Curry Muncher for a Day...

Just when I was starting to get a little too comfortable on the island, fate served me up a little surprise vacation. Although I hadn’t planned on leaving the island until October, the Indonesian Consulate had other things in mind. Apparently, mold caused the invisible they use on my visa entry stamp to fade off, leaving me know choice but to leave the country. My destination, Penang Island, Maylasia home to the famous Penang Curry among many other fun experiences I recently enjoyed.

Upon my arrival to the airport had the great fortune of selecting Mr. Ming as my driver. On a 10-minute drive to the embassy he managed to teach me every variant of racial slur the Malaysians use forn the many immigrants to their country. Among a slew of other racist terms he taught me, Ming informed me that “In Malaysia we call the Indians, Curry Muncher, because they are always eating the stinky curry.”

I had only heard rumors about a place in Penang called little India that is famed for having some of the most authentic and delicious Indian Curry in all of Asia. After sorting out my visa at the embassy, my stomach was grumbling, and all of the restaurants smelled more and more appetizing by the second. I couldn’t hold out for Little India, so I decided to go for the renown Penang curry at a local café. Incredibly flavorful and delicious, it was only missing one thing I was craving, Naan!!!

After stuffing myself, I figured it was time to fins a place to stay. I had been told by the co-owner of the lodge, a long time veteran of visa runs to Penang, that the best place to stay was the backpacker’s district in Georgetown, a convenient 5 min walk to little India. After walking around for a minute to find quite a few places full up, I stumbled upon the Love Lane Inn. For 18 Ringgit/ night (About 5.50 USD) I got a ‘cozy’ room with a sink, fan and queen size bed, everything a man needs. The Penang Curry and a day of traveling turned what I intended to be a quick nap into a 4hr sleep.

I woke up refreshed with the smell of curry tantalizing my nostrils once again. I grabbed my camera and set off to sniff out what came to be the best Indian meal of my life. Along the way I saw a beautiful mosque, one of the most famous in Penang.

In the end, it was not my nose that really found Ros’s resteraunt, but I judged by the packed house of Indians eating curry and steamy naan while watching world cup, that I was probably in the right place.

With the giant selection of curries I didn’t quite know what to choose. I only had one night in Penang, and so the pressure to pick the right dish was at an all time high. To be honest, my restaurant/curry selection process was one of the more stressful moments I’ve had since I came over here….That tells you how mellow life is on the island!

Anyways the owner of the shop, Ros, saw my bewilderment and came quickly to my aid. She asked me what kind of curry I like, how spicy I liked it, and so on…. She then proceeded to make me a special concotion based on my request. I said I liked Tikka Masala style curry with chicken, and liked it with lots of garlic and PEDAS SEKALI (Extra Spicy!). She grabbed some masala sauce, deboned some delicious looking tandoori chicken, grabbed some fresh onion, garlic and vegetables, went back into her magicians booth of a kitchen and closed the curtain. 10 min later I was delivered a steamy piece of garlic naan, a bowl of blood red chicken curry with tons of garnish’s, and a plate of rice on top of a banana leaf. By this point I was salivating so much I could have used a spittoon.

The first bite of curry exploded in my mouth with a rich creamy masala flavor, quickly followed by a bombardment of various chili flavors. Ros, looked at me for a reaction…I gave her a Big thumbs up.

It was so tasty I wanted to grab her by her shall right then and there, thrust her into her own Tandoori cart and keep her in a closet in my room. Unfortunately the tandoori cart was missing a wheel, so she got lucky, and I left her with many thanks and the only tip I have given for food since I have come to Asia this year. No doubt, the best Indian meal of my life.