Travel food adventures

I love a good Laksa......What is a Laksa you ask?

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from Peranakan culture also known as Baba and Nyonya, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

It's a unique hot and spicy broth with a coconut cream base, filled with tofu puffs and selected veggies, chicken or seafood or both (combination) depending on where you are. It's usually garnished with spring onions and chili. As far as I'm concerned the hotter the better. I often ask for extra fresh chopped chili with mine.

There's just so much to like about Laksa that i decided to make the Ultimate Laksa Guide on Squidoo so please check it out! Got something to add? then post a link, add a comment or drop me an email at: urbanglobetrotter@gmail.com

For even more unique travel stories & tips including a focus on food go to: http://www.urbanglobetrotter.com.au, which should be up soon. In the mean time swing by my Travel Blog at Posterous http://urbanglobetrotter.posterous.com/

Now I'm hungry!

The term "laksa" is used generally to describe two different basic types of noodle soup dishes: curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. Usually, thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are preferred, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) is also common and some variants use other types.

The Origins of the name are unclear but there a few theories: One theory traces it back to Hindi/Persian lakhshah, referring to a type of vermicelli. It has also been suggested that "laksa" may derive from the Chinese word "la sha" pronounced "latsa" in Cantonese), meaning "spicy sand" due to the ground dried prawns which gives a sandy or gritty texture to the sauce. The last theory is that the name comes from the similar sounding word "dirty" in Hokkien due to its appearance.

There are also similar or related dishes as well such as:

* mohinga, a Burmese fish noodle soup
* ohn-no khaut swe, Burmese version of coconut chicken noodle soup
* khao soi, a northern Thai noodle dish

"Honestly, I don't want to go behind another curtain - I just need something to eat." And with that I grabbed hold of her hand and kept right on walking. By now we were lost deep within the narrow laneways of the ancient city of Kyoto (Japan's original capital city), it was after 8pm and we were both hungry.

It was simple enough; we just wanted somewhere interesting to eat purely to avoid the easy option of fast food. The search was dragging on though and had led us down laneway after laneway and with each corner we turned they got narrower and narrower. The cobblestoned lanes were as alluring as they were eerie. You could easily imagine Geisha walking these very lanes hundreds of years ago as they serviced and entertained those within the non- descript eating houses by the dozen devoid of any inside view. These days they offer a small display of selected dishes as a hint that they are in fact eateries. A simple curtain marks each entrance along with a traditional lantern or two. It was wonderfully understated but equated to a game of Russian roulette when it came to making a sound choice for dinner and I had a tired and hungry girl on my hands just remind me of this.

Read the full story at: www.urbanglobetrotter.com.au

Italian cuisine is one of the most popular culinary art forms in the world. These flavourful dishes have often graced the tables of many homes and restaurants all over the world. Naturally, the best place to sample authentic Italian cuisine is in Italy and a holiday to the country will not be complete without sampling some of the best dishes in the region.

1. Pizza - This is a contemporary Italian dish that was invented out of necessity in times of war, where Italian peasants would bake whatever vegetables and bits of meat they had on a piece of dough. Today, this popular dish has made its way all over the world but is at its best in Italy.

2. Lasagna - This is a classic Italian dish. Usually, ground beef, an assortment of cheeses and some sausages are used in making lasagna. Some lasagna dishes are prepared using tomato sauce in a process very similar to preparing spaghetti with tomato sauce.

3. Chicken Parmigiana - This is another classic Italian dish. It is similar to a sandwich and can be made by deep frying pieces of bead and chicken topped with melted cheese.

4. Linguini - Italians make the best linguini and this dish is served with a clam sauce made out of fresh clams, garlic and olive oil.

5. Fettuccine Alfredo - Fettuccine are long, wide noodles and aflredo is a type of white cream sauce. The heavy white sauce does a good job of sticking to the fettuccine resulting in a creamy and flavourful pasta dish. This is popular dish with both locals and tourists.

6. Pasta Primavera - This is a vegetarian pasta dish usually prepared with springtime vegetables. Although authentic pasta primavera is usually vegetarian, there are some variants that use shrimp or meat.

7. Veal Marsala - This dish is composed of veal cooked in Marsala wine sauce. This delicious dish is usually served with scallions and mushrooms.

8. Shrimp fra Diavolo - This is a spicy dish aptly named. Diavolo is the Italian word for devil and this dish is prepared with a lot of crushed pepper. This dish is rather spicy but is extremely delicious.

9. Chicken Saltimbocca - This is usually made with chicken, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and prosciutto ham.

10. Spaghetti Bolognaise - This is a classic Italian dish and it is one of the most popular and recognizable Italian dishes in the world. This is a simple and affordable dish made out of spaghetti noodles, tomatoes, beef and an assortment of other ingredients. Most Spaghetti dishes are prepared with ground beef, meatballs, mushrooms, broccoli and an assortment of sausages.

Regarded as the best little fruitstand in Geylang, Singapore this is where I routinely found myself having breakfast over on Lorong 9. I was only staying around the corner so it was as handy as it was cheap and tasty! All my favourites were there and some exotics as well.