Still jamming to Paperplane Pursuit's songs from last week? We definitely don't blame you! Music is truly a universal language, and speaks to everyone no matter which part of the world you're from. If it's one other thing Malaysians love and connect with, though, it's food!
Malaysia has a long-standing reputation of being a true blue foodie's paradise, but we at The Local Scene can tell you that throughout the years, the locals have developed quite the interesting habit: simply eating food has become somewhat boring, so some of us craftier Malaysians have decided on some "special ways" to eat some of our local favourites.
People do say creativity goes beyond boundaries, after all.
The first of these strange but special things Malaysians have done with our food is the combination known as Maggi Kawen. It may sound funny, but it certainly packs the most punch any two tiny packets of Maggi noodles can give you.
Maggi started off as an instant noodle brand in Switzerland, but today, it has become a Malaysian household staple – how many of us can say we don't have Maggi stashed somewhere in our pantry cabinets? Meanwhile, "kawen", which is an alternate spelling of the Malay word, "kahwin", means "to marry".
I can ensure you, though, it has nothing to do with eating Maggi on your wedding day, or getting married over a packet of Maggi noodles – Maggi Kawen is the art of combining two different Maggi flavours into one bowl. We're usually free to mix and match our own, but the most common and well-loved is the combination of its curry and asam laksa flavours. (Not to mention it's been featured on Maggi's official YouTube page too!)
 |
| The two most popular flavours used in Maggi Kawen: asam laksa and curry. |
 |
| Trust me, folks - it looks good, but it tastes even better! Add your own extra "toppings" like sausages for the optimum eating experience. |
Sounds odd enough, but trust me – this is a classic case of two is better than one. You get the sour twinge of asam laksa and the spicy delight of curry, all mixed together! This is the ultimate super saver, especially for hungry hostel kids; it's a cheap way to bring some excitement into your food, and feeds two people at that!
Milo, the popular hot chocolate drink, is another Malaysian favourite I'm sure we're all familiar with, but how acquainted are you with the term Milo Iron?
I can tell some of you reading this might be a bit alarmed already, but don't worry, it's not anything like sprinkling Milo powder on an iron, or anything like that! Popular among students staying with friends or at national service, this is a snack that's as easy to prepare as saying your alphabets.
Poke some holes into the standard 3-in-1 Milo packet, wrap it with newspaper or a piece of cloth to prevent it from melting, and – yes, you've probably guessed what comes next – iron it. Once that's done, all that's left is to leave it to chill in the refrigerator until it hardens completely. There you go: your very own homemade Milo chocolate bar!
 |
| All you need for this snack is a 3-in-1 Milo packet, an iron, and a sheet of newspaper. |
 |
| Melted Milo powder chilled to perfection - hot and cold have never done so well together. |
For foodies who don't have the strongest sweet tooth like myself, this is the ideal snack because it packs all the flavour and punch of Milo, but is also not overly sweet like its existing products on the market. So the next time you have an extra Milo 3-in-1 packet lying around, why not consider eating it instead of drinking it?
We Malaysians have always been innovative like that, and not only with our food! It's an innate simple pleasure that probably came from living in a country with so many hidden gems.
With this final blog post, your tour around the local scene (yes, pun fully intended) has come to an end. We couldn't be happier to have been your Malaysian tour guide for these past 7 weeks! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sticking with us through this journey, and we're delighted to have shared a little bit about what makes Malaysia home to each of us at The Local Scene.
Bibliography
MAGGI Malaysia. (2014, September 22). MAGGI® KARI Kawen MAGGI® ASAM LAKSA. #BestnyaKawen! [Video file]. Retrieved 20 November, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEGX2xQ5YLk
0 comments:
Post a Comment