And now for the universal favourite.

FOOD.

Food is perhaps one of the most distinctive features of Southeast Asia. And look at this interesting article.

MALAYSIANS TOLD TO SAFEGUARD DISHES SUCH AS SATAY

PETALING JAYA - Malaysians need to safeguard their food heritage before other countries adopt it as their signature dishes, a government official has said.

"Before we lose our satay (picture) and roti canai like we lost our chilli crabs to Singapore, we must find a way to make our signature dishes synonymous to Malaysia and no other country," said Mr Rosly Selamat, an official with Tourism Malaysia.

He was speaking during the launch of the Malaysia Truly Asia Cuisine Showcase on Wednesday, which presented a range of Malaysian dishes that appeals to global tastes.

The event was also held to suppoer the government's Malaysia Kitchen project, which plans to set up 3, 000 Malaysian restaurants around the world by 2010.

The government has allocated RM200 million ($87 million) for the project, with RM60 million more for promotional efforts.

"Take Thai restaurants, for instance. They are reeling in the big bucks because even the smallest town in Europe has a Thai restaurant," Mr Rosly was quoted by the Straits Times as saying.

According to him, Malaysian cuisine is seen by Londoners as a sexy cuisine because of the exotic mix of Indian, Chinese, Malay and Thai flavours. "Malaysians must jump rather than watch the opportunity pass them by," he said.

That's the end of the article.

WHY CAN'T WE SHARE OUR FOOD???

The article mentions that Malaysian cuisine appears to be an exotic blend of other Asian cuisines. That is only natural, considering we all stay in the same region anyway, so there must be many similarities.

Some of these similarities include lots of rice and lots of spices (there's a lot of spicy food in Southeast Asian cuisines).

And our assignment was to find a recipe for a dish of Southeast Asian roots. So here it is:

Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients!
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp green curry paste (according to taste)
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
1-2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a rolling pin (optional)
750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks (use breast and/or leg meat)
6-8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime)
400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
good shake of Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
½-1 lime, juice only

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the green curry paste and sugar and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, stirring with the lemongrass, if using. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces and lime leaves or zest until coated in the paste. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce or soy sauce and bring to a simmer, cooking for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the coriander and lime juice. Check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if needed.
2. The curry is now best left to sit for a few minutes so the sauce becomes creamier. You will also taste the true flavours of the curry paste ingredients when it's slightly cooler. Serve with lots of fragrant Thai jasmine rice.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/thaigreencurry_67788.shtml

And of course, you can't miss the JASMINE RICE.

Jasmine rice is a particularly fine, medium-grain type of rice. It is fragrant when cooked, hence the name. The polished white rice is prepared without salt to balance the Thai flavors. Please do not serve ordinary rice from the supermarket with Thai meals!

The secret of perfect rice lies in the quantity of water used-measure holding your finger on top of the rice-the water should reach just below your middle finger's first joint. All the water should be absorbed during cooking, leaving the rice firm and fluffy.

Rice only takes 20-25 minutes, with little attention (but don't let it burn!).

Traditionally cooked in an aluminium pan over a charcoal burner, here in the West, we use a modern stove. With the introduction of electricity across the country, today the electic rice cooker is more common in Thailand.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Thai jasmine rice
3 cups water

Method
Place rice in a small saucepan (approx. 2-1/2 qt). Rinse rice by running cold water over two or three times to cover and pouring the water out. This rids the rice of excess starch powder and broken rice which makes the cooked rice mushy and sticky. Add just enough water to cover the top of the rice by 1/2-inch (approximately 3 cups).
A convenient trick is to place your middle finger, just touching the top of the rice in the pan. The water level should be just below the first joint of your finger, from the tip. No measuring needed.
Cover the pot with the lid. Place over medium to medium high heat. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, another 10 minutes, until the water has completely evaporated.
Turn off the burner and allow rice to sit, covered, for at least another 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature (especially with spicy curries). Serves 2 to 3.

fascinating, no?

I'd talk more about food, but it's making me abnormally hungry so I shall stop here. Maybe another time. :D

MY EVERYDAY NEED`