Goat soup, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

It's loud, confusing with an atmosphere not unlike a market. The tables are uninspiring and a cat brushes past my leg. Someone almost slipped on the fresh coffee spill. The waiters are shouting something in Bahasa which Mark translated as "come here, come and sit inside".

I am in a hawker center simply called Selera Jaya 223 in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia and I'm having goat soup.

My foodie friend Mark orders in Bahasa-- duwa sup kambing and duwa Milo ice kosong. Literally translated as two goat soup and two Milo ice zero. (Mark explains that our drink is called "zero" because it contains nothing but water, ice and a generous heaping of Milo powdered milk.)

I take one packet of nasi lemak (literally "fat rice") wrapped in a banana leaf from the tray, unwrap it on the table (plates? what plates?) and take a huge spoonful of the rice cooked in coconut with sambal (chili) and peanuts. Then I sip the hot goat soup.

Immediately there was a party in my mouth and everybody was on fire. It's a spicy and meaty taste, very bold and aggressive which I think the locals describe as heaty. I drink up the soup until my nose is nice and runny and then I gulp down the Milo ice zero-- aahhh it is THE perfect drink to douse the flames.

Rating:
Four pawikan points! Bonus points because our bill comes up to a verrry reasonable MYR 7 per person! Not bad for a meal that really hit the spot.

Be prepared for lots of local color and make sure your stomach can handle this sort of experience. It's not exactly a shining pinnacle of food hygiene.