Spice of Life

Life may be no picnic but it’s definitely one big moveable feast. From the tried-and-tested to the downright weird, variety is truly the spice of life. When it comes to food, the whole world’s your oyster.

Words: Alice Yong

Sweet celebration

Known as the Festival of Lights, Deepavali or Diwali is widely celebrated in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries with sizeable Hindu communities. It is customary to fete family and friends on this joyous occasion with mithai or sweets such as halwa (gelatinous pudding-like sweets made from flour, grated carrot or pumpkin cooked with sugar and ghee), gulab jamun (spongy, sweet deep-fried milk balls in scented syrup), nei urundhai (green pea flour, sugar and ghee balls), athirasam (rice flour, brown sugar and cardamom scented doughnuts) and jalebi (deep-fried rosettes of fermented flour batter soaked in scented syrup).

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia from various destinations. Go to www.airasia.com for details.

Mouth watering Macau

The best souvenir from Macau has to be its almond cookies from Koi Kei Bakery. Step into any of its 14 stores and you’ll have a hard time deciding what to buy as Koi Kei offers over 300 products to tempt you from delicate egg rolls and crunchy peanut candy to beef jerky and preserved fruits. Free samplings of these treats are available too! www.koikei.com

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies to Macau from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Clark (Manila). Go to www.airasia.com for details.

Thai tantaliser

“The most unique dish I’ve ever eaten is chor ladda, a unique blue-tinted appetizer from Rama V Thai restaurant (5 Jalan U Thant, Kuala Lumpur. T: +603 21432663).

The slightly chewy skin is tinted blue using the butterfly pea flower whilst the sweet savoury filling is a combination of crushed peanuts and minced chicken. Rama V’s elegant setting also makes me feel as if I’m dining in a royal abode as the restaurant has several private dining ‘villas’ set amidst a lush garden complete with a lotus pond.”

~ Chris Wan, executive secretary, food blogger and AirAsia’s guest

Taste of Melbourne

Billed as one of the hottest culinary and social events in the Aussie foodie calendar, the fifth edition of ‘Taste of Melbourne’ (November 15 – 18) will feature the city’s stellar restaurants such as The Point and MoVida. Learn how to eat and live ‘green’ with Matt Wilkinson’s celebrated pop-up ventures, Bishop of Ostia & Pope Joan. Other attractions include cooking demonstrations and top chef tutorials, wine tastings and cocktail-making master classes. www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au