and siestas go together. Becos' after a banana leaf rice meal, I feel like a beached whale, unable to twitch a muscle. A few weeks ago when Malaysians were allowed to dine-in, Gizmo Man and I decided that our tummies needed a little "loving."
Hence, we excitedly drove to Ravi's to give our tummies the TLC. I must add we skipped breakfast in preparation for this tender loving care.
Banana leaf rice is Indian cuisine and for the brave. So said becos' one has to be able to handle the enormous amount of rice, curies and vegetables on a "eat as much as you like basis" at a fixed price. We use the phrase "semua taruh" translated as "everything put," as everything is heaped onto a banana leaf. Three types of curries are available - fish and chicken curry and dhall (lentils). Just keep scooping from the metal pots and absolutely no one bats an eyelid.
" Lunchers "(not diners) as banana leaf rice is only served during lunch time, are expected to "drown" their rice in these curries. Another rule is we eat with our fingers.
The vegetables vary daily. We were served "papadum" (spice crackers), cucumber, carrots and onions in vinegar, curried potatoes, fried onions and some cooked greens of which i couldn't tell what! We can eat as much rice, curries, "papadum" and vegetables as our tummies can handle. Just wave our hands at the waiters and they gladly do a refill. We added the fish and chicken varuval as our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.
A satisfying lunch for two for 44 MYR (10 USD, 8 GBP) as we ordered a plate of extra chicken varuval, one fried fish each and an ice tea.
The last rule for banana leaf rice: If you liked it, fold the banana leaf AWAY from you after you finish.
If you did NOT enjoy the meal, fold the leaf TOWARDS you.
Actions speak louder than words! Burp...execute me. please.
This is our famous Malaysian cartoonist Lat (Datuk Mohammad Nor bin Mohammad Khalid) catching the essence of banana leaf rice meals.
The banana leaf rice is what we call virunthu (treat), and what you ate is unlimited meals. I love eating from a banana leaf, but lately, I feel uncomfortable eating from a leaf, so I prefer plates mostly.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon there represents the south Indian restaurants well. But there's too much rice. lol
Unlimited meals, yes Jeevan this is a great tag for banana leaf rice meals. Wth the pandemic, it is safer to eat from plates
DeleteThat looks and sounds like an immense treat. I hope that you were able to sleep it off. And suspect that as well as missing breakfast in preparation, the evening meal held no charm.
ReplyDeleteGreat cartoon too.
I sure was able to sleep it off for a few hours, zzzzz. TQ
DeleteI've never seen a banana leaf rice meal before but this looks delicious and does sound like a great treat! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a nice weekend :)
Away From The Blue
It is a whole lot to eat and digest, you must try it one day Mica if you get the chance.
DeleteYimmy! Thank you very much for the recipe )
ReplyDeleteGood meal Victoria, too much to eat.
ReplyDeleteOMG, this is like nasi Padang in Indonesia 😄. But usually banana leaf ia used when the food intended to take away , not eating On spot. Banana leaf Will give aromatic fragrance to the dishes and make them more delicious 😄👍🏿.
ReplyDeleteTapiiiii, sekarang nih tak banyak lagi food stalls that use banana leaf. Dunno apakah karena banana leaf makin mahal dan susah ditemukan, atau menggunakan paper easier and cheaper for the sellers.