0 Nasi Lalap in Sabah .. sadap-bah! (delicious-bah!)

New Recipe?

Eat local! I get both excited and intimidated at the same time when I decide to try food I've never eaten before.

Along the way to Kinabalu Park, we stopped by a shoplot eatery for lunch.

There was a big framed "C" rating on the wall. Mmm..not too clean but no swarming flies is a good sign surely.

The other thing that caught my attention was the "Nasi Lalap" sign stuck on the food display cabinet.

Bzzzt! "Should I? Should I? Should I?" - A tape recorder in my brain gone haywire from replaying the same question over and over again.

Aaah..the heart wins over. I ordered a plate of nasi lalap, a silly grin plastered on my face. Am I gonna get diarrhea for this..*thoughts*

What is nasi lalap anyway? I think it means "rice salad" but I cannot confirm this. Mock not this local for her lack of knowledge - She only has so much space in her tummy to accommodate the vast variety of gastronomical splendour that is out there.

Tempe, Steamed Brinjal, Chicken and Sambal

Nasi lalap came served on a neat wooden plate. A heartwarming take.

A small bowl of soto soup was also included. It complimented the dish perfectly. Tempe, brinjal and fried chicken with sambal on the side - Mixed together in rice, it was booming with flavour. I loved every bite!

If the opportunity arises, this is something I would eat again.

I'm glad I did not judge the food by its restaurant. It would have only served to limit my makan (eating) adventure to city-like standard restaurants.

Other photos :

Journey to Nasi Lalap. We crossed a one-lane bridge before getting there.

Heading towards Nasi Lalap

The employees in the eatery were busy peeling these tiny red chilis when we arrived. I'm not comfortable eating these because it's very spicy!

Cili Padi (Bird's Eye Chilli) - common here

Next cooking project: Nasi Lalap.

0 Banana Fritters Dipped in a Spicy Soy Sauce?

Banana Fritters (Pisang Tanduk Fritters)

I was in Melaka for a short holiday during the Merdeka weekend - a trip I thoroughly enjoyed. The streets were packed with smiling people. I felt their joy. Aaahh..holidays! Always good medicine for the tired soul.

The one thing that caught my eye during my walkabout around the touristy areas of town was these huge bananas hanging from several food stalls.

Long and horn-shaped, these bananas are locally known as Pisang Tanduk ("tanduk" means horn in Malay).

I had this petty notion that banana fritters are a common thing and "I wouldn't want to try something so common on a holiday"...??

Roadside stall

BUT curious me fueled the need to "check things out". So I finally pestered my other half to visit one such stall in Ayer Keroh Height, where we had stopped for lunch.

It was probably one of the best decisions I had made on the trip. The makcik and pakcik flashed a heartwarming smile as they welcomed us to their stall.

A young man enthusiastically packed the banana fritters we ordered into a transparent plastic bag while the pakcik enthused over the bananas.

"Thudd!" , the sound of tearing cloth followed. A coconut had fallen. It was a near-miss from the small pakcik. We all sighed relief.

The makcik continued with conversation, showing us some of the freshly peeled bananas. Before we left, they shared with us the "best way" to savour these banana fritters, which is, to dip it in a blend of chilli and soy sauce. A small packet was popped into our plastic bag.

We left with banana fritters, cendol and another great moment in memory.

Stop and smell the roses - stop, because it is the little things that colour your trip.

Banana fritters in chilli soy sauce? I must say, it tastes wonderful - the perfect zing that zapped our taste buds alive - sweet and salty all together, absolutely yummy!

Pisang Tanduk - ready to be dipped in batter

Pisang Tanduk on display, to attract passerbys

The yummiest Cendol from the same stall

 

A unique banana dip

I tore a piece to get more sauce inside