My New Favorite Food-- Xian Long Bao!

I have not been blogging as much in Malaysia as I did in Oman.  I am not sure why.  Time just seems to get away from me faster here.  Or maybe expat living just seems more 'normal' to me after doing this for just over two years.  Anyways, I will try to do more.  

My son Jared came to visit us back in October.  I already blogged about taking him to Din Tai Fung, in the Pavilion Mall.  Din Tai Fung is a dim sum restaurant here in KL.  I have never eaten at a dim sum restaurant before KL (although they do have them in the US.)  In case you are not familiar with the term dim sum, as I was not, it is a style of Cantonese or Hokkien food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions, traditionally served in small steamer baskets.  Din Tai Fung is considered one the of the best in KL (there are locations in other countries, too.)  It even has a Michelin star, so the place is usually very crowded, with a wait for tables.

Here is Jared, with an assortment of dumplings, spring rolls, and steamed buns.  This was my first time, and we ordered a little of everything.  Let's just say, we did not leave hungry!

But these were my favorite-- xian long boa!  Or also known as soup dumplings, since there is some broth inside the dumplings.  They are so yummy.

So here is our new Chinese Malaysian friend, Jenny.  We all go to Bible study on Thursday mornings and are getting into the habit of going out to lunch afterwards.  She asked us what we wanted for lunch and I said dim sum.  She was so surprised!  She didn't realize Americans liked Chinese food.  I told her, of course we like Chinese food!  Do you have any idea how many Chinese restaurants there are in the US?  Her answer?  Well, those are not really Chinese restaurants. ...  What does she mean?  Does she mean that Panda Express is not 100% authentic Chinese??  :)

(It was hard taking this selfie of the four of us.  Sure, I could have asked a waiter, but what is the challenge in that?  I was wishing I had my selfie stick!)

I mentioned Din Tai Fung, in the Pavilion Mall.  Jenny suggested this restaurant, in Bangsar Village II.  It is more convenient for us, less crowded, and more elegant inside.

They bring the table a bowl of black fungus for us to share.  That's right, black fungus.  I know it's mushrooms, but still.  Let's just say, we let Jenny eat the whole bowl.  She was so happy!!

This is what I was craving, on top.  Xian long boa!  These are the basic flavor.  The noodle dish in the front had some sort of pork dumplings included.  It was a bit of dumpling overload, but I was not complaining!  Brenda also ordered these noodles.  Jenny ordered plain noodles, and Peg ordered a (large) bowl of soup.  Again, no one went hungry!

The basic xian long boa are usually dipped in this small bowl of shredded ginger with vinegar poured over it.  Sounds weird, but very tasty.

Paradise Dynasty has eight different varieties of xian long boa.  The pink ones were spicy, very spicy.  And you don't dip the spicy ones into the vinegar.  No need for extra flavor.  Just the need for extra water.

The eight flavors of xian long boa.

Lunch for the four of us was 160 ringgits, or $44.  For such a nice restaurant and the amount of delicious food we ordered, it was a great value!  We are so happy Jenny had us try this new restaurant.

Side note:  As an expat, it is easy to find other expats from the same country, and just hang out with each other.  We might explore the country, but it is harder to explore the culture.  I am really enjoying getting to know Jenny.  She is explaining so many things to us, and we are learning a lot more about the Malaysian and Chinese cultures.  Right now I am interested in learning more about Chinese New Year, which is coming up soon.  More on that later.

I just bought an airline ticket for next weekend's destination-- Bangkok!  So excited for my first visit to Thailand!