Ever since moving to Malaysia I have had the opportunity to develop my taste for Indian food. I had a hard time with the spiciness of it when we first moved here, but now that I’ve been able to figure out which foods are less spicy I have been able to indulge my taste buds in some super yummy and super cheap food.
Today I took a walk after teaching (and getting a super awesome massage) and stopped by a little Indian place that Troy and I have been to a few times before. We usually just get drinks and sit at their sidewalk tables, but those only go up after dark. This was my first time eating inside in Indian eatery by myself.
I find it ironic that the Indian place I like to go to has almost the same name as my favorite stuffed animal. haha.
Pretty much all of the little eateries here look the same. They have the kitchen area up front and people dine in the back.
The other places like this we’ve been to before have their menus posted on a wall in the back or to the side, but this place didn’t have a menu anywhere that I could see. I guess it’s good I walked in knowing what I wanted.
My meal today was super simple. I didn’t want to eat a lot since dinner was only a few hours away, so I just ordered some roti as a snack. Though, I think they gave me chapati instead of roti, which is fine. They are pretty much the same thing, only chapati is thinner. They are both a type of flat bread made from stone ground whole wheat flour. And the best thing about them is that they are super cheap. I got two pieces of roti and a sprite for only RM4.00 ($1.20)!
When you order plain roti they bring it out to you on a plate with dividers along with some big metal pots of sauces. I had to ask for napkins because they aren’t commonly used here, though the guy who brought me my food (the guy in the white shirt in the first picture) was kind enough to offer to bring me some silverware, which you usually have to flag someone down and ask for. I declined and ate the roti with my fingers. I feel more local that way. haha.
These pots of sauces are communal and only stay at your table for a few minutes. I hurried up and grabbed a bit of each sauce because I’m still not sure what they all are or which ones I like. I figure I might as well give them all a try and see what they taste like. The guy said two were fish curry and some other type of curry and I couldn’t understand what he said the other three were.
After trying them all out, I really like the one on the far left and the two red ones on the right. The brown blob was okay, but I don’t really like the red sauce second over from the left. It tasted like a weirdly spiced bean paste. The sauce on the far left was the more watery of the group, though it had some nice spices. The two on the far right were definitely curries with some pretty awesome spice combinations. The second over from the right was the thickest and if I had to choose, I’d say that one was my favorite.
I really do like Indian spices. I’m not a huge fan of the super spicy stuff (i like being able to taste my food), but I really like the flavor profiles and the spice combinations. I’m going to miss real Indian food when we go back to the US, but at least now I know what it tastes like so I can start making it myself when we get home.
About a month or so ago I ate at one of the other eateries on the street and had some really great chapati rolls. They are stuffed with this super awesome spicy potato mixture that is just absolutely heavenly. I love it. Except for the random red peppers I keep biting into. lol. The last time I went there the guy knew exactly what I wanted to order as soon as I walked in. It was pretty funny. But really, how can I not keep going back for these? They’re so yummy and they only cost RM7.50 ($2.25)!
I’m going to miss Little India and the delicious food here.
