The market

I don't cook very often but Sunday morning is a good time to go to the market.  Everyone goes to the market and the hustle and bustle are different from any other days.

These are giant cockles!  The usual cockles I found are so much smaller.  Usually the local cockles are part of  the ingredients of fried kway teow and can also be made into "sambal" (the local dish made up of red chilies).  They can also be eaten as snack or appetizer by boiling or grilling them. 

Now these are the local fruits and vegetables you can find in a typical market.  The green beans on the long stalks are called "petai" (Parkia Speciosa).  It has somewhat a pungent smell but it also known to be a good source of anti-oxidant.  I usually don't eat the beans raw.  Either I cook it in some dishes or I boil or grill them and eat with the local salsa aka "sambal belacan".

The dark round shaped fruit-like beans besides the petai are called the "jering" beans.  I think some people also called them Dogfruit.  Honestly I don't know how to prepare them.  Some eat them raw but I prefer the ones they cooked with chilies, the Padang style.

Teh limes you see in the picture are "limau nipis" (lime) and "limau kasturi" (Calamansi).  Lime has similar taste like lemon and it is also known to be a source of anti-oxidant.  We usually use lime juice in our dishes to improve the taste of soupy dishes.  The sourness of Calamansi makes it delicious to be made into a cool drink during a hot sunny day.  A squeeze of calamansi will also makes your sambal belacan taste much better. 

Normally the market is divided into several sections.  This is the vegetable section.  All kind of vegetables can be seen here especially the green ones.

Another section is the meat and poultry.  I am lucky that they can help to cut the chicken at the market for me.

More green leaves.

There is also a food court at the market where we usually go for breakfast and meet the town folks.