Manhattan Malaysian: The Spicier Side of Chinatown
J.E. Clarke (Gaijin Girl)
Copyright 9/25/04
| For many New
Yorkers, the extent of their experience with
Asian food is limited to take-out – the occasional call to the local
Chinese
restaurant for sweet and sour chicken, and a pint of wonton. A few more adventurous souls may have taken
a stroll along Canal Street, that main thoroughfare of Chinatown, and
sampled
the more authentic Sichuan and Cantonese flavors to be found. But there’s more to Chinatown than Chinese food. Scratch the surface of Chinatown, and you’ll discover a rich, spicy subculture – that of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The cuisine of these three Southeast Asian countries is inextricably intertwined, due to their geographical proximity – a heady mélange of traditional Chinese cooking and Indian spices, with regional variations. As with (authentic) Chinese food, five essential flavors predominate – sour, sweet, bitter and hot – often on the same plate. And some of the best bites are street hawker food, sold traditionally from street stalls: curries, noodles and satays. What follows is just a New York taste of this extraordinarily deep and wide ranging cuisine. Start off with a drink. Especially in summertime, nothing hits the spot better than freshly milled sugar cane juice. It’s available at Jaya’s sidewalk juice bar on 90 Baxter Street. A more exotic choice is Sooi Pooi (Sour Plum), which is strikingly tart and not for the faint of tongue – available at Nyonya (194 Grand Street). As for eats, it’s hard to know where to start. A good choice for an appetizer is Rujak, a hot/sweet fruit salad mixed with tamarind sauce and belachan – a fermented shrimp paste which features dominantly in much of Malaysian cuisine. Find it at Penang, 41 Elizabeth Street. Solid side dishes for newcomers include Achat (pickled vegetables in turmeric sauce) and Pasembur (a tossed mixture of jellyfish, jicama, cucumber, tofu and egg.) – both at Nyonya. If you’re familiar with Indian cuisine, don’t fail to try the Roti Telur, a flat, fried egg bread similar to Naan, served with a lightly spicy dipping sauce. (Found at Sanur – 18 Doyer.) No matter the restaurant of your choice, other essential Malaysian staples include Malaysian Baby Oyster Omelet, spicy-sour noodle soup (Asam Laksa), fried noodles (Mee Goreng) and beef or chicken dried curry (Rendang.) For little tastes of everything, some restaurants offer the Indonesian tradition of Rijsttafel (dutch for “Rice Table”). With Rijsttafel, a prixe fixe of around $25.00 buys a number of small sampler dishes – best enjoyed and shared in a group. There’s also no dearth of options for dessert. Classic coconut milk dishes include black glutinous rice (Pilut Hitam) and sweet potato coconut broth (Buboh Chacha.) Traditional glutinous rice cakes (brightly colored and only $.60 apiece) can be found at Sanur. And the peanut pancake at Penang is mandatory – a crispy fried shell with gooey melted peanut heaven on the inside. Finally, which restaurant to choose? Thanks to a recent boom, Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian restaurants abound. In addition to the establishments mentioned above, diners can sample dishes from Singapore Café (69 Mott Street), New Malaysian Restaurant (46-48 Bowery) and Sentosa in the farther reaches of Queens. Test drive one, then go to another. Given the variety of delicious dishes to try, you’ll want to go again anyway! |
