(the locals call it the Wet Market- I don't know why, and I think it sounds gross so I just call it the market)
I was curious about going to the market for a few reasons:
1) the grocery store produce is pricey, somewhat fresh (could be better), and the meat selection is really poor
2) I assumed living in a tropical climate I could get things that were picked that morning, or day before, so I was searching for ways to eat the freshest produce possible
3) I want to embrace the local cuisine - spices, rubs, various fruits/veggies, etc.. that I don't see in the store
So my goals were set and we headed out! The market is actually less than 10 min from our house, which is really convenient. I decided to drive our new car, rather than accept the easy way out and ride with a friend. One of my friends from Canada actually rode with me (brave girl!), so that made me feel more comfortable having two sets of eyes navigating rather than one. And she has a very calm personality so that always helps.
We arrive easily to the market, and it's a two story open-air building, where I can park underneath. We arrived early so we could have our pick of the freshest items... and of course so the kids didn't get too hot. As we're walking up to the entrance I started to remember my hesitancies for not coming sooner.. mainly the cleanliness & smell. I have a pretty weak stomach so if this place reeks I will not be able to handle it. Of course of the many entrances, we went through the one right by the fish. And it smelled! Since no one in my group seemed interested in the fish and walked (briskly) through it, I forced myself to hustle through it as well. The good news is the smell only lasted an instant and as soon as we got to the fruits & veggies the smell of mango, pineapple, lemons, filled the air (thank God!).
Anything you could think of could be found - it was a really good market, and very fresh. Madison had a blast b/c they handed me a basket and she took on the duty of filling it with anything she could get her hands on. I let her go to town - potatoes, string beans, even little pumpkins and squash.. an entire basket of veggies only cost RM35, which is around $10. Awesome!
Then onto the fruits (my favorite). I've never seen such a wide variety of gorgeous fresh fruits. We loaded up on mangos, mini bananas (Mads' fave), oranges, lemons & limes, papaya, jackfruit, dragonfruit (which is magenta in color - makes beautiful smoothies), and more. The entire basket of fruit cost only RM28, which is around $9. Madison could hardly contain herself and kept trying to sneak fruits out of my basket and take a bite. All the workers were so nice - doting on Madison, giving her tastes of various things like mini bananas and fresh coconut slices.. and more importantly for me - suggestions on what to do with everything I bought!
Now onto the spices. I was SO excited to see what they had to offer, and was pretty surprised with what I found. I took a few pics of my favorite stall (see below). This lady packages her own spices and rubs, and puts labels on the front (in English!) with how to cook with it. I loaded up! The first meal I made was a green curry with coconut puree (mild), with chicken and fresh veggies. She told me to throw it all in a big pot and set it simmer for a few hours. How easy is that?! It was so delicious.
Overall, a great trip to the Farmer's Market - this will definitely be a bi-weekly trip!
The "spicy lady" giving Madison a treat!
These are all the packages of spices and marinades, with instructions for what type of food to cook it with, and how to cook it. I bought a ton of these. They were about $1/piece.
She ground these entire tubs of garlic, tomato paste, curry, etc.. that morning. Now that takes muscle!
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