well as visit a continental butchery, a fruit & vegetable shop and an Indian supermarket.

I learned that Liverpool was founded by Lachlan Macquarie – kind of embarrassing that it’s taken me all these years to find this out (though in my defence I did almost all of my schooling in Malaysia). I also met a bunch of interesting people – Alaa our tour guide from Syria, some of the migrant business owners, and, of course, my fellow attendees.

Baby Noah came along and he was mostly well-behaved, though he did knock over a cup of coffee at the Vietnamese shop to get my attention; I’m very grateful that everyone was so accommodating towards him throughout the day.

Here are some of the highlights from our tour; with all sincerity I am looking forward to revisiting some of the eateries to check out the rest of their offerings (I’m dreaming of the burek and the dosai as I write this) –

I took part in the Taste of the World – Liverpool! food tour as a guest of Taste Cultural Food Tours; to find out more about this and some of their other events, visit TasteTours.com.au.

The post Taste of the World – Liverpool! Food Tour first appeared on Jackie M..

Phone in one hand, luggage and baby Noah in the other, I typed those words and hit Send from the immigration line at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Almost immediately my Note 8 started ringing in response.  

All around me were signs that said “No Phone Use Allowed”, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I picked up.

I’d just flown in from Siem Reap and I was frantic. With my Wok Around Asia filming commitments wrapped up, I had been looking forward to my last 2 nights of R&R in KL before heading back to Sydney.

It now looked like my dreams of chilling by the poolside and eating up a storm in KL were going to be dashed and for that, I blamed Alexx, my good friend and founder of blue flower products store MyBlueTea.com.au.

A post shared by My Blue Tea (@my.blue.tea) on Jan 22, 2018 at 7:56pm PST

Alexx is a remarkable entrepreneur who has found success in numerous and diverse real world businesses, but when it came to building brand awareness for her latest venture of blue flower products, she needed help to link up with influencers.

That’s how it all started.

Alexx wanted to throw a party showcasing dishes that incorporated blue flower extract, but apart from yours truly, she didn’t know who to invite. I gave her some pointers on how to weed out the fake influencers that proliferate social media, but Alexx being Alexx, she decided the party would happen in a matter of days, not weeks. There just wasn’t enough time for her to build up a list.

A post shared by Red Pork Press (@redporkpress) on Jan 30, 2018 at 1:30pm PST

In a momentary lapse of judgement, I agreed to invite some influencers on her behalf.

Now, I’m usually on the receiving end of such invitations, not the one trying to entice people to attend. Still, I put my ego on the line and fired off a bunch of messages while travelling and filming in Siem Reap.

After much back-and-forth, I received about 12-15 RSVPs about this blue-themed dinner party to be held at 5pm in Chatswood, 17 hours after I was to get back to Sydney.

Not too shabby, I thought, in view of the short notice. One of the guests, Tammi Matrouh, would not be able to get there until 7pm, and I relayed that to Alexx. No drama.

While waiting for my plane at Siem Reap airport, I received another RSVP, this time from an influencer who came highly recommended by another one of my contacts. This would be a perfect fit, he said; Chatswood was just a short distance from him, plus he was looking forward to catching up with his old friend, Tammi.

This was almost too easy. I prematurely patted myself on the back.

Two hours later I landed at KL airport, turned my phone back on and was immediately flooded with incoming messages from Alexx. A family emergency had come up, and the caterer had had to drop out.  Alexx thought we should cancel.

I was not happy (to put it mildly); after all my hustling to get all these RSVPs, hell would have to freeze over before I told everyone it wasn’t happening after all.

Well, how about YOU do the cooking, she suggested. That was like a man telling an angry woman to calm down.

I wasn’t about to land at Sydney airport after a gruelling 3 weeks of travel, run to get supplies, then spend hours toiling in the kitchen for an event where I was originally invited as a guest, then roped in as organiser, and now expected to cook. Plus I’m frankly sick of being the designated caterer at everyone’s special occasion.

So I started talking on the phone to my restaurateur friend in Sydney while waiting in line at immigration, half expecting to get pulled aside by Malaysian authorities for blatantly breaking the law.

