One of the reasons I’m so interested in cooking is explained on this web page Ethnic Cuisine: Indonesia
Chart a country’s cuisine and you can chart its history.
Nowhere is this more true than in Indonesia, the fifth largest country in the world, an archipelago consisting of 18,000 islands, spanning one-eighth of the globe and occupied by 250 ethnic groups. Here tremendous ethnic diversity coupled with wave upon wave of cultural influence adds up to a world of pleasure for the culinary adventurer.
Looking for a good Indonesian/Malaysian/Sinaporean cookbook, I find my favorites are out-of-print, but still available as half-price books from Amazon’s network. Try The Cooking of Singapore : Great Dishes…
and Makan-Lah! : The True Taste of Malaysia
The latter has the Raffles Hotel’s recipe for the Singapore Sling, and is worth the price just for that.
Malaysia — One word: yum!
I’ve never been in that country for more than a few minutes and not gained a pound or two!
This reminds me of my favorite Chinese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur – the place downtown called “Soon Be Fatt.”