"Without the curry, boiled rice can be very dull" ~ C. Northcote Parkinson

Following a rather long hiatus, BITE (But Is This Edible) met the other evening for the first time since December.  Two of our four members wintered elsewhere, so we just suspended things for a bit.  How nice it was to get together again!  Of course the food was the "reason", but just sitting around the table and catching up with each other and what is going on in our lives - just wonderful.  New jobs; family weddings on the horizon - all kinds of stuff!

Tierney chose our theme for this month, and we were all in agreement that Malaysia was a challenge - a good challenge, but a challenge nonetheless.  We continue to be amazed at how nicely the dishes that we choose (with no prior consultation) seem to work so well together.  We also agreed that we created a bit of a run on coconut milk!

One thing that I realize is that, while I'm pretty pleased with the wildlife pictures that I take, I really need to work on "people", "indoor shots", and "food".  I hope that you will see improvement in the future photos of these topics - I'm not thrilled with the quality of those below - they just don't come close to showing you how wonderful these dishes looked!

To begin our meal, Chris chose to make Fresh Spring Rolls with Hoisin-Peanut Dip (Goi Cuon). These were so fresh tasting!  Just like eating spring!  The dipping sauce was the perfect accompaniment.  

Fresh Spring Rolls with Hoisin-Peanut Dip (Goi Cuon)

Chris then outdid herself by also making Laksa Lemak Soup containing tofu, chicken and shrimp, in addition to rice vermicelli and an abundance of spices.  Fragrant and delicious!  I had the simplest task for our meal in choosing Lasi Lemak (Coconut Rice).  I even added some toasted coconut to it - which I was surprised that I liked as I tend to not be fond of the texture of coconut - it seemed to work wonderfully with this simple dish!

Our main dish was provided by Tierney.  Her Chicken Curry was just the right amount of spicy - and again - so fragrant!  Spooned over the rice made for a wonderful combination!  Lastly, Ellen made our dessert.  I think that we were all the most surprised by this dish.  Malayasian Banana Pancakes with Lemon Coconut Curd, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream was such a delightful combination of tart and sweet - so unexpected and so delicious.

Laksa Lemak Soup; Lasi Lemak (Coconut Rice); Chicken Curry; Malayasian Banana Pancakes with Lemon Coconut Curd

So we are once again patting ourselves on the back for a meal well done!  I am in charge of choosing our theme for next month.  I haven't decided yet what it will be, but I'm sure that we will enjoy every minute and every bite!