Village

This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. Each post will be associated with a letter of the alphabet with the theme ‘Malaysiana‘

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Villages abound in Malaysia. One of the more well-known villages that we have is Kampung Baru or New Village, which is situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Due to its prime location, developers have been wooing residents of the Malay enclave, however elders in the village have resisted. So far.

Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com

I’ve never been to Kampung Baru but I’ve only driven past it on the myriad highways that surround this village established in the 1900s. Friends who have, tell me that it’s a typical Malay village, wooden houses and all.

And apparently, this humble village, which began as a pastoral community way back when, is now a food hub as well. Guess I better plan a trip there soon!

Ulam

This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. Each post will be associated with a letter of the alphabet with the theme ‘Malaysiana‘

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If I didn’t have any access to pictures and was asked to describe what an ulam (oo-lam) is, I’d say that it’s a platter of raw vegetables (cucumber sticks, a variety of herbs, grilled eggplant, etc…) with a spicy chili and shrimp paste dip or sambal belacan.

However, I do have access to pictures so I’ll just show you what an ulam is –

Source: Asian Food Channel

In Malaysia, there are about 120 types of plants that can be used in an ulam. These plants can either be eaten raw, blanched or grilled lightly. Each region in the country has their own way of serving ulam and also the dip it’s served with. Besides sambal belacan, ulam can also be served with a durian-based dip called tempoyak.

Ingredients of an ulam can also be used to make a rice dish called, what else, nasi ulam (ulam rice). Interested to give it a try? Here’s a recipe – Malaysian Mixed Herb Rice.

Note: Though April is over 😦 I’m committed to completing the rest of the posts in this theme mainly because it’s been educational for me to write about it! And also, I don’t like to leave things unfinished! For the few of you who’re still hanging around reading my belated A to Z Challenge posts, thank you! Once I’m done with all my posts, I’ve every intention to visit fellow A-to-Z-ers and read their fine posts!