The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Chinese dust cloud ‘improves smelly Japanese dish’ Posted: 04 Sep 2012 09:29 PM PDT  Natto, while not widely known outside Japan, can be found in many health food shops. — Picture courtesy of ©Reika/Shuttertsock.com Microscopic organisms found in the yellow fug that drifts over from China are almost identical to the reagent usually added to the beans to start the decomposition process, said Teruya Maki, an assistant professor at Kanazawa University. The end result, labelled "Sky Natto", tastes like normal natto but doesn't have the overpowering smell that puts off so many first timers and divides Japan into those who love the protein-rich dish and those who hate it. "We spotted this bacteria which is the same as that used for making natto," said Maki, who was studying the organisms in the Chinese dust cloud for their potential risks to human health. After a test batch, Maki and his team persuaded a local natto manufacturer to adopt the recipe and produce Sky Natto for sale at the university, with an eye on cracking the local market. "Sky Natto has a much less overwhelming smell than regular natto and has greater nutritional value because it contains more magnesium and calcium," said Maki. Clouds of yellow dust travel from northern China during Spring when winds whip up sand and transport it thousands of kilometres, sometimes shrouding parts of Japan and the Korean peninsula. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Coffee and the art of storytelling Posted: 04 Sep 2012 06:02 PM PDT  Owner of Artisan Roast Michael Wilson and the famous Artisan Roast coffee 'menu'. The year was 2002 and I was a student in Munich. My German was barely serviceable, but I was trying hard. I had to, if I wanted anything to eat or drink.
For now, I was trying to be a good Asian boy (or so I thought) and not end up getting drunk during the day. Unfortunately, like any good Asian boy, I was finding it hard to accept the fact I had to pay for drinking water. Plain ol' water. So, ordering some coffee seemed a good compromise. The only problem was I hadn't really drunk much coffee before. This "better deal" could well end up being an ordeal. "Mit oder ohne Sahne?" (Cream or none?) We never put cream in our drinks back home. We had condensed milk from tins and that was it.  Cups of coffee and the interior of Artisan Roast. When my coffee came and I had my first sip of the bitter, black brew, I wished I had taken their advice. Ten years later, and I am in another café. I'm back in Kuala Lumpur and surprised at all the independent cafés popping up all over the place. No Starbucks or Coffee Bean for this crowd — all I hear are single-origin beans, micro-roasting and artisanal, handcrafted coffee. It all sounds a little pretentious, I must admit, if it weren't for the little fact that I'm one of the crowd too.  Barista Alang making coffee. I have friends in town from Taipei where they do really good tea, but where coffee's an entirely different matter. I knew where to bring them, naturally. We had all the appearance of a moveable joke — "An American, a Canadian and a Malaysian walk into a bar…" — except this wasn't a bar, but an Edinburgh-originated café run by a Kiwi. The world has become so much smaller since 2002. The coffee may come from distant lands — like Ethiopia (an intense yet delicate Yirga Cheffe) and Rwanda (a smooth and fruity Musasa). Even the hot chocolate is made with fine cocoa from the Dominican Republic. We wouldn't have been surprised if they told us the cakes were made by some hermit hiding in Madagascar. (But no, the cakes and desserts are very local and "sustainable", made in the scratch kitchen by co-owner Amirah or her mother.)  Homemade cakes from the scratch kitchen. Randy (the Canadian) tells us how he once had a blind date in a café — they'd recognise each other by ordering a very complicated and difficult drink. The only problem was, by the time he got to the café, he had forgotten what the drink was! Needless to say, the date was a bust. And so we go on for the rest of the night, swapping stories and drinking more good coffee. "What's good coffee?" you may ask, and I'd have no answer for you but this — I know it when I taste it — as is so many things in life that's worth savouring. Maybe, this is the art of Artisan Roast and other small, independent cafés like it — the ability to do more than simply serve good coffee, but also bring folks from all walks together.  Red Espresso, which is non-caffeinated,100 per cent Rooibos tea. Jenny (the American) asks me when I started drinking coffee again, after that disastrous first attempt in Munich more than a decade ago. I reply, with a twinkle in my eye, that I'd be happy to tell the story. It might even be a love story, I tease. But first, "Noch einen Kaffee, bitte" (more coffee, please). Artisan Roast Kuala Lumpur 4, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (03 7733 6397/ www.artisanroast.com.my). Open Mon - Fri 8am-12am; Sat-Sun 9am-12am. |
My fellow Sommeruniversität mates and I were in a Kneipe (a Bavarian pub) and I was trying to avoid ordering a beer. In the weeks to come, I would succumb to this beautiful golden beverage, especially once I realised it was cheaper than drinking water, especially on a student's allowance.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Food To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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