For an Italian, polenta is only at its best
when prepared in a Tuscan farmhouse kitchen
For a Russian, the borscht must be freshly made
and served in a family dacha
overlooking a birch-lined lake in winter
For a Sarawakian, laksa must be dished-up piping hot in a crowded, noisy coffee shop in Kuching
Laksa is the quintessential coffee shop dish
The fine wheat flour vermicelli are dunked in the boiling water and then
a mixture of shallots, lemon grass, galingal, garlic, coriander seeds, dried chilli
and about 20 other herbs and spices
Most of the spices are imported from Egypt while some come from Iran;
crinkled dried chilli comes from China and the shallots from India
Subtle fragrances of candle nut, lemon grass, sour tamarind and garlic blend
together with a sharply flavoured curry-like spice mix
and lashings of santan to form a liquid
that seems to posses a hundred different flavours simultaneously
The doused noodles are garnished with generous helpings of sliced omelette ,
fresh prawns and shredded chicken breast
The whole thing is topped-off with a garnish of coriander leaves
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