Could you, or anyone you know, step in and cook with 2 days’ notice, at your busiest time of the year with Chinese New Year right around the corner, for no reward besides collaborative exposure? The answer was a firm “No”.

Then, just when it looked like a lost cause, Alexx responded that she’d found someone – Sue Zaleha, an up-and-coming Sydney-based Malaysian caterer at Dapur Ibu Catering.

Hallelujah.

The location had to be changed to Sue’s backyard in Parramatta, which led to some dropouts, including by the influencer I’d talked to while waiting at Siem Reap airport. Still, at least it was going ahead.

That wasn’t the end of the drama, however.

Sue Zaleha was horrified when a large group of influencers showed up at her door at 5pm. I was equally horrified when I got a call from one of the group to say they had all been turned away and told to come back in 2 hours.

As it turned out,  Alexx had changed the start time to 7pm without my realisation – she thought my mentioning Tammi couldn’t make it until 7pm meant I wanted the event moved to a later timeslot. I pondered at the prospect of featuring in a future episode of Women Who Murder.

I didn’t think anyone would return but to my amazement, they all did.

As is typical of Alexx, she pulled out all the stops to make sure everything was exquisitely presented.

We spent the evening under a beautiful marquee indulging in a vast array of traditional Malaysian food courtesy of MyBlueTea.com.au and Dapur Ibu’s Sue Zaleha, not to mention a gorgeous jelly cake by Siew Heng Boon of Jelly Alchemy, as we caught up with friends new and old.

All’s well that ends well, as some English playwright once said.

Blue Gula Melaka (sago with palm sugar syrup and coconut sauce) from the blue pea flower-themed dinner party hosted by @my.blue.tea and Dapur Ibu Catering on the weekend. Folks, I’m livestreaming on Twitch at 12pm Sydney time today. See you at www.JackieM.Live shortly! #malaysiancuisine #malaysianfood #twitchcreative #streetfood #asianfood #foodblogger #instafood #instadaily #foodie #foodporn #sydneyfoodshare #mealformeal #sydney #foodstagram #instagood #sydneyfoodies #foodiegram #sydneyeats #travellingfoodie

A post shared by Jackie M (@jackiemsydney) on Jan 28, 2018 at 3:50pm PST

Pulut Inti – sticky rice with palm sugar-infused coconut – from last night’s blue flower-themed dinner hosted by @my.blue.tea and Dapur Ibu catering. #malaysianfood #malaysiancuisine #streetfood #asianfood #foodblogger #instafood #instadaily #foodie #foodporn #sydneyfoodshare #mealformeal #sydney #foodstagram #instagood #sydneyfoodies #foodiegram #sydneyeats #bluepeaflower #bluebutterflyflower

A post shared by Jackie M (@jackiemsydney) on Jan 27, 2018 at 7:00pm PST

The hunt for the Perfect BLUE colourant is over – its here “Blue Butterfly Pea Powder” and its so versatile you can make a Blue, Purple and even Green colour from our Blue Butterfly Pea Powder in this 3D-Jellycake by @siewheng83. Vegan natural plant based. It’s very light, very appetising and so healthy. Recipe on the website link soon. Jelly artisan @siewheng83 . . #mybluetea #foodporn #foodie #huffposttaste #buzzfeedfood #love #instafood #foodstagram #onthetable #foodblogger #foodcoma #foodstyling #vegan #liveauthentic #eeeeeats #tea #jellyart #barista #tea#australia #melbourne #sydney #teashop #bakery #bread #indonesia#birthdaycake #europe

A post shared by My Blue Tea (@my.blue.tea) on Mar 7, 2018 at 4:58pm PST

Blue pea flower extract magically turns purple when lemon juice is added From the blue pea flower-themed dinner hosted by @my.blue.tea and Dapur Ibu Catering on the weekend. #malaysianfood #bluepea #bluepeaflower #malaysiancuisine #streetfood #asianfood #foodblogger #instafood #instadaily #foodie #foodporn #sydneyfoodshare #mealformeal #sydney #foodstagram #instagood #sydneyfoodies #foodiegram #sydneyeats #travellingfoodie

