Spice up Your Life in Penang

by VERONICA GREER
(MELBOURNE)

I have to admit that it took me 12 years before I decided that my annual visit to Penang should be more than just a brilliant excuse to stay away from a kitchen.

For someone who loves to eat and experiment with food and cooking this was really out of character, but I guess I felt that when you are on a holiday you try to stay away from the things you do most of at home.

Penang has to be one of the best places on earth to eat. At any given time of the day or night you can delight in foods from a myriad of cultures. Chinese, Indian, Malay, European, Western, Eastern. They are all there for the asking, you will never go hungry in this multicultural labyrinth of colour and smells that tantalize and flirt with all the senses.

It was on this 12th visit that I found Nazlina. Before I left Australia for my 2 month sojourn I had decided that at last my culinary laziness should be put to rest and I googled cooking classes in Penang.
To my surprise it led me to The Tropical Spice Garden at Teluk Bahang, a beautiful garden full of wonderful plants and fragrances and a delightful cafe with a deck overlooking the bay. John and I have wiled away many relaxing hours on this deck over the years, reading and sipping spiced coffee or their tangy Gunner ( a very refreshing ginger drink)

I was surprised and excited that Nazlina was holding her cooking classes at one of my favourite places. What better than to be learning to cook some traditional Malay food out in the open with a view to die for and a gorgeous little teacher who was to open my eyes to a way of cooking that was not easy but gave you a sense of achievement and satisfaction.

This was work, the grinding, the shredding, the rolling, the chopping, squeezing, slicing, squatting,standing,kneeling. No oven or food processor here, blender or juice extractor. Just the food ingredients, a knife, a granite chopping block and a camp gas stove and two hours later a seafood curry, rice and some tasty sticky dessert in banana leaves was our gourmet lunch.

My hands were sore from grating the coconut and my 63 year old knees were aching, but oh, how I had enjoyed myself. This was a meal made with love and a whole heap of fun and laughter.

Several days later the shopkeepers in Little India saw me with shopping list in hand and John in toe happily searching for herbs and spices. They were slightly surprised that I seemed to know what I wanted and I could understand their curiosity as to why this western holiday maker was walking out of their store with tamarind fruit, coconuts and bunches of curry leaves!!

Thank you Nazlina.................

The Journey Begins!!