The Making of Soy Sauce pictures (1 of 6)
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During my recent trip back to Penang, I made a visit to my favorite soy sauce factory in Georgetown. Though soy sauce is largely produced and packed commercially now, in Penang, you can still find a few remaining soy sauce factories making their soy sauce the natural way, that is, by hand.
The traditional method–sadly a dying and fast disappearing trade–ferments soybeans contained in large urns under the sun and covered up with lids at night. The soybeans are left inside the urns to “break down” and brew to become soy sauce. An everyday commodity that we so take for granted, naturally made soy sauce takes months of hard work and dedication to produce, and the result is always pleasing with an unmistaken depth and soybean fragrance in the end product…
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I am a fan of Andrea Nguyen, the award-winning cookbook author/food writer and very talented cooking teacher. I first approached Andrea a few months ago to write a guest post on Rasa Malaysia. Despite her busy schedule–her new cookbook Asian Dumplings will be out in August–Andrea was kind enough to say yes to my invitation. Without a doubt, I feel honored and excited. Please welcome Andrea to Rasa Malaysia as she shares her Banh Hoi or Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Beef recipe with us. To learn more about Andrea and Vietnamese cuisine, please hop over to Viet World Kitchen. You can also check out her impressive bio here.
Banh Hoi (Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Beef)
Guest Writer: Andrea Nguyen
I was flattered when Bee asked me to guest post on Rasa Malaysia about one of her favorite Vietnamese foods – banh hoi rice noodles. Delicate in flavor with a slight tang, the very thin (think of something finer than Italian angel hair pasta) noodles are a special event Vietnamese food that’s often enjoyed at parties and celebrations. They’re instantly recognizable as the white noodles are shaped like rectangular mats of thick white cheesecloth. It’s best to purchase banh hoi (pronounced “baan hoy”) fresh from a Vietnamese market or Chinese barbecue shop in a Vietnamese community where they’re typically sold on Styrofoam trays and wrapped in plastic wrap…
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Penang Hawker Food (Penang Street Food) pictures (1 of 40)
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Penang food, especially its legendary hawker food–also known as street food–is world famous and phenomenal one has to try it out to justify it. In my honest opinion, Penang offers the best street food, thanks to its people and state authorities who fiercely embrace, cultivate, and take great pride in Penang’s unique street food culture and living traditions.
Born and raised in Penang, I might be bias, but great press such as Time Asia’s Best of Asia for “Best Street Food,” The New York Times’s “44 Places to Go in 2009,” plus throngs of tourists and foodies alike who come to Penang in search of great street food don’t lie. The recent UNESCO world heritage listing is just an icing on the cake for Penang tourism…
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Street Food in Chengdu pictures (1 of 19)
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Here is the photo gallery of some of the street food I tried in Chengdu, China.
Other than the mala Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu is famed for “small eats” or 小吃. As a die-hard fan of local street food, I have to say that I was rather disappointed–and underwhelmed–with the street food in Chengdu. Don’t get me wrong, I did like a few dishes there, especially the mala ones, but I expected more.
While there are lots of eye-catching and pretty looking small eats available in various outlets, these small munchies fall short in the taste department, in my honest opinion. Plus, the flavors are not as varied as Penang street food…
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