A post shared by Jackie M (@jackiemsydney) on Jan 29, 2018 at 1:48am PST

For more information about Sue Zaleha’s Dapur Ibu Catering Service, contact her on Facebook >> https://www.facebook.com/dapuribusydney/

And to learn more about blue pea flower and other superfoods carried by Alexx, visit https://www.mybluetea.com.au/

Check out Siew Heng Boon’s Jelly Cake creations at https://www.facebook.com/jellyalchemy/

In case you’re wondering, yes Alexx and I are still on speaking terms; in fact I’m going to be producing a series of blue flower-themed recipe videos for her in the near future. Evidently I like living on the edge.

The post The Blue Flower Party That Almost Wasn’t first appeared on Jackie M..

I’m going to be shooting videos, researching new recipes, featuring interesting destinations and people, and running live video broadcasts wherever there’s fast internet speeds available. As always, the content will be posted on all my digital and social media platforms, along with two new online destinations – TeebTV, a video streaming service I’m co-founder at, – and on my Huffington Post blog.

I’m looking for in-kind sponsors for this trip in the form of accommodation, travel, tours, transfers, food, and everything in between. If you, or anyone you know might be interested in being featured, shared and editorialised across my extensive online assets, please get in touch with me.

Right now, the only confirmed destinations are Kuala Lumpur (where my accommodation will be hosted by Traders Hotel KL – my home away from home) and Penang; I’m keen to consider any other destinations if the right opportunity comes along.

For a full, downloadable copy of my proposal, please visit >> Wok Around Asia

Thanks again for your ongoing support, which enables me to create all the free content you see on this website and everywhere else online

The post Wok Around Asia – Dec 2017 – Jan 2018 first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

The team at Four Points by Sheraton Kuching had pulled out all the stops to make our stay as comfortable as possible. As an example, although we arrived a couple of hours late due to flight delays, the entire marketing team along with Chef Liou were waiting to greet us as we pulled up at the entrance.

This hospitality was displayed throughout our stay – Robb was convinced it was because half the staff there recognised him from his lead role in Ghost Hunters International; I, of course, begged to differ.

I had never heard of the Empurau fish (Tor Tambroides) – a highly sought-after delicacy that cost RM1500 (AUD$500) per kg;  a whole fish could easily set you back five figures. I hear it was the Taiwanese who put the empurau fish on the map when they called it Wang Pu Liao, which means Unforgettable. The Sarawakians call it the King of Fish and its popularity means that wealthy Chinese tourists would fly into Sarawak just to savour it.

Due to overfishing, development and consumer demand, the numbers of wild Empurau (aka Ikan Kelah or Mahseer Malaysia) have dwindled and to help restore its numbers, several rivers have been designated as fish sanctuaries. Empurau fish farms are now looking to fill the gap in the market.

Chef Liou showcased his method of preparing Empurau, which is to steam it and serve it with a curry & tom yam sauce. When I first mentioned this on social media months back, some Chinese commenters, who like subtle flavours with their seafood, thought it was counter-intuitive to serve such a delicate, high-value item with a curry sauce.

Having tried Chef Liou’s creation, I have to say it does actually work very well together. Clearly, Empurau fish isn’t something I expect to come across at Sydney Fish Market, but I do plan on trying this with the Australian barramundi some time.

 Steamed Empurau with Curry Sauce

Click here to watch on YouTube >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltyIlZtPoME

300g fish cutlets

Ingredients for Curry Sauce –

3 Tbsp Tom Yum Paste

2 Tbsp Curry Powder

1.5 cups Coconut Milk

4 Ladies’ fingers

½ cup Eggplant, sliced

¼ cup Snake Beans, sliced

Method –

Steam fish for 15 minutes.

Remove scales.

Serve with curry sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Four Points by Sheraton, Kuching.

The post Recipe – Sarawak Empurau Fish first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

Preamble

Even before we started filming the pilot of Asia: Food.Travel.Mystery, my collaborator and co-executive producer Robb Demarest and I had planned to scout out locations in Borneo – it has all the right mixes for our series  with its unique food, off-the-beaten-path travel and its intriguing and sometimes mysterious cultures.

