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SE Asia Foods - Part 2



Takeaways from what I could think of as a food research tour (Singapore and Malaysia)

Singapore is a top-tier and diverse food destination, but for me this was the second trip, sandwiched in between Indonesia and Malaysia, so I used it as kind of a "cheat day". I got Korean fried chicken, a cumin chicken burrito and elote from "Lower East Side Taqueria", and a kaati roll. For me in that moment the burrito was amazing.

More relevant to the food blog, here's murtabak (filled bread) and sweet "coin prata" from Mr & Mrs Mohgan Super Crispy Roti Prata. You can find several variations online including cheese coin prata.


Then here are pork noodles from Fei Fei Wanton Mee, a neighborhood institution which open 24/7.


My Singapore friends took me to their local hawker center to try mala.

I also got "kouign amann" pastry from a bakery - these haven't taken off in the US but are really tasty.

Of the foods which I bookmarked but regrettably missed, my top picks would be:

I traveled by bus from Singapore to Johor, by train up to Kluang. On my one night in Kluang, I ate dosa and cendol. Pandan-colored noodles on sugar and ice is just a great dessert for a street corner in Southeast Asia.


Then a bus to Melaka (check the timetable so you aren't waiting for hours)

In Melaka I stopped by "Pani Puri Planet" which has evolved panipuri into a dessert. Here they are with an Oreo filling - from a quick convo, they have ordinary panipuri shells and then fill them with a made-to-order milkshake. Maybe they have different shells for sweet and savory like crepes.


Malaysia has a variety of unique desserts. I enjoyed durian ice cream. The grocery sells "twin" chocolate chips with white and dark swirl. I was puzzled to see a strawberry peanut butter donut at Krispy Kreme.

From Tengkera Duck Noodle. All your noodle essentials:


I then took a train up to Putrajaya, and later a taxi to a conference outside of KL.

Central Putrajaya is somewhat lacking in food options. I went to a food truck park for roti john and some wings.

Tracked down nasi kerabu at A'Decade at Sunway. The rice is dyed by blue flowers. My Malaysian friend has never tried it, so it may be a newer trend? There was a fencing tournament happening at the mall at the time.


At Donkas Lab, a Korean restaurant offering mainly pork dishes, instead of another katsu curry I tried jajang (black bean sauce, here it comes with rice and pork cutlet). It was in a huge paella pan! Maybe I should've gotten just ramen.


Next I visited Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. Though they're part of the same country, the rules around work/residency/travel are separate and I had to get my passport stamped.

WaPo has a recent article about cuisine there (paywall, so I didn't read): https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/22/malaysia-borneo-indigenous-food-sarawak/

From Annie Kolo Mee - A take on pork noodles reminding me of Singapore - but these are a traditional dish of Sarawak. There are some places which have red char siu broth or black vinegar, but I don't know where or how to order. There are several recipes online which are halal, or add other toppings.


"Wild Borneo" Laksa from James Brooke Bistro & Cafe - I don't want to eat seafood, so this was my best laksa option.


Pak Lo Duck from Duckies - overall Kuching was much more Chinese than I expected?


Outside of Sunway I ate a burger at a food truck. The crew was quite happy and had us take a picture together. Unfortunately it's been marked as closed and no one has reviewed it in a month, so they probably moved.

Christine's bakery is offering crozza, croissant pizza (???) but I didn't try it.

I also revisited Roti Jala, Nasi Lemak, and Roti Canai Sarang Burung, but they were featured before in recipe posts. Also I did cheat and go to a poke place, Nando's, Ippudo, Subway, etc.

Looking forward to these maybe showing up in future recipe posts?