Keropok Udang from Brunei

                           

What Kropeck  is to us Pinoys is Keropok Udang to our  fellow  brown Malay neighbors down the petroleum rich kingdom called Brunei. It is the same old  prawn crackers with some difference in taste , shape and texture. This Udang is a bit denser,more starchy, less salty but also packs a ton of MSG like its Pinoy counterpart.It takes awhile for  us who are used to eating our own Kropeck to adjust to Keropok. And saying Kro/peck aloud seems more comfortable and crispier  than blurting out  the three syllable tongue twister Ke/ro/pok. The last syllable reminds me of  an worldly act of sinning. Udang is Malay for prawn or shrimp but sounds like the nickname of the town's  noisy  and nosy spinster.
After frying, the shape of this Keropok reminds me of a Kalachuchi flower that blooms in the plaza during summertime.Nice. And I'm thinking of using it as a base for canapes.

To give it a little zing I drizzle the the prawn crackers with garlic salt and dip it in my favorite Thai spicy sweet and sour sauce.

This package of goodies from the sultanate was given to me by a  drinking buddy whose  dear one and only  just ended her stint at the consular office in Brunei.  We met up in Manila a day before I flew to the land of maple leafs. I am mentioning this because in the heavy din of things, I forgot to say Thanks. San Miguel was one of the reasons.

So here, Salamat guid, bord.Kabay pa ka liwat.( Thank you very much, bud. May you bring me some  more)