My apologies for the less than stellar record in updating the blog. Here's an extra long post (counting the pictures) to make up for my absence, I hope you will enjoy it!
One of the things about Malaysia that I missed most is the night markets or as we call it "Pasar Malam" (Pasar originated from Persian's Bazaar, Wikipedia told me). I'm sure some of you have heard enough of me going on and on about Malaysian Night Market.
Growing up, every Wednesday night, the family would walk to the parking lot about two blocks away (just an approximate distance since house or building structures in Malaysia are not organized in block fashion), that is converted to a market for the night. You can hear the engines powering the market stalls humming away as you get closer.
The moment you step into the vicinity (pass other people's residence, into the parking lot), your senses will be overwhelmed with the activities that is taking place. The sight of yellow incandescent light bulbs hanging down from the giant umbrellas and tarps covering the stalls (just in case it suddenly decides to start pouring). The cacophony of all sort of sounds, the hawkers out shouting each other to attract market goers, interested buyers haggling the hawkers for better price, the chattering of the wok and its shovel at the fried noodle mobile stall, the blasting music of Justin Bieber's song at the pirated CD booth, the soft bark of the toy dog from the toy stall, the pleasant aroma from the satay stall and of course a hint of the smell of diesel from the motors.
Those are not just what it offers, you can expect to find all kinds of goods here. From your daily fresh produce, meat and fish covered in lumps of ice to keep it continuously cooled to your household items such as brooms, shower caps, nail clippers and lets not forget the locksmiths. Aside from pirated CDs and DVDs you will also find luxury brand leather bags here, except these are fake and is made from PVC. If you ever feel the sudden need to shop for clothes and lingerie, Pasar Malam is your solution!
I have not give enough credit to the food stalls, these are not your typical North American street hot dog or poutine truck. Here is a whole mobile food service operation, with on site cooking, foldable chairs and tables for patrons and dishwashing. For me, the best food is always street food, not necessarily the healthiest, and sometimes, maybe not even be the most hygienic (but do you really know what's going on behind the kitchens anyway?) it is still better than the fancy food with low fat lean meat nonsense..
I love (and miss very much) walking through the market, in the heat of the night, sipping cold coconut juice and nibbling on some very unhealthy but undeniably tasty deep fried snacks. If you ever visit Malaysia, the night market experience is something not to be missed.
What I have described here is certainly handicapped by my command of English and also my ability to translate experience into words. I hope the pictures below will give you a better sense of Pasar Malam, but it is best experienced in person, as I'm sure what pique my interest might be different from what excites you..
One of the things about Malaysia that I missed most is the night markets or as we call it "Pasar Malam" (Pasar originated from Persian's Bazaar, Wikipedia told me). I'm sure some of you have heard enough of me going on and on about Malaysian Night Market.
Growing up, every Wednesday night, the family would walk to the parking lot about two blocks away (just an approximate distance since house or building structures in Malaysia are not organized in block fashion), that is converted to a market for the night. You can hear the engines powering the market stalls humming away as you get closer.
The moment you step into the vicinity (pass other people's residence, into the parking lot), your senses will be overwhelmed with the activities that is taking place. The sight of yellow incandescent light bulbs hanging down from the giant umbrellas and tarps covering the stalls (just in case it suddenly decides to start pouring). The cacophony of all sort of sounds, the hawkers out shouting each other to attract market goers, interested buyers haggling the hawkers for better price, the chattering of the wok and its shovel at the fried noodle mobile stall, the blasting music of Justin Bieber's song at the pirated CD booth, the soft bark of the toy dog from the toy stall, the pleasant aroma from the satay stall and of course a hint of the smell of diesel from the motors.
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| Rows of stalls (and it did not feels like heaven there because it was HOT...) |
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| One of the food stalls, a variety of fried noodles. It's chicken rice in styrofoam container on the middle right of the picture. |
Those are not just what it offers, you can expect to find all kinds of goods here. From your daily fresh produce, meat and fish covered in lumps of ice to keep it continuously cooled to your household items such as brooms, shower caps, nail clippers and lets not forget the locksmiths. Aside from pirated CDs and DVDs you will also find luxury brand leather bags here, except these are fake and is made from PVC. If you ever feel the sudden need to shop for clothes and lingerie, Pasar Malam is your solution!
