One of the great delights of living in Malaysia is the availability and variety of good food. When we were looking for somewhere to live here, we were surprised how few houses had ‘real’ kitchens where one could spend time cooking. Now that we have lived here for 10 months, we know why this is; it is far too hot, though not impossible, to cook indoors and there are many options for buying delicious ready made meals from street markets.
On the left is a photo of the Sunday morning market at Bandar Baru Uda. I was here with my friend before 8 am to get her favourite food which sells out very quickly. The range of fresh produce is amazing, so you can purchase the raw ingredients and/or come away with your ready made breakfast, lunch and dinner all collected in colourful plastic bags.
Above is a bag of do-it-yourself laksa, available in many different local varieties, and on the left is a selection of sweet and savoury snacks. Sadly, although all this food is really tasty, it probably would not top the list of health foods! So, everything in moderation.
Now that we are in the fasting month of Ramadhan, there are even more options for getting ready made meals. When you have to fast between sunrise and sunset for a month, it is good to have meals ready to eat for the breaking of the fast in the evening (Iftar). So, Ramadhan Bazaars are set up around Johor Bahru and are really busy between 4-6 pm. Below are photos taken at the Ramadhan Bazaar in Bandar Baru Uda, and as you can see, the sun is already low in the sky. Here I bought some delicious chicken and beef sate sticks, with spicey peanut sauce, cucumber and onion, and pressed rice, and some really tasty bad-for-you murtabak.
My next Bazaar Ramadhan was at Taman Perling; this was a much bigger affair with a busker singing in one corner and an almost carnival-like atmosphere. So many of the stall holders wanted me to take their photos, no persausion needed; so unlike trying to take street photos in Hong Kong.
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