Malay-Style Kimchi with Bay Leaves
Tropical, aromatic, and full-bodied fermented vegetables with cabbage, carrot, cucumber, lemongrass, turmeric, chilies, and bay leaves. When I was a teenager, my father had a long-time friend from his BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) days. He was based in Kuala Lumpur, and whenever his flight schedules gave him a stopover in London, he would visit us. I still see him clearly: tall, refined, the very picture of a British-Pakistani gentleman, sitting in our living room by the fireplace. His pipe rested lightly in his hand, a plate of my mother’s cheesecake before him, a fresh cup of coffee steaming gently on the table. Even now, I can smell the luxurious aroma of his pipe tobacco mingling with the scent of the cheesecake and the fire. Those visits were unforgettable—not just because of the warmth between him and my father, but because of the treasures he brought from Malaysia, exotic fruits and cooked dishes that felt like a portal to another world. May his soul rest in peace....