Flavors of Malaysia: Family, Fusion & Fascination

The Malay language itself reflects our obsession with food..., I might greet a friend in Malaysia by saying 'sudah makan?' ('have you eaten?')."

I confess to having little familiarity with the cuisine of Malaysia, though I have dined a couple times at Penang, a Malaysian restaurant in Boston.  I certainly enjoyed my meals there but had not delved into the depths of information about the cuisine. Some of the food felt familiar while some of it was more unique. Thus, it was with eagerness that I read a review copy of a new Malaysian cookbook, hoping to garner a proper understanding.  And the book fascinated me from its opening pages to the very end.

The Flavors of Malaysia by Susheela Raghavan (Hippocrene Books, Ltd., September 2010, $40.00) is a hardcover book of 356 pages.  Susheela was born in Malaysia and received an MS in Food Science from the University of Reading. She worked for years in food product development, giving cooking demonstrations, and teaching at New York University before launching her own brand of spice blends, Taste of Malacca. She has also written numerous articles on food, especially ethnic cuisine and spices, for a wide variety of periodicals. 

Flavors of Malaysia feels like a very personal book, with Susheela sharing many details of her life growing up, such as watching her grandmother and mother cooking.  Her parents encouraged her to develop an adventurous palate and Susheela desired to honor her family with this cookbook, sharing the cuisine which has brought her so much joy. It is this passion, this underlying story, which makes this cookbook compelling.  It is certainly not a boring litany of soulless recipes, but instead is a culinary treasure, a marvel of family, fusion and fascination.

The book starts with a fifty-page introduction, an intriguing look at the history of Malaysia and a lengthy description of its various cuisines.  A short history emphasizes all the different countries which have impacted Malaysia, as well as its cuisine. It is thus a melting pot, a mega-fusion of cuisines, including Indian, Thai, Portuguese, Chinese and more. Yet, it has created its own identity.

The rest of the introduction goes into detail about the cuisines and culinary influences that have led to Malaysian cuisine, as well as descriptions of the regional cuisines of Malaysia.  Plus, there is information on food hawkers, cafes, and a typical day of meals for a Malaysian.  This is interesting reading, giving you a great background into their diverse cuisines.  You'll learn that rempah is the soul of their cuisine, a term referring to the wet and dry spices they often use. Curries are very important, and you'll find many varieties, including Indian, Chinese, Malay, Nonya and Eurasian. You will even understand why many people say that:  "Eating foods with cutlery is like making love through an interpreter."

The rest of the book is divided into 12 chapters, presenting over 150 recipes, divided into various food groups, such as Soups & Stews, Poultry & Eggs, Rice, Seafood, and Desserts & Beverages. Each chapter starts out with an informative introduction on the subject matter, including Susheela's own personal stories and experiences with the foods. The recipes have been specially designed to be relatively easy for most cooks, and the directions certainly seem simple enough. Many of the recipes look appealing to me, such as the Savory Rice Lentil Crepes, Spicy Coconut Soup, Chicken Vindaloo, Beef Rendang, Malay-Style Fried Rice and Spicy Tangy Simmered Fish.  With the diversity of recipes, you are sure to find something which will appeal to your own preferences.

The last two chapters are slightly different from a usual cookbook, which is a good thing.  Chapter 11 presents information about the feasts and festivals celebrated in Malaysia, along with recipes for some of the festive dishes eaten during these events.  I enjoyed this section, which is not something you see too often in other regional cookbooks.  Chapter 12 is also very interesting, as it presents ways to infuse a Malaysian flair into any recipe, making your own fusion cuisine.  From Curried Spaghetti to Nonya-Style Chicken Burgers, you'll get ideas on how you can experiment at home with Malaysian flavors. The book ends with a Glossary & Guide to Malaysian ingredients and cooking techniques, a worthy reference and addition to the cookbook.

I found this to be a superb, well-written, and comprehensive guide to the cuisines of Malaysia.  Susheela even took all of her own photos for the book. This was obviously a work of passion, and that is reflected on every page. This book could serve as a role model for other ethnic or regional cookbooks, with its fine balance of history, education, personal stories and recipes.  It gets my highest recommendation and shines the light on a cuisine which really should be highlighted.

For more information about Malaysian cuisine, as well as a directory of Malaysian restaurants in the U.S., check out this new website launched by Malaysia Kitchen for the World, called Malaysian Kitchen NYC. 

