We'd been craving Malaysian food, so off we went to Makan House in Brooklyn, where the meal began with fresh coconut juice and oolong tea—a good start to what quickly turned into an "austere" feast.
Then came the prawn mee, a comforting bowl of yellow egg noodles and rice vermicelli in a rich, savory shrimp broth, followed by roti canai—flaky, layered flatbread, crisp around the edges and soft and chewy inside, perfect for tearing apart and dipping in spiced curry gravy with chunks of potato and chicken.
There was also the Malaysian Hainanese pork chop, a crispy, five-spice-marinated cutlet covered in a savory-sweet, tangy brown gravy. And the okra and shrimp, with tender okra and juicy shrimp bringing that distinctive salty, funky kick from belacan, the fermented shrimp paste that gives the dish its depth.
Pretty much exactly what the craving called for. We ate, drank, talked, and left very happy—though Malaysian food cravings, as we've learned, have a way of coming back. (APJ)