Eating Through Asia

I had an unbelievably delicious slice of Zachary's pizza today for my first meal back in the States. The crust was flaky, the cheese was gooey and the tomatoes were chunky and just sweet enough. I'm really looking forward to a good Mexican meal in the next day or two.

However, the Asian food I've been eating the last two weeks has been out of this world! Unfortunately, I started taking photos a little too late in my journey to get pictures of everything. I started and ended (and spent a little time in between) in Singapore, where you can basically get any Asian cuisine you want - Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern - it's all there and it's all good! The best place to get inexpensive and yummy food was on the street. Hawker stands are everywhere and the selection is a little mind-boggling. One of my favorites was this noodle dish with a side of soup dumplings (there's soup inside!). The noodle guy makes the noodles by hand while you're standing there. It's amazing to watch. I've seen in twice and I still can't figure it out. The noodles are cooked with bok choy and topped with a savory pork sauce. The dumpling contains a hot soup and some meat. It's like inside out wanton soup!

I've had a lot of Chinese food in my day, but this roasted chicken from a restaurant in Singapore's Chinatown had me wanting seconds and thirds - and it even has bones in it! The duck noodles on the side weren't half bad either.

Next stop, Cambodia! The signature dish is anok, which is white fish baked with coconut milk, chili and lemongrass inside a banana leaf. It was served with steamed rice and an icy cold beer. Yum!

Unsurprisingly, the Thai food was amazing in Thailand. I had more fried rice, pineapple rice, pad thai, pad see ew and other delightful noodle dishes that I probably shouldn't have starch again for the rest of my life. There were many chances to take photos of these dishes but I only remembered when I was halfway done with my chili cashew chicken noodles.

In Kuala Lumpur, I had my first taste of beef rendang. It's a dish traditionally prepared for Malaysian celebrations lowly cooked in coconut milk and spices - like ginger, lemongrass and chilies - for several hours. As most everything else, it's served with a side of steamed rice.

In KL's Chinatown, we had a delicious order of sizzling beef. It comes to the table, literally sizzling. Delish!

I had some other great dishes that I didn't have photos of - many of which included noodles. I love noodles. I don't have a photo, but satay is one of Malaysia's signature dishes as well. The peanut sauce is just a touch spicier than most places here in the US. I am also hoping to replicate a chili oil-based condiment that I fell in love with in Asia.