Xante: Pear Pleasure

When you make a special cocktail for a holiday party, you are thrilled when the guests love the drink, enjoying glass after glass of it.  

I recently received a sample bottle of Xante, a pear-infused Cognac liqueur, and wanted to create something with it for a holiday party.  I decided that I would also like to do something with sparkling wine, and the experimentation began.  It did not last long though as I found that Xante and Prosecco went very well together, creating a very simple but delicious drink.

It was a huge hit at the party, and we went through three pitchers of the cocktail, and would have gone through even more but we ran out of Prosecco.  People really loved the addition of strong pear flavor to the sparkling wine. Everyone wanted to know how the cocktail was made so I was very pleased.

Xante is produced in Sweden, and was created by Richard Heinrich, master blender at the Maison Heinrich Liquoristerie Artisanale, which was established in 1894.  It has been available in Europe for about 10 years or so though it has only been in the U.S. market since 2009.  Xante is produced from virgin Belgian pears from a Flemish garden region north of Liege.  They use a young and fruity French Cognac, produced at the Distillerie des Moisans, from grapes of the Bon Bois, Fins Bois and Petite Champagne regions. The Cognac is matured for four years in French Limousin oak, which adds a touch of vanilla.  A touch of caramel is added to the liqueur too, and overall, it is made from all natural ingredients with no additives.

They have kept the sugar content to about 17%, about half lower than many other liqueurs.  Plus, the alcohol content is 38%, a little lower than spirits like vodka and rum. So be careful as it is a potent drink.  Xante costs about $40 for a 750ml bottle, on par with other high-end liqueurs.

Xante has a deep amber color, and its appealing aroma brings forth pear, vanilla, and hints of cinnamon.  The taste is predominately fresh pear, but there is a delightful melange of underlying flavors, including vanilla, honey, caramel, cinnamon, and other spices. The pear flavors do not seem artificial, which is certainly a very good thing.  It is not overly sweet and there is actually a mild bitterness on the lengthy finish.  Interestingly, Xante was designed to be enjoyed as an ice-cold shot, and many European women drink it in that matter. My own preference would not be to drink it straight, but otherwise add it to a cocktail.

For any cocktail where you you like to add some pear flavor, the Xante can work.  But, the pear flavor is strong so a little Xante can go along way.  I added only about 2 ounces per 750ml bottle of Prosecco, and that seemed like a good ratio.  The pear flavor shined forth, but did not overwhelm, though as preferences vary, you might like a different ratio.  The Xante website lists other cocktails that you can try.  My advice is to experiment with it, to see what you can devise on your own.   

Xante is a pleasing and versatile liqueur so it earns my recommendation.

Rant: Wine Bloggers, I Call You Out

I am throwing down the gauntlet, issuing a challenge to all wine bloggers.  Will you rise to accept it? 

First, let me get the politically correct crap out of the way for the overly sensitive.  Yes, you have the ability to write any type of posts you want, even those that are boring, mediocre, unoriginal, trite, repetitive, insincere, whorish, grammatically incorrect, incoherent, kiss-ass, misspelled, and such.  You can continue to go through life writing those same type of posts over and over again.  No one can stop you.  Though the world would probably be a better place without such posts.

Now, if you are the overly sensitive type, and get offended easily, then I advise you to stop reading now. You won't like what comes next.  If you do continue to read on, just remember that you were warned.

It is a new year, a time for reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future.  So what are your plans to improve your wine blog? There is not a single wine blog out there that cannot be improved.  And there are lots of wine blogs that need significant improvements.  Don't listen to what your friends say about your blog, as they may not tell you the truth in order to protect your feelings. Your readers are unlikely to provide you proper constructive criticism either. Brutal honesty can be difficult to find, unless you actively seek it out, and even then you might not receive it. 

Face the truth, the majority of wine blogs are not worth reading. They offer little, if anything, of unique value so there is nothing to differentiate them from the mass of other wine blogs out there.  Others are just damn boring, like watching infomercials about toilet bowl cleaners all day.  Some repulse through their mercenary motivation, their obvious desire to write simply to gain free wine.  Others amaze you with their ignorance of the very subjects they write about. 

Even some of the most popular wine blogs are guilty of these sins, yet for unknown reasons, the flaws get overlooked by most readers, who dare not question the high and mighty.  Just because you have a significant number of unique hits, that might not be indicative of much, except that you have good SEO (search engine optimization).  Sycophants will tell you anything you want to hear.  

