Sri Nirwana Maju, Bangsar

It’s time to talk about my favorite restaurant in Malaysia: Sri Nirwana Maju in Bangsar (across from Bangsar Village).  This is one of the first restaurants I visited when I came to Malaysia for the first time.  Since then, I have eaten there at least once per week.  My American tummy had a hard time with Nirwana at first, but now I’ve grown to love it.  The spicy chicken curry makes me feel like I have a pile of embers in my stomach.  That has become my favorite feeling!

Nirwana is not only delicious, but also reasonably priced.  I went with my partner and we spent 28RM for 2 banana-leaf rice sets, 2 orders of ayam goreng and two glasses of fresh juice.  To an American, the prices are insanely amazing.  You cannot even get McDonald’s for two people for 28 RM in the US.

The banana-leaf rice doesn’t need to be explained.  It’s that good.

Their ayam goreng is fantastic!  Somehow, they manage to get the outside super crunchy while keeping the inside moist.

I really enjoy the teh tarik at Nirwana, too.  It’s better than I expected!

I always leave with my banana leaf folded toward me to indicate that I was satisfied with the food.

One of the best things about Nirwana is the people watching.  I’ve seen people of every race, age, religion and nationality at Nirwana.  People eat there alone, with a partner, with a friend, with their family and so on.  The tables are so close together that you might accidentally overhear bits and pieces of quite a few conversations.  The last time I was there, my fiancé and I shared a table with a young couple who were clearly on a first date together.  Call it morally wrong, but I did enjoy the opportunity to eavesdrop a bit.

McDonalds Buy 1, Get 1 Free!

I wrote earlier that I love free stuff, so I am sharing this coupon with you in hopes that you love it too. McDonalds is doing a buy one, free one promotion on their chicken sandwich tomorrow (Wednesday) only.  I’m definitely having two for lunch!  Make sure the coupon is 11.5 x 21cm when you print it.  Click the image for the full size version.

The Big Durian Shell

While Googling pictures of durian to use on this blog, I came across a strangely beautiful building.  It looked just like a huge durian!  It’s called “Esplande – Theaters on the Bay” and it’s in Singapore.  I have never had the urge to go to Singapore, unlike my fiancé who dreams of living there.  Now, though, I found a reason to go!  If I ever become rich and famous, I’ll build StinkyFruit.com a headquarters just like this.

photo credit: tangobabe1

photo credit: tangobabe1

Tips for Eating Durian

Chef and Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern has said eating durian is like eating “completely rotten, mushy onions”.  Based on this comment by a fellow Minnesotan, you’d think I wouldn’t like durian at all.  I admit, the smell scares me off a bit.  The taste has grown on me though.  When Malaysians hear that I like durian, they love to give me some tips for eating it:

Durian is known as a “hot” food.  It supposedly heats your body up when you eat it.  It’s best to follow durian with some manggis, or mangosteen, as it is a “cold” food.  They balance each other.  Mangosteen is delicious, so why not?

If you don’t have access to mangosteen when you eat durian, you can try drinking water from the durian shell/husk.

photo credit: j.o.h.n. walker

The main piece of advice I’ve been given is don’t mix durian with alcohol!  Alcohol and durian are both considered “hot”, so it can be a very dangerous combination.  Rumor has it that mixing durian with alcohol can kill you.  When I tried Googling this combo, I found many posts on forums by Malaysians who heard of a “friend of a friend” who died after mixing durian and alcohol.

I asked a good friend of mine whether she had mixed durian and alcohol, as she is a big fan of both.  She told me she’d once eaten durian with red wine before hearing that it can be so dangerous.   She is still here to tell the story, but she said her insides felt like they were burning for hours!

What are your tips for eating durian?

Nasi Minyak

Recently, I attended a Malay engagement (pertunangan) ceremony.  It was great to watch and soon I’ll write about the details.  First, I want to talk about the special food I ate there: nasi minyak.  I’ve grown to love nasi lemak, which is rice cooked in coconut milk for my American readers.  But I’d never heard of nasi minyak until the engagement party.  It is rice cooked with ghee and often mixed with various types of nuts.  Many recipes I’ve found online substitute the ghee for butter and oil.  This rice tasted delicious alone and with the beef rendang.

Nasi minyak is cooked for weddings and other special occasions and holidays.  It looks quite plain the photograph below, but it tasted so buttery and delicious.

Can you tell by the way I plated all the foods that I’m not native to Malaysia?  I’m afraid I just slop everything on my plate wherever.  I’m sure things are touching that shouldn’t be!

What’s your favorite “special occasion” food?

Buy 1 Free 1

Most of the time, I feel like quite an outsider in Malaysia.  There are other times, though, when I think our cultures must be pretty similar.  The prime example of this the concept of “Buy 1, Free 1″ (beli satu, percuma satu). In the USA, we call this BOGOF: Buy 1, Get 1 Free.  Americans love to get anything free!  Recently, Pos Malaysia sent me a feedback form which promised a coupon for a free KFC Snack Plate (worth RM8.35!) if I completed the form and mailed it back.  I was elated!  I felt so lucky!  My fiancé, who is not from Malaysia, responded to my joy by saying “I can just give you the 8.35 if you want it that much.”  Apparently, he doesn’t know that a free meal tastes way better than one you paid for.

I have a feeling that Malaysians like discounts and free things, too, judging by the long lines I’ve stood in this week for a half-price Frappucino at Starbucks.  I’ve also walked by the hideously long lines for Baskin Robbins on the 31st of the month (for a 31% discount) and seen women, myself include, flock to the sale racks in Topshop.  This is my kind of place!