Hey Axtremus
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Someone I know is heading to Malaysia (and Borneo) for holiday.
She said she likes to try ‘strange foods’ (from an American perspective) when she travels but she can’t find any unusual things people eat there. I’m certain there are foods that would meet her definition.
Any recommendations?
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Don't have anything to add on the food, but if she has extra time, have her go to Kalimantan (Indonesia side of Borneo) and take a trip on the Mahakam River. Still some pretty remote areas near the top. Quite an interesting area where the Dayak people live.
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Sorry I cannot think of many "strange foods" that I have personally experienced there.
I suppose chicken feet, pig brain, ox/cow brain, beef omasum are a bit exotic for the typical Americans, but if she's visited enough Chinese restaurants, she would have come across those already (i.e., those are not "unique" to Malaysia/Borneo). She can also try to look up "sup torpedo" (bull penis soup), but even that is not entirely unique to Malaysia/Borneo.Supposedly there is something called the "butod" (sago grub) in the Sabah/Sarawak area that she can try to look up but it's not something I have personally tried.
"Laksa" is not too high on the "strange" scale in terms of ingredients but taste-wise it would be pretty far off the typical American palette, and should be quite easy to find in Malaysia; and it's a uniquely Malay dish. (It's bit like noodle soup; it just tastes very different from the Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese noodle soups.)
"Nasi kandar" will be very easy to find but basically it's (South) Indian curry rice that you top with many dishes ... the typical "nasi kandar" stall often offers many different dishes; depending on luck, sometimes you may find dishes/ingredients that you do not recognize (thus "strange" to you); maybe by visiting a few "nasi kandar" stalls she can find a few things that can satisfy her urge for "strange" foods.
Sorry I can't be more helpful.