We specifically targeted Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo, and arranged to spend 2 days each in the capital cities – Kota Kinabalu and Kuching respectively.

From Kuala Lumpur, we first flew into Kuching where we were hosted by Four Points by Sheraton, before making our way to Sabah (which I wrote about previously; in other words, there’s no chronological order to my posts).

It was such a short trip that I didn’t get to check out as much of Kuching and Sarawak as I would have liked, but thanks to Four Points by Sheraton and especially Executive Chef Liou, we had the chance take in some sights and to savour some of Sarawak’s iconic dishes – Laksa Sarawak, Midin Salad, Foochow Noodles and the famed Empurau fish.

Sarawak Midin Salad with Dried Shrimp

Click here to watch on YouTube >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydMJkF0CYg4

Ingredients –

1 kg midin (wild fern leaf)

100g crispy dried shrimp

Dressing –

100g sugar

300g calamansi juice

50g calamansi, thinly sliced

30g lily flower (bunga kantan)

100g sliced shallots

30g sliced bird’s eye chillies

Method –

Blanch midin in boiling water.

Transfer into iced water to preserve crunchiness.

Squeeze dry, then combine with salad dressing.

Add dried shrimp.

Top with more dried shrimp.

Serve.

Recipe courtesy of Four Points by Sheraton, Kuching.

The post Recipe – Sarawak Midin Salad with Dried Shrimp first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

It was late by the time our transport pulled up to the Ocean Wing lobby of Shangri-la Rasa Ria where our arrival was greeted with the sound of traditional gongs. There are 2 Shangri-la resorts in KK, and Rasa Ria is the secluded one 45 minutes out of town. It also has its own Orang Utan sanctuary. The Shangri-la brand is known for its luxury, and the Rasa Ria takes the concept of opulent escapism to a whole new level.

We visited the orang utan sanctuary the next morning, then spent some time enjoying the hotel’s amenities before we were picked up by our tour guide for the day’s itinerary.

It was another packed schedule that included a 90-minute drive to Kawa-Kawa for a river cruise to see proboscis monkeys followed by sunset at the estuary, then dinner and finally, a nighttime firefly cruise with a group of Chinese tourists who kept saying “wah” at the sight of the blinking lights.. I had to explain to my befuddled collaborator that “wah” is Chinese for “wow”.

We had opted to skip dinner at the hotel the night before thanks to having already eaten at the seafood restaurant, and I’d be damned if we were going to skip it again on our second and last night at Rasa Ria.

Estuary sunset cruise.

We had already had dinner as part of the river cruise, so Robb had to be persuaded to have a second meal at the resort. I promised I’d just have one quick plate of food from the buffet and that would be it. (I ate so quickly I didn’t even have time to take photos.)

 I immediately regretted making the commitment. The food was sensational – I’ve raved about Malaysian hotel food in the past but this was really something else – plus they had more Sabah vegetable – cooked to order. I was hooked but Mr. Demarest was clearly in no mood to cut me any slack. I reluctantly called it a night but made a silent promise to come back to Rasa Ria another time when I’d be able to fully enjoy all the resort has to offer.

Our final morning consisted of a visit to a temple, then a highly enjoyable lunch with the team from Tourism Sabah – we couldn’t stop talking about food – then it was time to leave. It was a very short trip – way too short – but in that little time I came away thinking if ever I were to set up a base in Southeast Asia, Sabah would rank at or near the top of my list of places I could see myself living in.

I’m hoping to make it back there to shoot our show in the not-too-distant future; in the meantime I’ll be dreaming of the Shangri-la Rasa Ria and seafood and Sabah vegetable.

The post Travel Diary Sabah (Part 2) first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

I’d never been to Borneo, but at the end of nearly 3 weeks of gruelling filming for our Asia: Food | Travel | Mystery pilot last year, my co-presenter and co-executive producer Robb Demarest and I made a quick trip over to Sabah for 2 days.

We knew there was a lot of interest in Sabah and Sarawak as locations for the show, based on the number of fans on the Seekers Facebook page constantly asking when the crew were ever going to make it to that part of Malaysia. (Asia:FTM was a concept developed by Robb and myself, and supported by the same production company that made Seekers.)

