NYMag provides us with some definitions most of us have certainly never thought of. I mean, how do you define a _yong tau fu_? Well, here goes.
Rojak: “a piquant salad of pineapple, cucumber, and jícama dressed in a powerfully spiced savory dressing”
Ipoh beansprouts: “very simple, lightly blanched bean sprouts served in a soy dressing with plenty of freshly ground white or black pepper.”
Yong tau fu: “really fantastic dish, a variety of barely blanched or deep-fried ingredients such as tofu, bitter melon, and eggplant that have been stuffed with a gently seasoned forcemeat of mackerel, and served with lo mein noodles and either a clear stock or an intensely seasoned coconut-milk curry broth.”
Nasi lemak: “coconut rice… steamed with coconut milk and flavored with aromatics like ginger and lemongrass.”
Kangkong belacan: “fresh-water spinach that’s been quickly fried in a very hot wok with shallots, garlic, chiles, and dried shrimp paste (belacan).”
Beef rendang: “slow-braised in coconut-milk curry, flavored with cloves and cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger. All the liquid evaporates, and the meat is left to gently [brown] in the beef fat that remains in the pan”
Alright, I am looking forward to Kuala Lumpur next weekend — I struggle to find ways to explain why I’m spending the long weekend there — because… I feel like Sunday brunch at Zipangu, and the Ramadan dinner deals run by every respectable establishment in that city, are too good to pass up? Because I want to _buka puasa_ in a Bedouin Tent at the Hilton (not that I’m actually fasting)? But now I know: it’s for some Ampang “barely blanched or deep fried ingredients served with lo mein noodles and clear stock”, as well as some excellent “slow braised beef in coconut-milk curry”. I seriously wonder how they would describe “nasi kerabu”.
*Weird Weird World*
In other news, in our weird globalizing world: Air Slovakia is being transformed into a “Punjabi Experience”. (“BBC story here”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6047262.stm), after being taken over by a Mr Harjinder Singh Sidhu. This brings to mind the great many “_Sardarji_ is mad at midnight” stories my Indian friends love telling… but what I really want to know is, is it going to continue being called Air Slovakia, when all the stewardesses onboard, and the food they serve, will be Punjabi, and the airline is going to fly directly into Amritsar?
possibly related
Inle Myanmar /
The Food We Eat /
Pu Tien Restaurant /
You Asians have Two Stomachs /
In Search of Nepalese Food /
Our Food, Demystified
NYMag provides us with some definitions most of us have certainly never thought of. I mean, how do you define a _yong tau fu_? Well, here goes.
Rojak: “a piquant salad of pineapple, cucumber, and jícama dressed in a powerfully spiced savory dressing”
Ipoh beansprouts: “very simple, lightly blanched bean sprouts served in a soy dressing with plenty of freshly ground white or black pepper.”
Yong tau fu: “really fantastic dish, a variety of barely blanched or deep-fried ingredients such as tofu, bitter melon, and eggplant that have been stuffed with a gently seasoned forcemeat of mackerel, and served with lo mein noodles and either a clear stock or an intensely seasoned coconut-milk curry broth.”
Nasi lemak: “coconut rice… steamed with coconut milk and flavored with aromatics like ginger and lemongrass.”
Kangkong belacan: “fresh-water spinach that’s been quickly fried in a very hot wok with shallots, garlic, chiles, and dried shrimp paste (belacan).”
Beef rendang: “slow-braised in coconut-milk curry, flavored with cloves and cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger. All the liquid evaporates, and the meat is left to gently [brown] in the beef fat that remains in the pan”
Alright, I am looking forward to Kuala Lumpur next weekend — I struggle to find ways to explain why I’m spending the long weekend there — because… I feel like Sunday brunch at Zipangu, and the Ramadan dinner deals run by every respectable establishment in that city, are too good to pass up? Because I want to _buka puasa_ in a Bedouin Tent at the Hilton (not that I’m actually fasting)? But now I know: it’s for some Ampang “barely blanched or deep fried ingredients served with lo mein noodles and clear stock”, as well as some excellent “slow braised beef in coconut-milk curry”. I seriously wonder how they would describe “nasi kerabu”.
*Weird Weird World*
In other news, in our weird globalizing world: Air Slovakia is being transformed into a “Punjabi Experience”. (“BBC story here”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6047262.stm), after being taken over by a Mr Harjinder Singh Sidhu. This brings to mind the great many “_Sardarji_ is mad at midnight” stories my Indian friends love telling… but what I really want to know is, is it going to continue being called Air Slovakia, when all the stewardesses onboard, and the food they serve, will be Punjabi, and the airline is going to fly directly into Amritsar?
possibly related
Inle Myanmar / The Food We Eat / Pu Tien Restaurant / You Asians have Two Stomachs / In Search of Nepalese Food /