Where is the true passion for wine, for writing?  Where is the need to better ourselves, to increase our knowledge, to hone our skills?  Where is the desire to entertain, to provoke thought and discussion?  All of these are desperately needed and I now challenge wine bloggers to step up to the plate and deliver.

Change your wine blogs, making them better.  Don't be content with doing the same thing you did last year. Infuse passion into your blog, and endeavor to improve your writing, in content, style, and form.  Break out of your comfort zone and try to write something different.  Take risks with your writing, and whether you succeed or fail, at least you would have made the effort and taken a chance.

Make the effort to learn more about wine, whether it is from books, classes, wine region visits, or some other resource.  Expand your palate and drink wines you have never tried before, maybe from wine regions that are unfamiliar to you. There is plenty of writing about Cabernet and Chardonnay, but far less about such items as Greek wines or sherry.  If you only write tasting notes, try to write something different, to test your own skills. Try posting more than once or twice a month.  Dig around to find more original topics, rather than using the same news articles as everyone else, who all write about the same thing.  Stop writing about the same old issues, time and time again, unless you truly have an original angle to the story.

Frankly, my words will fall on many deaf ears.  Not everyone who should read this post will do so.  Others who read it will ignore it, thinking it does not refer to them, when it definitely does.  Others who read it will still lack the desire and motivation to make change. Those people probably can't be helped. Others will get upset with me for even writing this rant (though their anger won't bother me).  If I am very lucky, maybe a couple bloggers will take my words to heart, and endeavor to make positive changes. 

I am accepting my own challenge as I know my own blog needs improvement, and I will be making efforts to do so in 2011.  I won't just keep doing the same old things I did last year. Change is good, and I want to bring about positive change.  Hopefully, I will succeed. 

So my question remains: Will you accept my challenge and truly try to improve your wine blog?  Or will you take the easy path, remaining stagnant and stale?       

Sake Export News

Sake brewers have started to get creative in their marketing, to appeal to specific export markets.  A new article, Sake Brewers Say 'Cheers' To Asia, discusses a few new plans to appeal to certain Asian markets.  Masuda Sake Co. is creating a sake to cater to the Chinese market, creating a product with a "rich, full-bodied flavor will satisfy Chinese palates." Asahara Brewery Co. is catering to the Singapore market by selling a sake under the new Merlion brand, the Merlion being the Singaporean mascot. The merlion is a mythical creature, with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.  Naniwa Sake Brewing Co. is going after the South Korean market, offering to customize bottle labels and hoping such a service appeals to these customers.  Kudos to these breweries that are thinking outside of the box, trying to make sake consumption grow.





 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year,  or Akemashite Omedeto as they say in Japan, to all.  As 2011 begins, I wish only the best for my family, friends, and readers.  I hope that the new year is better than the previous one. 

Like 2009, 2010 was a challenging year for many of us, especially economically, and we can hope for 2011 to bring better economic news and good fortune to all. No matter what happens though, we shall find a way to make 2011 a great year.  Maintain a positive attitude, no matter what happens, and we can get through anything. 

For The Passionate Foodie, I have plenty of ideas and plans: places to visit, issues to examine, wines to drink, food to eat, books to read, and much, much more.  For example, I need to check out some new local wine stores, including the Reserve Bin and the Vin Bin, and revisit others, such as Wine Nation.  I need to dine at some new restaurants, such as Bergamot, Journeyman and Umami.  I am looking forward to the opening this spring of a new restaurant, Enzo, in Newburyport, which is owned and operated by my friends Mary and Dave.  I'll be taking trips to places including Niagara for TasteCamp and Virginia for the Wine Blogger's Conference. While at Niagara this May, I will take some time to visit Toronto, hoping that a new sake brewery in the city is open by then.  I also finally want to get up to the Yak farm in Vermont. 

These are but samples of some of what I have planned for the coming year, and I hope to do much more.  If you have any suggestions for me, please leave them in the comments or email me.  I am always looking for new and interesting food, wine, sake, and spirits places to check out.

Thanks so much to all of my readers during the past year, and best wishes to you for the coming year.  I hope you will continue to read my blog in 2011, and please send me your feedback and criticism so I can make Passionate Foodie even better.

Dine and drink with passion all year round!