We travelled to Sabah courtesy of Tourism Sabah and Shangri-La Rasa Ria.

To be honest I didn’t really know what to expect with Sabah – my sister Chooi’s been there for snorkelling and to scale Mt Kinabalu – I can neither swim nor is climbing the highest peak in the Malay archipelago on my bucket list.

 My thing is food, so before departing, I asked around about the food scene in Sabah. Strangely, even Sabahans had trouble telling me what food they were famous for – Penang has its Char Kway Teow and Assam Laksa, Sarawak has its Laksa Sarawak and Kek Lapis, Ipoh has Sar Hor Fun etc. – but Sabah?

Lots of seafood, I was told. That sounded promising, but no-one could give me a particular style of cooking it that made it stand out from seafood elsewhere. “Sabah vegetable!”, said someone on my Facebook fan page (sorry, I forget who).

What’s the name for it? “Just say Sabah vegetable, and everyone will know what you mean.”

 Armed with this sort of vagueness, we landed in Kota Kinabalu (KK) late Sunday afternoon and were whisked away to check out some of the sights around town by Amazing Borneo Tours. When it was time for dinner, some minor issue came up about the place we were supposed to go to, so we had the option to eat elsewhere. Our friendly tour guide asked if we had any preference, and right away, I said – of course – Seafood and Sabah Vegetable. 

I really, really wish I’d taken a photo of the restaurant frontage because I’d love to go back there. We ordered a bunch of different dishes – each one stunningly delicious, including and perhaps especially the modest looking clam broth. Robb is not a huge seafood fan himself (hence the chicken dish in the picture) but he would eat lobster. Steamed lobster with butter sauce. Which in the USA east coast means melted butter.

 And that started an intense, 5-minute discussion between us and the waiter about what “butter sauce” is. You see, in Malaysia, butter sauce means something quite different – it’s made with butter and evaporated milk, and curry leaves and sliced chillies and that sort of stuff. I knew that but I also knew Robb just wanted melted butter.

Robb is a lot of things, but being compliant isn’t one of them. He was tired, we’d been travelling all day and hadn’t even checked into our hotel yet, and he really, really, just wanted steamed lobster with plain ol’ melted butter, please. Anyhow the waiter took it all in stride, nodded agreeably, and served the lobster with, yup – Malaysian-style butter sauce. And Robb loved it so much he was practically licking the sauce off the dish by the end. Thankfully.

My Hangout-on-Air making Butter Prawns, Malaysian/Sabah style –

Click here to watch on YouTube >> https://youtu.be/GFa8sSzR2f0

(continues…)

The post Travel Diary Sabah (Part 1) – Seafood first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

Sukasuka Day 2

I’m not the only city slicker in the group; our driver Tony struggles to deploy his mosquito net correctly and by the next morning his bed looks like a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Breakfast is a traditional Malay offering – nasi lemak plus different types of kuih including onde-onde, which in Perak is known as buah melaka (melaka-fruit kuih). Like the melaka fruit, the onde-onde served are tiny compared to ones I’m used to, and completely addictive. I’ve noticed on Sukasuka’s Facebook page that they host a significant number of European and North American guests, so knowing how Westerners like cereals and toast in the morning, I ask Pak Aziz whether he adapts the menu depending on the guests’ backgrounds.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”25″ gal_title=”sukasukabreakfast”]

“They eat what we eat!”, he says with a big smile. This appeals to my take-no-prisoners sensibilities where my food is concerned.

Pak Aziz is knowledgeable about lots of things and can pretty much talk about any topic at length. I show him a picture of the mysterious tree at the Gaharu tea plantation where I’d had the strange experience; he takes a look and immediately recognises it as a pontianak tree – if you know Malaysian folklore you’ll know a pontianak is a female vampire. This just gets better and better.

