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Hello, Ciao,안녕하세요, Hallo, Hola, Selamat tengahari! My name is Rachael and I am a travel enthusiast. Ever since I can remember, my parents have taken my brother, sister and I on good ol' American road trips. It's safe to say that was where my interest in new places, people and experiences was ignited. As my parents always encouraged my siblings and I to explore and ask questions, I developed a sincere curiosity for new adventures. In addition to seeing much of the United States with my favorite travel companions (my family), I had the opportunity to spend a semester in Rome, Italy, as well as a semester in Seoul, South Korea during my college career. Now, I am honored to be taking part in a Fulbright ETA Scholarship to Malaysia for a year! My family's favorite motto is "Life is all about the journey, not the destination." I invite you to join along in my journey of cultural exchange and mutual understanding in Malaysia! After all, the more, the merrier.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Cikgu Rachael's Top 5 Malaysian Food/Beverage List


After a year of living and eating in Malaysia, what did Cikgu Rachael vote as her top 5 favorites?

#1 Roti Canai
Fellow ETA and friend, Jonathan, and I
indulging in roti canai!

Roti canai is actually a flatbread with Indian influence. It can be found all over Malaysia in stalls, as well as in Besut. My favorite place to get roti canai in Besut was at Nasi Kandar, which was a little restaurant near my house. In general, it is circular and flat, as well as flaky and soft. It is served with curry and dhal, which is a lentil curry. The process to make roti canai is actually quite difficult because the dough needs to be twirled until it is a thin sheet and then folded into a circular shape. When the fellow Terengganu ETAs and I arrived in our respective state for state-level orientation, we found a stall that sold it. Our friend asked if they could teach us to make it, so the man gave us a small hand cloth to practice twirling. It did not work out so well.

This is how roti canai is typically served. 
When the other Fulbrighters and I first arrived in Malaysia, we ate it practically everyday for the first few months. When our baju karungs and pants became a little tighter, some of us (including me) decided to cut back before we gained the ‘Fulbright 15.

Roti tissue drizzled with sugar, milk
and yummy goodness!
There are many different variations of roti canai, such as:
 Roti tissue (my mom and sister’s favorite) – flatbread with sugar and folded upward
Roti pesang – roti with bananas
Roti telur – roti with egg. Many of us tried to see it as an American omelette with some sort of nutritional value.




#2 Teh Tarik

Hot and yummy teh tarok!
Similar to my obsession with roti canai during my first few months in Malaysia, teh tarik became the replacement to my Starbucks Grande non-fat, no whip Mocha that I always had in America. Without any Starbucks or real coffee in Terengganu (they had instant coffee there), I turned to teh tarik. Like roti canai, teh tarik is an Indian influenced hot milk tea beverage. It can be found in virtually any restaurant or outdoor stall in southeastern Asian countries, especially Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Teh tarik literally means “pulled tea” because it is made through a process of “pulling” the drink during preparation. All in all, it involves heavily concentrated black tea, condensed milk and evaporated milk. The lady in my school canteen actually taught me how to make teh tarik, and I look forward to putting my skills to the test here in America in the near future!
           
#3 Sate Ayam

Sate ayam at the local food stall in Jerteh, Terengganu!
Similar to kebabs, sate ayam (chicken satay) are thin pieces of seasoned, grilled chicken put onto little skewers. It was served with incredible peanut sauce, as well as sticky, moist rice cakes. My roommate and I always enjoyed getting sate ayam from a stall in a market in Jerteh, the small city about fifteen minutes from us. In fact, the stall owners became quite familiar with us as well.




#4 Nasi Goreng Ayam


The first nasi goreng I had in Malaysia!
Adjacent is a teh tarik!
The running joke at my school was Cikgu Rachael’s love (perhaps obsession) with nasi goreng ayam. Anyone who was ever with me at some point in Malaysia, knew my love for this dish. Nasi goreng ayam is a white, fried rice mixed with red chilis, peppers, onions, spices, sweet soy sauce, garlic and small chicken pieces. It was served with cucumbers on the side to cut the spiciness, and it could be served with an egg on top as well. My favorite place to get nasi goreng ayam was in my very own SMK PNZ canteen (cafeteria). Every teacher and canteen worker knew that nasi goreng ayam was my go-to dish.








#5 Biscuits Hari Raya

Chocolate biscuits!
Biscuits Hari Raya get their name because they are most commonly found during Ramadan and Hari Raya. In short, there are several variations of these cookies. However, my favorite kind are the circular, mini-sized, crumbly cookies. My favorite flavors are chocolate, as well as the peanut flavor, but the list of flavors and variations goes on and on. My favorite place to buy these were in, once again, my school’s Koperarsi (book shop).











Honorable mention:

Jamaliah with her homemade Kek Lapis!
Kek Lapis Sarawak

Kek Lapis Sarawak is a layered cake commonly served and made in Sarawak, Malaysia on special occasions. These cakes must have at least two colors, and it has a high, firm texture with layers that are held together with jam or a sticky sweet substance. I was only able to try this special cake a few times, but it was delicious. In fact, a fellow teacher from KHAS, Jamaliah, was from Sarawak and made a cake especially for me before I left Malaysia. In addition, when I went to Borneo in July 2012, my friends and I ate our way through Kuching, Sarawak sampling every Kek Lepis that we saw!



Kek Lapis Sarawak!




Food photo gallery:


Nasi goreng ayam!



Nasi goreng ayam. There were
many different variations of this dish!


There are many varieties of Biscuits Hari Raya, as seen in
this photo. The biscuits were given to me by one of my students.

The Terengganu ETA family loved to eat, and we especially loved roti canai!
In fact, we made a whole video entitled "Roti Rolls" to demonstrate our love for it!
This is part of our group at a great roti canai shop in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia!

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