Instant Noodle on the Street

This stir fried noodle stand was in Kuala Lumpur
This stir fried noodle stand was in Kuala Lumpur

One of the foods found almost everywhere is the instant ramen noodle. Except in India and Bangladesh. But that may be changing. I recently saw a commercial for Maggi brand noodles with the patriarch of Bollywood eating instant noodles. Ramen is a soup in Japan and Korea. To sell these in India, the instant noodle dish in the commercial was less soupy. Using the noodles for a stir fry is how the noodles are used in Malaysia (that magician at the night market made the best I’ve had) or Cambodia, and so on. Since the culture in South Asia is to eat with the hand, I would have thought that advertisers would push something handheld, but maybe that’s the next part of the ad campaign (this is not an advertisement for any brand). In the U.S., instant noodle is sold in cups making it easily handheld and easily eaten with a fork. Many other ways to eat the ramen noodle and 27 of those ways are here. One way not mentioned here is wrapped around prawns and deep fried like at Goong.

Why are instant noodles so good even if they are not good for us? It’s “umami” which is the Japanese word for that something special that makes food so delicious.

Umami making in Cambodia.
Umami making in Cambodia.

272 Steps to Batu Cave In Kuala Lumpur

Inside the Batu cave, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Inside the Batu cave, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

If you like to earn your food by exercising, then walking up the steps to Batu cave outside Kuala Lumpur may be your idea of a good time. This is a Hindu site and it’s really not that many steps. Be warned about the monkeys. Too bad that there is so much trash all about on the inside. It is a holy site and no admission is charged (though you can make a contribution, I think).

Who you going to call?
Who you going to call?

Then, eat some dhosa at one of the stalls on at the base. Or go back to the hawker stalls in KL and enjoy.

Want A Frown With That Noodle?

If the noodle soup is good, then I don’t mind a frown. After all, sometimes a noodle is too serious to smile about. In Kuala Lumpur, this lady had no patience for my inability to order properly.

Unfriendly noodle soup stall.
Unfriendly noodle soup stall.

This cracked me up.

Noodle soup with crumbled sausage and chicken.
Noodle soup with crumbled sausage and chicken.