Gordon in Malaysia

Week three of Gordon Ramsey's televised Great Escapes and the intrepid chef tackled Malaysia, or rather Malaysia tackled him.  Happier driving a motorbike with a couple of foodie Hells Angels, not confronting the traffic head on as a nervous passenger in a cycled rickshaw, viewers were subjected to more culinary shocks on this mission to find the most cringe-worthy ingredients.  Malaysia's contribution to the Yuk! stakes being Torpedo Soup for Men (made with bull's penis, apparently a very spicy soup but with muscle gristle texture).  It's amazing that these dishes seem to be in demand otherwise no one would bother making them.

Thankfully the true stars of the region's cooking were the aunties - older generation ladies revered for their expertise in the kitchen, to whom their professional executive chef sons defer.  The multi-cultural influences including Chinese and Indian cooking have greatly shaped how Malaysian cuisine has evolved.  From smoky charcoal grilled satay; marinated chicken; traditional Malaysian coconut rice; to spicy beef rendang, Gordon was introduced to the complex layers of Malaysian flavours.  It was very poignant when he was advised by the Chief Monk on the occasion of Buddha's Birthday, to  "Try your best to do good things; Try your best to think good things; Everything middle path; Try your best not to get angry."  Whether or not that had any impact on Gordon remains to be seen as it certainly didn't influence the level of coarse language.  He did look reflective though.

The greatest adventure of this week's programme was Gordon on a trek in Malaysian Borneo to harvest birds nests made of swifts' saliva (a market worth £5m a year exporting to China).  Involving river journeys, crawling through a tunnel thick with guano ("bat shit") and climbing a tall bamboo ladder - all 15stone of him, the outcome was not so much a culinary show-stopper, but a simple sweet soup which didn't impress. 

My favourite Malaysian ingredient didn't get a mention:  gula melaka (or palm sugar).  It just sounds so fabulous and tastes truly delicious in both savoury and sweet dishes (my winner being ice cream).  If you feel like recreating a taste of Malaysia at home the beef rendang recipe in Sri Owen's Encyclopedia of Asian Cooking is wonderful.  A true aunty's recipe.