Page 217 - DK Eyewitness Travel - Guides Ultimate Food Journeys

STREET FOOD IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 215
Left (top to bottom) Morning fish
market, Hoi An, Vietnam; making roti
by hand in Penang, Malaysia; neon-lit
Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand
Below (top to bottom) Curries and
toppings on sale at the evening market,
Luang Prabang, Laos; bak chor mee
(pork on egg noodles with chili peppers
and vinegar) is served with a clear soup
side-dish at Singapore’s hawker stands
Little India Saturday Night Market SINGAPORE
Masjid Jamek LRT, Kuala Lumpur Singapore is packed with street food, all of
This bustling night market is the perfect place to try it inspected, regulated, and controlled for a
the Malay and Indian side of Malaysian street food. degree of hygiene not seen elsewhere. Most of
Don’t miss satay and apam balik, thick pancakes Singapore’s 40,000 food stands are located
with peanuts and corn. inside “hawker centers.”
SS2 Hawker Center Smith Street, Chinatown
Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur Once a notorious red-light district, at night Smith
The locals’ favorite group of food stands is out of Street is now home to many hawker stands. Look
town but well worth the taxi ride. The Hawker out for char kway teow (wok-fried noodles) and
Center has around 80 stands serving classics such the sticky barbecued pork. Unusually for a food
as grilled stingray and la la (clams). The center’s stand, China La Mian Steamed Buns makes a very
layout allows visitors to dine from as many stands as delicious xiao long bao (juicy pork “small dragon”
they wish and buy drinks from any of the many dumplings). For dessert, hunt out some mochi, little
people that ply the aisles selling beverages. rice balls filled with crushed peanuts or sesame and
served in pandan-leaf-flavored soup.
LAOS Little India, Rochor
While Laos cannot compete with its larger Singapore’s ethnic makeup is similar to Malaysia’s
neighbors for variety on the food front, trinity of cultures, and this area showcases the best
there is still plenty to titillate the taste of the Indian contingent’s crafts and cuisine. The
buds. The country’s food takes influences food stands here feature skillfully made roti prata
from all its neighbors, and the setting can (sweet flatbread), huge dosai (rice pancakes), and
often be breathtaking. meals served on banana leaves.
Luang Prabang Chinatown Complex Food Center
The center of this city (a UNESCO World Heritage Trengganu Street
site) converts to a fabulous night market when This is Singapore’s largest hawker center, with more
evening falls. The air becomes thick with smoke, and than 200 food stands. Favorites here include chicken
banana leaves are piled high with delectable grilled rice, fried Hokkien prawn mee (fried noodles with
meats. Try the nem kao (stuffed rice pancakes) or shrimp), and claypot rice (chicken, Chinese sausage,
sticky rice with sai gok (local sausage). and salted fish with crispy, lightly charred rice).
On the Menu combine into the sweet-and-sour sauce SINGAPORE
of this well-known fried rice-noodle dish. Char kway teow Wide, flat, rice noodles
VIETNAM Som tam A salad of crunchy green (ho fun) stir-fried with meat, seafood, and
Banh cuon Steamed and rolled-up papaya topped with fermented freshwater egg. The chefs deftly toss the ingredients
rice-flour pancakes filled with pork and crab or jumbo shrimp, served with a lime near the stove’s flame, imparting wok hei –
mushrooms, topped with fried shallots, and fish-sauce dressing. the essence of the wok – to the dish.
and eaten with a spicy dipping sauce. Chili crab A delicious but messy,
Banh mi French-style baguettes filled MALAYSIA chili-pepper-sauce-covered crab.
with meat and finished with pickled Laksa The most famous of Nonya Claypot rice A mix of marinated chicken,
vegetables, herbs, and fiery pepper sauce. (Chinese Malay) dishes bathes rice waxed Chinese sausages, and salted
Goi cuon A kind of Vietnamese spring noodles, meat, seafood, and vegetables fish cooked in a clay pot with rice over
roll: the rice paper roll holds pork, shrimp, in either stock (asam laksa; see pp204–5) charcoal, so the rice develops a crunchy
rice noodles, herbs, and seafood. or spiced coconut milk (curry laksa). base, similar to Persian chelo (see p178),
Pan mee Freshly rolled noodles served and a smoky flavor.
THAILAND dry or in soup, topped with crisp fried Roti prata These flatbreads arrived with
Joke Rice porridge, which is common anchovies and minced pork, and finished southern Indian immigrants. Soft dough is
throughout this part of the world; in with a spoonful of chili pepper sauce. deftly swung around the chef’s head until
Thailand it is eaten for breakfast with Satay Tender meat kebabs that are it is paper-thin, then it is folded and fried
minced pork and a soft egg. marinated before grilling and served into crisp layers. These are also sold all
Pad thai Tamarind and palm sugar with a spice-rich dipping sauce. over Malaysia under the name roti canai.