 There are a variety of activities to keep us busy during our stay – boating, fishing, walks through the village (Kampung Kelantan) within which Sukasuka is located, relaxing by the lake and just hanging out at the main house and playing traditional games and chatting.[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”26″ gal_title=”sukasukado”]

The highlight for me though, is the cooking lesson with Mak Asiah on our second day there. The dishes are unique even to me – Chicken Rendang using a local mushroom (cendawan sisir – it looks, per its name, like small hair combs – nothing like your typical mushroom) instead of coconut. This Perak-style chicken rendang is a real eye-opener – if ever you make it to Sukasuka you absolutely have to persuade Mak Asiah to teach you how to make it.

 And then there’s sticky rice steamed in periuk kera – literally “monkey pots” – which are a type of pitcher plant. We also cook pajeri nenas – a pineapple curry dish, using pineapples from Mak Asiah’s garden. The dishes form part of what we end up having for dinner that night. Noah’s not generally averse to a bit of chilli in his food but even the dishes I think might be too spicy for him are gorged down with enthusiasm, so much so I’m finding I have to go back for third and fourth servings. It’s almost embarrassing.[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”27″ gal_title=”sukasukacook”]

By our second day we’re comfortable wearing sarongs and young Azam shows us some creative ways to fold and use it; it reminds me of those viral videos that show you how to turn a shirt into a dress or a scarf into 20 different outfits – I think he’s onto something there and suggest he should make a YouTube video on 50 uses for a sarong.

Day 5 and it’s time to leave Sukasuka with a lifetime of memories. These two days have completely changed my beliefs about travelling in air conditioned luxury and leave me toying with the idea of one day moving to this part of the world. You know how sometimes you come away from a trip feeling like you need a holiday to recover from your holiday? Sukasuka might be the answer.[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”28″ gal_title=”sukasukafinal”]

Tour guide – Mr. Shaukani Abbas (two-time winner of Tourism Malaysia’s Tour Guide of the Year Award) Some photos in this series are courtesy of Mr. Shaukani.

Tour Designer – S. Diana Nasution

Tour Company – People Express Travel, KL

Tour Package – 6D/5N Culture, Heritage and Nature Delight

The post Travel Diary (Part 7) – Kampung Life at Sukasuka first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

My latest Flipboard Magazine is out – Penang Travel Guide  – and contains articles and videos on food, recipes, places to visit and things to do. This is a collection of my own as well as other curated content and it will be regularly updated, so do send me suggestions for any links or places I can add to this.

 I will be creating other Travel Guides so make sure you sign up for my Newsletter (top left) so you don’t miss out when they’re released

Click to view in separate window >> Travel Guide: PENANG

The post Food & Travel Guide: Penang first appeared on Jackie M..

Print PDF

Kampung Baru (or Bharu) (translation – New Village)

Day 1

“Kampung Baru” just means New Village in Malay, and I actually spent most of my childhood years in a Kampung Baru (Kg Baru Bukit Temiang, ie. Temiang Hill New Village) in my hometown in Seremban. Mostly though, people think of Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur, an area smack in the middle of Malaysia’s capital, which is famous for its Malay food in a slower-paced, village setting.

Even before I ever set foot in Kampung Baru KL, I’d heard about its famous Nasi Lemak, Malaysia’s national dish if there was one. I’d only been to Kampung Baru twice in the past, and only for probably a grand total of 90 minutes. Each time, I’d missed out on trying Nasi Lemak from its best known outlet – Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa. I expected to be taken there this time around, but no – People Express Travel’s tour designer, Diana, had done her research and was keen for me to try this other place – CT Nasi Lemak – based on reviews she’d heard and read about it.

We head out there for dinner after checking in and meeting my friendly hosts at Bagasta, Kak Intan and Pak Teh. I’m instantly struck by the fact the restaurant is filled exclusively with locals – always a good sign. There’s food laid out in trays in one section, and in another, there’s a production line of nasi lemak bungkus (wrapped nasi lemak) being prepared.

Baby Noah is exhausted by this stage and shows it. Our driver, Tony, offers to take him off my hands while I check out the offerings. I’m stunned that Noah happily lets himself be carried by Tony – he usually starts crying. I find out later that Tony has this special effect on children and doubles as de-facto baby minder for guests on tour. I’d also found out during our drive from the airport that Tony is a fellow Hakka, so for the next six days we speak Hakka to each other.

