steamed, fried or boiled rice of different colors;
a sweet, dark, powerful rice wine;
a tumeric-rubbed suckling pig stuffed with coriander seeds, lemon-grass, lime and salam leaves, chilies, black pepper, garlic, red shallots and gingery "kencur," spit-roasted over coconut husks;
fermented bean cake in sweet soy sauce;
chicken in coconut curry;
snake bean and coconut salad;
vegetables in peanut sauce;
tuna steamed in banana leaves;
duck rubbed with tamarind puree and salt, stuffed with eggs, cassava leaves and a spice mix;
coffee and coconut pancakes;
pineapple preserves;
fruit, including durian.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
At least this menu, so much of it built around rice, sea food, and fruit, is not too hopelessly unsuitable for me! (Smiles)
Sean
Note that except for the pig (which is probably relatively lean too) it's also low-fat. This tends to be typical of the cuisine of hot-weather areas.
Traditional North European food was developed in a low-sun, low-average-temperature region with lots of rain and snow and long cold winters.
Before quite recently (until the advent of steam and forced-air central heating) this meant you'd be perishing cold a lot of the time -- within living memory, people in that part of the world routinely wore sweaters and coats indoors in winter.
Right after WWII, my father was stationed at a British base, and came down to the mess with his greatcoat on. The local CO pointed out that it was now officially spring, and in spring the uniform regulation shifted to "no greatcoats in the mess" in Britain. (And they also left the windows open during daylight hours.)
My father replied that in Canada they shut the windows and wore more clothes when it was bloody cold and to hell with the calendar dates.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
Yes, I can see how differences in the weather in varied parts of the would affect diets. You don't NEED cold weather menus of the kind typical of northern Europe in the the warm tropics.
Very amusing, this story about your father insisting on being warm while his UK colleagues doggedly tried to act as tho the weather was warm!
Sean
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