Author Archives: TV Smith

The Jaga

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It is amazing how clear the sky is over the ‘rice bowl’ of Selangor stretching from Kuala Selangor to Sekinchan. It is amazing because the padi fields are set ablaze for replanting after harvesting.

Seeing the beautiful blue skies amidst the burning fields makes me wonder if the age-old practice contributed to the haze problem we are currently facing. I’ll be moving closer to the fire for a special look.

A statue of Shā Wùjìng (nicknamed Sandy or Buffalo) stands guard outside a Chinese temple in the area. The mythical character is from Journey To The West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f11, 1/640.

The Jaga

 

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The Indian Donut

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What I affectionately call the Indian Donut is actually the tasty vadai. It is pronounced wahdey, although many Malaysians call it vadek.

Traditionally a festive and breakfast serving, the savoury vegetarian snack from South India is usually sold in two versions locally. The thosai vadai with the hole in the centre and the lentil or dal vadai with the crispy, beany taste.

I photographed this scene at a night market while chatting with the cook as he fried the vadai in a giant wok. In between scooping up the fritters, he proudly proclaimed his most famous customer to be national soccer coach K. Rajagopal.

Although the vadek and curry puffs are very good, the coach may have chosen it for a practical reason. This stall is at the pasar malam located next to his office in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters.

Which is your favourite of the two types? I like both.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/80 sec.

The Indian Donut