I may be Malaysian but even I don’t always know how things work at local eateries, so I’m glad to have my tour guide Mr. Shaukani to advise – turns out you grab a tray and grab a pack of nasi lemak (pyramid-shaped banana leaf parcels), then head to the buffet section and help yourself to whatever selection of dishes you want to eat your nasi lemak with.

I have to say some of the offerings are somewhat exotic – offal satay, chicken’s feet curry, etc. I grab a stick of lung satay (I know, right? I didn’t end up finishing it) but mostly play safe with my other selections – fried chicken, curries, rendang, etc. Someone comes round for our drinks orders – local stuff like kopi, teh, milo, etc. plus soft drinks – I ask for a cold teh tarik (pulled tea). As soon as it arrives Noah knocks it over – he’s going through a “swiping everything within arm’s reach” stage – and it spills all over my newly-acquired plate of food. I awkwardly go back for a second serve of exactly the same dishes even before I’ve eaten my first. I’m hoping the server gets a sense of deja vu rather than think I’m an extremely fast and hungry diner.

I’ve written about eating at food courts (well, maybe I haven’t) in Malaysia, and how much I enjoy the experience and how I wish we had these kinds of offerings in Australian food courts. Eating at Kampung Baru however, takes things to a new level – the flavours are heightened, the portions are generous, and the prices much, much cheaper. What a great start to my People Express Travel itinerary.

Next up, we go watch a Live musical performance – MUD, The Story of KL – and I’m stunned at the world-class production quality. There’s an audience participation component to the show but as Noah is sound asleep in my arms (we’ve both been up for probably 20 hours by this stage), the performers don’t attempt to coerce me to join them on stage. Thank you, baby Noah.

I head off to a business meeting in another part of town at the end of the show, and get back to my room past midnight.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”20″ gal_title=”Travel Diary 3a”]

Day 2

Breakfast at Bagasta is a selection of Malay kuihs bought from the streets of Kampung Baru – everything tastes better than the next. My favourite – kuih badak – a sweet potato dumpling filled with a spicy minced dried shrimp filling. I struggle to nail this kuih in my own kitchen, mainly because the sweet potato-based dough always seems to be too sticky to handle – which probably goes some way towards explaining why I gorge it down like it’s going out of style.

Then it’s off to Chow Kit Wet Market a short stroll from Bagasta (although come to think of it we might have been driven there by Tony, our designated People Express driver). This is where the locals buy their food items, and it’s divided into distinct sections – fresh (even live) seafood, vegetables, spices etc. Shaukani tells me a previous group of Australian school kids found the smells in the fish section quite confronting – typical teenagers, I reply, rolling my eyes. Sure, you find nicely packaged and filleted fish in supermarkets just like you do in Australia, but this is the real thing – this is how my mom shopped for food back in my day – with daily visits to the wet market.

I especially find the vegetable section fascinating, and it’s largely because there are so many things there I don’t recognise. I don’t feel so bad when I realise even Malaysian born-and-bred tour guide extraordinaire Mr. Shaukani isn’t familiar with some of them.

Shaukani belongs to the generation of Malaysians who went through school back in the days when English was the medium of instruction (ie. even before my time) – and he effortlessly bounces between two languages – English and Malay. Seeming to anticipate my questions, Shaukani doesn’t hesitate to ask the stall keepers about the whats and hows of all these herbs and vegetables – and I gotta say they are some of the friendliest stall keepers I’ve met anywhere.

We head out of Kampung Baru to pay a visit to Brickfields, aka Little India. The humidity is stifling, so I’m glad for the air-conditioned transport from one spot to the next. We check out some shops, grill the flower garland stall lady about the price of her creations (they’re not cheap, and reflect the work that goes into making them), take some photos of a shrine, then it’s lunch. If there’s any doubt about Shaukani being a foodie – this next place, which is his suggestion, completely eliminates it.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, as they say – and when in Little India, the done thing is to go for a banana leaf curry meal. Again, I’m told of the “touristy” option for this, and again, Diana and Shaukani recommend a different place.