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| Pirated CDs, a wide selection of North American pop music |
I have not give enough credit to the food stalls, these are not your typical North American street hot dog or poutine truck. Here is a whole mobile food service operation, with on site cooking, foldable chairs and tables for patrons and dishwashing. For me, the best food is always street food, not necessarily the healthiest, and sometimes, maybe not even be the most hygienic (but do you really know what's going on behind the kitchens anyway?) it is still better than the fancy food with low fat lean meat nonsense..
I love (and miss very much) walking through the market, in the heat of the night, sipping cold coconut juice and nibbling on some very unhealthy but undeniably tasty deep fried snacks. If you ever visit Malaysia, the night market experience is something not to be missed.
What I have described here is certainly handicapped by my command of English and also my ability to translate experience into words. I hope the pictures below will give you a better sense of Pasar Malam, but it is best experienced in person, as I'm sure what pique my interest might be different from what excites you..
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| Kangkung and sotong stall (Waterspinach and Squid) and other seafood |
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| Murtabak (kind of like Indian roti with meat fillings) I'm pretty sure I've seen murtabak stall at the book fair in Queens Park last year |
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| The long beans hanging down are called petai in Malay (Wikipedia translation is stink bean) but literal translation from Cantonese is stink bean which I have yet to understand why it is so. It's gathered in the wild and it's a very popular Malaysian dish, cooked with chili pepper, garlic and dried shrimps. It's very strongly flavoured and I think only Malaysians has the taste for it. |
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| Steam corn (best way of cooking a corn IMHO), eaten with a thin layer of butter and salt. Yum yum.. |
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| Fried food, i think it's squid tempura on a stick. Those red and green stuffs to the left of the tempura are Malay desserts called Kuih. It's bite size dessert that is sweet. |
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| Malaysian equivalence of crepe, crispy on the outside soft on the inside with peanut and corn cream. |
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| Noodle in package, usually mixed in with the broth in a separate plastic bag. We are used to eating in the bag. |
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| Satay, according to Wikipedia, it originated from Java, Indonesia but somehow in North America, Thai cuisine made the claim for this very delicious chicken skewer. It's like chicken kebabs but with more fat, hence juicier, it's also marinated in turmeric. It's usually eaten with spicy peanut sauce. |
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| Dry grocery |
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| Greens |
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| People usually come here for cheap stuff |
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| Bedsheets and mattress! What did I say? |
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| Asian desert, it's a combination of shaved ice and those green and pink glob of stuff made from tapioca |
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| Dried squid, grilled with charcoal flame to intensify the taste (and smell). Eaten with crispy charcoal grilled tofu. |
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| Bubble tea |
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| Dried snacks (peanuts and sweetened dried plums) |
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| Bakery stall, these are mooncake without the fancy packaging |
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| Contact lense stall!! This did not exist back in my time. Yes, it does say "Super Barbie Eye" on the 15 Malaysian Ringgit sign, this is because we asians (according to the general stereotype) has small squinty eyes, hence Super Barbie Eye contact lense will make our iris looks bigger (therefore more attractive). I don't get this nonsense.. |
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| Household items, clothes hanger, buckets (for handwashing clothes) |
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| Another food stall, you choose the side dishes served with fried rice and fried noodle. |
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| Universal remote stall.. haha.. |
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| This is one of my favourite stall, it's called "lok lok" in Cantonese, literal translation is "boiled boiled" because the raw food on the skewer is cooked in the boiling water (the bigger pot at the bottom left). You choose the type of raw food you want (fish balls, crab balls, meat balls, eggs, crab sticks, squids), then dunk your skewers into the boiling pot of water, eat the cooked food with spicy peanut sauce or sweet sesame sauce, the vendor then count the skewers that you have when you pay. |
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| Sugarcane juice and coconut juice stall. It's great for quenching thirst. |
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| Chinese prayer supplies, joss sticks, incense, candle and lantern (for Mid Autumn festival) |
