Food Haul from Malaysia

Just 5 minutes ago, I was craving for a thick creamy coronation chicken and fat golden scotch eggs. But now, I would kill for a pot of beef rendang with rice. Welcome to my world – one that is constantly oscillating between the East and the West, and unnervingly filled with episodes of hunger and anger.

To cure such disorder, I made sure to lug as much food as I can from my recent trip Home to Malaysia. You see, in a big big world devoid of family, hot humid weather and blood sucking taxi drivers (that is London), FOOD and more specifically F O O D, is the only one connection that is akin to thin, fibrous thread I have with Home. And as I punctuate the previous sentence with a full stop, it suddenly hits me that I have a biological brother here in big big world London.

Oopsy.

So with the mentality that FOOD is the only second connection I have with Home, I stuffed my suitcases with packets and boxes of everything edible, refusing to let go of any crevices and holes. And yes I did mean suitcases. It was initially one for food, then very unpredictably, it became two.

I will stop my pity bleat of homesickness now and show you some, SOME of the food I flew from my Malaysian Home to English Home!

OK CHEAT.

It’s only the first picture and I am already deluding you into believing that Malaysia does super adorable snacks like these. No, surprisingly (and tragically), we don’t. These Caramel Corns are Japanese, but like Pocky and Meiji chocolates, Malaysians are used to having them. Thanks to the Japanese shop, Daiso, I bagged them for RM5 each!! That’s like less than £1. Naturally, the wisest thing to do is BUY AS MANY AS I CAN.

From top left clockwise, it’s apple/ strawberry/ yam/ green tea flavour. That kind of Japanese novelty no Malaysian can resist. #sadbuttrue

This too! It’s soft chewy chocolate mint candy…from Japan. It’s selling in Watson, which is the largest Malaysian health and beauty shop, so I take the liberty to call it Malaysian. Free citizenship OK!

This is born and bred Malaysian soft candy (no cheats) and ranks as high, if not higher than Haribo sour for me. Best served when stuck in traffic jam – an emblematic occurrence of Malaysia. 

If you grow up in Malaysia, you cannot not know this! Otherwise, it’s considered unpatriotic and you should be exiled from the country.

MAMEE MONSTER.

It’s basically dried noodles with seasoning. Doesn’t sound very tempting? Wait till you try it!

BEST. CRISP. EVER. 

Ok, fine. My “best” crisp is likely to change every few weeks. But thus far, I have been salivating at the thought of this. But since it is a limited edition flavour, I can only curse myself for not buying more. Cleverly packed into a solid tube, so people like me can throw it into the bag without worrying about crushing it during the long, arduous journey across oceans.

Watch and learn Mamee Monster.

Ok, another Japanese makes its appearance. It’s Grilled Cheese Kitkat. I found this in Bangsar Village for like less than £5!! I would hate myself for the rest of my life and possibly the next life if I walked away without it. 

But as fate would have it, it didn’t taste very nice :/

Curry chicken flavoured snacks! Where else but Malaysia??

The packaging says “Malaysia”, “No preservative”, “No MSG”.

This is unprecedented. No reason not to buy.

This is Mamee’s extra-hot instant curry noodles. Otherwise known as life saviour after a long day at work. Preparation time: 10 minutes. Tasty level: unimaginable. If your house was ever broken into, you bet this would be the first thing to be stolen.

Oh, and please don’t compare this to Pot Noodles in Britain. I will be very offended.

Had this Sarawak Laksa at a kopitiam. Couldn’t stop thinking about it. Went to the supermarket and grabbed the instant version.

Close enough.

Single or double? A common question when you order an Indomee at the mamak (i.e. a portion or two like your standard gin and tonic question at the pub) DOUBLE, of course! With a bullseye and runny yolk, this is not even a question.

I love you to bits Teapig, but when it comes to ginger tea, please stand aside.

Ok, these are not food.

But they are such sweetheart after a sore session at the gym, so they warrant a mention. For any of you who are still doing your A-levels or in the uni…. I am sorry. Take these tiger babies under your wing and let them ease your back-pain and neck-pain and heart-pain through this difficult time. 

These are not food too. They are rose and lemongrass incense sticks that work magic in transporting me back to Home. Just like Inception. And cheap.

Now, last two things.

CHINESE NEW YEAR COOKIES!!!!!

Please kneel down and kowtow or cast your five limbs to the earth like a real Chinese.  

They are so out-of-the-worldly delicious and crumbly and fragile, hand-carrying them back to London made me feel like a pilgrim or Olympic torch bearer at the least. The pressure was on BUT IT’S ALL WORTH IT.

And lastly…

Fresh mangoes!! I am changing my Facebook relationship status now to IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH MANGOES. They are the kinds with thick and superbly sweet bright yellow flesh. Eating them is like sinking your teeth into a soft bed of sweetness. Can’t quite imagine?

Well, it’s alright. I AM NOT SHARING THEM!

So.

These are about 60% of what I brought back from Malaysia to London. The rest are some herbs and spices and few boxes of Chinese pastries like egg yolk pie, chestnut pie, which I have forgotten and now (honestly) can’t be bothered to photograph.

That’s all for today. I am going to go out of this virtual world and dive deep into the snack basket to reconnect with my Home. 

And nop.

Still not sharing.

With love x