Chettinad food – I’ve never heard of it, let alone try it. Shaukani took an American couple here once – and they told him at the end of their travel that it was the best meal they had in Malaysia. This place called Visaalatchi’s does banana leaf curry, but with a Chettinad (a particular Indian immigrant group) take on it. It’s tucked away from Brickfield’s main strip, but it’s hugely popular with locals. We get there well before peak hour and again, I’m glad I have Shaukani and Diana to guide me on how the “system” works.

Like the last place, there’s a buffet spread, but it’s not self-serve. (Tony doesn’t realise this and helps himself to some food – so I don’t feel so bad about my own ignorance.) We grab a table, and right away we’re swamped by these table servers porting shiny silver pots. They place banana leaves in front of each of us, and proceed to find out what type of rice we want – I opt for briyani. I expect to get biryani rice only, but it actually comes with some chicken buried in it as well. Then they start offering sides and accompaniments – and with Diana’s lead I go for a few pieces of fried chilli – unique to Chettinad cuisine, I’m told – among other choices. Then it’s the mains and before we know it, we have a massive assortment of colourful Chettinad dishes on our banana leaves.

The owner comes over to say hello, and proudly shows me a book on the history of Chettinad settlement in all the different states. I can’t believe I’ve lived this long without ever knowing the nuances of the Indian community in Malaysia.

Shaukani tells me the protocol at the end of the meal is to fold your banana leaf in half – towards you if you’ve enjoyed your meal, and away from you if you haven’t. I can’t say I’ve savoured banana leaf curry much in my lifetime, but I do love it when I do, and this is easily the best I’ve ever eaten.

We head back to Kampung Baru for a walkabout and to pick up some food that we can eat on the Bagasta rooftop with its million-dollar views. I notice the preponderance of Kelantanese stalls in the area, and we end up buying both Kelantanese meals and Kelantanese snacks and sweets. Tuna fish and egg curry – it looks pretty unassuming, but my goodness is it good. Then there’s Sontam, a Thai-influenced Kelantanese salad – ours is a mix of shredded mango and papaya – similar to Thai papaya salad, but much more flavoursome thanks to the generous use of dried shrimp.

We find out through Kak Intan that some of the kuihs have pretty cheeky and unusual names – (translated) – duck poo, soaking rhinoceros, crocodile tongue – you get the idea. Another feature of Kelantanese kuihs? They’re sweeter than most kuihs from other parts of Malaysia – sometimes A LOT sweeter.

Kak Intan and Pak Teh set up the rooftop for us; Aspaliza, my good friend comes along to hang out and help eat some of the food. We do some scheduled filming – usually in a Hangout-on-Air all I need is a laptop and webcam, but because we’re recording a video, I have to grab any available help I can to hold the digital camera, connect the Rode microphone, get the lighting set up etc.

Pak Teh, Bagasta’s all-round handyman, will have to do, I figure, so I ask if he doesn’t mind holding the camera – just press the red button, I tell him. Pak Teh scans the inventory, gets everything set up and starts filming like a seasoned pro. I look on in amazement, thinking, wow, this guy has a hidden talent; then I find out both he and Kak Intan in fact used to work in TV production. I’m embarrassed and relieved at the same time.

Filming wraps up, Aspaliza and I head out for (yet another) meal – I know, I know – but we’d been meaning to go to Fatty Crab Restaurant since my last trip – plus I can always diet when I get back to Sydney.

(continues)

Click here to watch on YouTube (opens new window) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZBS4fuKW3c

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”21″ gal_title=”Travel Diary 3b”]

Tour guide – Mr. Shaukani Abbas (two-time winner of Tourism Malaysia’s Tour Guide of the Year Award) Some photos in this series are courtesy of Mr. Shaukani.

Tour Designer – S. Diana Nasution

Tour Company – People Express Travel, KL

Tour Package – 6D/5N Culture, Heritage and Nature Delight

Read Travel Diary Part 2 >> http://jackiem.com.au/2014/12/29/travel-diary-kampung-baru-kl-part-2/

Read Travel Diary Part 1 >> http://jackiem.com.au/2014/12/28/travel-diary-kampung-baru-kl-part-1/

The post Travel Diary Part 3 – Kampung Baru and Brickfields, KL first appeared on Jackie M..