from Paranoid Android
Which food item is ubiquitous to Kelantan and Terengganu? Keropok? Nasi Dagang? If you answered those two, you have just failed the 1Malaysia test and will be relegated to the Dunce corner of Jibby Politics. The answer is Budu. It is an essential part of a meal of true blue Kelantanese and Terengganuese household.
We were in luck. The Nasi Tumpang Istana was available only on weekends. It is rice packed whilst hot and moist into banana leaves and the packing causes the rice to be compressed a la Nasi Himpit and alternates serunding, Sambal Udang and Chicken Rendand in layers. The much smaller surface area renders the rice packet less susceptible to degradation by bacteria and delays the rice from becoming "basi". The version at Wau Penyu is marvelous and authentic. The same supplier does the Nasi for some royal families as well. The concoction of beautifully fragrant rice with the perfect Serunding and sweetish Prawn Sambal was magical. Each dense morsel was a delight and exploded with the flavours that define beautiful Malay cuisine. Santan, curry, belacan, chillies, tumeric and jintan. Lovely.
Contrary to popular urban legend, Budu is not made from tadpoles. It is made from salted, fresh ikan bilis and fermented in Tamarind Peel and Palm Sugar. The smell has been likened to undergarments left far too long in a laundry basket. A close friend says it reminds her of unwashed penis, casting serious doubts on her husband's personal hygiene. A rather gentle neutral thing, this Budu, because another Male friend likened the smell to the ladies' sexual organs.
Now take the Dutamas area in KL. Urban-chic, expensive, westernized, expatriatized, filled with expensive SUVs, a stones's throw from the multi-million dollar in the sky apartments of Kiara. An area which smells thick of money and makes hundred dollar bills ooze out from every sweat pore in the body. An unlikely place to encounter something as humble as the Budu. And a couple from Kelantan (Wau) and Terengganu (Penyu) did exactly that.
Media savvy, young and energetic. They have a web page, they are on twitter, they are on facebook, listorious and foursquare. The are squeezing the New Media mileage to the fullest, and are enjoying the fruits of their labour. When Me, @agentcikay and @lilfatmonkey were there on a Saturday afternoon, that place was packed to the brim, despite having been open four 2 weeks. UMNO politicians and Jurrasics should take a leaf out of this young couple's book.
Serving traditional Kelantanese and Terengganu delicacies, labeled as New Age funky, the Android was more than excited to discover the charms of this new restaurant despite having just been back from Terengganu. Beautifully and tastefully decorated, the restaurant is devastatingly charmingly rustic. I fell in love with the wall, filled with nostalgic photos of the owner's great grand parents that was sooo.... mmmm.... P Ramlee. It brings to mind an era gone by, an era that did not need clever slogans and massive PR drives to unite the people. Being packed to the brim, it felt awkward to walk around the place to snap some more beautiful pictures of it's interior.
We were in luck. The Nasi Tumpang Istana was available only on weekends. It is rice packed whilst hot and moist into banana leaves and the packing causes the rice to be compressed a la Nasi Himpit and alternates serunding, Sambal Udang and Chicken Rendand in layers. The much smaller surface area renders the rice packet less susceptible to degradation by bacteria and delays the rice from becoming "basi". The version at Wau Penyu is marvelous and authentic. The same supplier does the Nasi for some royal families as well. The concoction of beautifully fragrant rice with the perfect Serunding and sweetish Prawn Sambal was magical. Each dense morsel was a delight and exploded with the flavours that define beautiful Malay cuisine. Santan, curry, belacan, chillies, tumeric and jintan. Lovely.
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