Thursday, March 10, 2011

Fooooooood in Asia.

This will be a special entry where I will sum up experiencing heaven in my mouth in Asia....

India
1. Mango
Almost impossible that the fruit can be so juicy, so sweet, so good. For the first time I tried it in Delhi, I developed the affection further on in Thailand.
2. Chicken Tikka
The most delicious meat that I had in Ladakh. Prepared in delicious herbs and grilled. The best served in European Cafe in Leh- if they did not change the cook.
3. Chai
Initially I had difficulties to start enjoying Indian chai, but finally I really started to like it. Tea with milk. I guess the best one was just after spending a night under the bridge. Warming up every part of the body and giving necessarily energy.
4. Home made beer
Once in Ladakh I come across a funeral - burning dead body. Locals were drinking home made beer. It was a sweet, not too strong beverage. Delicious.
5. Apricots
I ate them quite a few times in Ladakh in Markha Valley. The best straight from the tree. Surprisingly a great variety of taste. The biggest challenge is to stop in time before the stomach ache.
6. Apples, apple juice
I was in Manali, when there was time to collected Apples. Poland is an apple country, Manali is a Indian capital of apples. Great apples (almost as good as Polish ones) and amazing fresh apple juice.
7. Sizzler
Indian dish containing vegetables and meat prepared on the leaf of salad and served straight from the oven. The best one in Rishikesh.
8. Fruit lassies
Yogurt mixed with fresh fruits. Indian yogurt is amazing, when it comes with fresh fruits, there can not be anything better than this too drink. In South East Asia yogurt was not so delicious unfortunately.
9. Yak cheese.
I taste the fresh yak cheese in Himalaya in the Nomad tent. Served with rice. Great. I did not give enough trials to convince myself to typical Tybetian salty tee. Maybe next time.
10. Sikkim beer
I wrote about this here. Surprising liqueur. What is the reason it is known only locally?
11. Yak cheese soup
In Sikkim, ... . In yak bar. Mix of the cabbage and yak cheese. Delicious.
12. Street food in Darjeeling.
Great variety. Great fresh meat, delicious momos. Momos are dumplings with the cabbed inside.Also the cheapest momos I ever had. 5 momos 5 Rupi.

Cambodia


1. Leaches
Addictive. When i start I can not stop until I finished the whole bag.
2. Yellow noodle soup
The best in Siem Reap is on the corner of the night market. Thanks to one vegetable it is surprisingly sweet.
3. Grilled fish at the road builders.
The last night in Cambodia I spent at the road builders camp. They offered me freshly grilled fish on top of bonfire. Amazingly good.

Laos


1. Sticky rice.
First time I tried it in Laos. It is great and moreover it is fun to eat it.
2. Lao coffee
1/3 condense milk, the rest coffee. You do not need to add sugar it is sweet enough from the condense milk. Taste the best when hanging around Mekong
3. Lemon grass Mekong river fish
Grilled fresh fish with lemon grass. Great smell, great taste especially from the food stall during sun set over Mekong.
4. Bananas
I am kind of banana monster. If the banana are right I can not really store them for later. I have to eat all at once. Several times I come across amazing bananas. Once when I was biking down the Bolaven Plateau I got the whole bunch of bananas from the stall (I guess there were 16 big bananas) and I started to eat them. In a second I was offered sticky rice to them. And I ate all of them at once. I was kind of full afterward.
5. Watermelon
It is always risky with watermelon, you never know how good it is inside. Here it is easier to get the delicious one. There are also not so huge, that it is possible for me to eat on my own if there is none else to share.
6. Lao beer
Seriously the best beer in South East Asia
7. Wild pig
We ate it in Kogma's house. Greatly prepared. The best meat in Laos I had.

Thailand


1. Bangkok street food
I think that street food in Bangkok was brought to other dimension. On every step you can find completely different taste. I do not really see the point to go to the restaurant in Bangkok. In the restaurant I will get a menu and I have to choose one dish with one, maximum few taste. During one hour walk through the stalls in Bangkok I can smell dozen of distinguish smells and taste several foods, which I can point with my finger.
Amazing is the way how they are serving the fruits on the street. One can get a piece of pineapple, watermelon or papaya cold and cut in small pieces with the wooden stick.
2. Corn
Crunchy, immersed in salty water. Usually offered without butter, but nevertheless great.
3. Durian fruit
The story you can read here.
4. Deep fried chicken.
Hm, crunchy, warm, tasty. The best in Ranong just where the ferry goes to Ko Chang.
5. Jackfruit
Great snack on the way. A bit mashy, very neutral taste.
6. Papaya
I was never great fan of papaya until I ate it during meditation retreat. It can be soooo good if it is right.
7. Coco nut/ coconut milk

About our hunt you can read here.

Indonesia

1. Lobster
2. My fish 
3. Fruits in Silomalombu
I had opportunity here to try fruits straight from the tree. This adds up to the unique taste of fruits. I tried Marquize and Mango straight from a tree. I hope I will be able to plant those trees one day in my garden....

4. Indonesian scramble eggs - the most yellow scramble eggs ever.
5. Tuak
Tuak, palm wine is fascinating drink. One need tocollect sap by cutting the flower of the palm tree. And after short fermantation one can enjoy very delcious akoholic beveruge. Really delicious.


Whenever you are tasting something new, and you do not really enjoy the taste so much, consider giving a second chance to it - especially to the fruits. I would lose a lot great taste experience if I do not give second chance. First of all you do not know how the particular fruit should taste like, so maybe you come across not the most delicious, secondly maybe your tongue need to adopt for completely novel experience.
I really love meat and I am not planning to become vegetarian any time soon. But I love fruits. If I would ever have to resign from fruits or from meat, I would not give up fruits. Quite a lot of of the fruits that I enjoyed are very local ones and are very seasonal. One can not really grow tropic fruits in Europe or transport them up there, but adds a beauty to the travel. If one want to enjoy those different taste, when have to start traveling. Even if you try mango in Europe it never taste so good like a fresh one.
There is many fruits on the list. I guess I am kind of fruitoholic....



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