If you are on the lookout for a top destination to Travel for Food, in my opinion you can't do much better than the country of Malaysia.
Just walk down almost any street in the country, and you will find the air full of delicious aromas, spicy curries and frying chili peppers.
Its a wonderful scene where finding your next delicious meal is just as easy as following your own nose.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Aroma Kampung is a local restaurant serving amazing dishes of fish and fried vegetables[/caption]Western Malaysia - Terangganu
Within the country of Malaysia, there are actually several styles of cooking specific to each region of the country. These different regional cuisines may appear similar to an outsider, but investigating a bit further you will notice many special foods and options.In my opinion, this variety is what makes Malaysia so special, and I think it is these type of things which I so want to urge you to search out, and explore for yourself.
From Melaka (East), to Terangganu (West)
Fresh off a few wonderful days of eating in Melaka, a full morning's drive can take you from coast to coast, crossing Malaysia to Terangganu.In Western Malaysia, the town of Terangganu is home to a special cuisine of its own. You will start to see that they enjoy slightly heavier use of chilis, slightly thicker consistencies of broth, and wow do they ever love their dipping sauces.
This is also the second day on our Malaysia trip where we were specifically excited to eat two local, totally traditional meals, right in a row.
Local Restaurants first, then on to the Home-Cooking
The cooking of a restaurant can still of course be completely local and traditional food, but there is still that slight difference when wanting a comparison with true home-cooking flavors as well.Being lucky enough to have some great local food-addicts and friends in Terangganu, these local eaters were happy to show us first to Aroma Kampung, and then to Warung Pahlawan, where we could experience two wonderful meals, and have a chance for just such a comparison.
In this article, we will share with you both of these absolutely wonderful meals, and we hope you can get a small yet delightfully tasty feel for some of the intricacies in the cooking so loved by Western Malaysia and its people.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Looking at the food makes me want to immediately rebook a ticket to Malaysia![/caption]Aroma Kampung
Just a short drive to the town of Kuala Behrang, its about a 20-minute journey from the center of Terangganu.Usually staying at Airbnb accommodation during our time in Malaysia, Terangganu, it was an easy morning meeting up with friends, and all traveling together out in search of Western Malay food.
Aroma Kampung restaurant specializes in a few different species of local freshwater fish, and locals here prefer these fish swimming not in water, but in lightly milky coconut and chili heavy broth.
I have to say, despite the rain and storming weather outside, the smells in the air emanating from this restaurant's kitchen on this day had us all in a trance - I assure you that before you even sit down at Aroma Kampung, you will understand when I say that this is a restaurant worth vacationing to.
Arriving back (from taking photos in the kitchen) just as the chefs were bringing out the very first trays of the day, it took some time for all the things we were ordering to finally make their way to our table.
What this means though, is that both our camera-button fingers, and our saliva glands, each had several days' worth of exercise by the time all of the delicious looking foods were finally in front of us.
Note*: Even if you are not familiar with the currency of Malaysia (the 'Ringgit'), just look at the list of prices above - I can honestly say there are few places in the world where you can order more tablefuls of delicious and local food, and spend less money while doing it.
To get straight in to describing these foods, I have to start with the first dish that just blew me away - it was something I think I have never had before.
Full of one of my favorite pungent herbs, this first curry is made with Climbing Acacia. Of course there's the same recognizable astringent and slightly bitter initial taste that I know and love from Thai cuisine, but here it is wonderfully mellowed by the recipe including a powerful amount of ginger.
Very different than the way I am used to eating this (as a raw vegetable for dipping, or simply fried with eggs), it is still the same wonderfully healthy herb, just with Western Malaysia's own flavorful twist.
I really like the texture of it in this broth as well, almost like a mashed kidney bean, very creamy, but with a lightly fermented flavor in the aftertaste. This improves even more with orange sweet potatoes, and just a bit of coconut milk, each adding a hint of sweetness.
SECOND PART (unfinished)
