anthony: when i first went up this river, i was sick with love. the bad kind. the fist around your heart kind. i ran far, but there was no escaping it. it followed me up river all the way. that was ten long years ago. a previous episode of a previous series in a previous life. yet, here i am again. heading up to that same long house in the jungle. i took a walk through this beautiful world felt the cool rain on my shoulder found something good in this beautiful world i felt the rain getting colder sha la la la la sha la la la la la sha la la la la sha la la la la la la [ boat engine ] anthony: last time i saw all this, i think it s fair to say i was at a turning point in my life. i promised some people i d come back, and i am back. my life has changed a lot. how much have their lives changed? kuala lumpur. happy to be here, but brimming with mixed emotions. surrounded by all the sights, smells and flavors i remember so well. t
anthony: thank you. aini: you re going to have the roast beef, and this is poached egg, and our favorite will be our rendang. this is chicken rendang. anthony: oh, so good to be back. aini: i love watching you guys eat. anthony: who taught you to cook? who was the good cook in your family? aini: when we were small, my grandmother would say stuff like, i don t care who you are, if you can t cook, you re nobody to me. so it s like anthony: oh wow. aini: yeah, from there, there s no teaching malay cooking here. you just come from your grandma s kitchen, your mom s kitchen and you learn by smelling, by seeing. that s how i teach my children to cook. all these dishes, when you do them, the aroma just floats around. i know exactly whether the chili paste frying in the pan ready or not. it s from here.
who first took me up to the longhouse. on that previous trip we met at aunty aini s, on the outskirts of kael. david: everything moves exponentially, right? it just feels like some things remain exactly the same. some things haven t changed at all. this place is certainly one. anthony: the charming and, for lack of a better word, fabulous aini was an actor in the malaysian film scene, who now runs a very successful kampung-style restaurant, specializing in beloved village or country classics. all of them prepared with a staggering finesse and precision. this is delicious, delicious food. aini: welcome. it s been so long. oh my god, and you still look as handsome as ever. all right. so david: so, let s pick up right where we left off, which we started with this. aini: help yourself.
anthony: nine years late. david: that happens with lancau, you know. promises come liberally. anthony: it was david moggie who first took me up to the longhouse. on that previous trip we met at aunty aini s, on the outskirts of kael. david: everything moves exponentially, right? it just feels like some things remain exactly the same. some things haven t changed at all. this place is certainly one. anthony: the charming and, for lack of a better word, fabulous aini was an actor in the malaysian film scene, who now runs a very successful kampung-style restaurant, specializing in beloved village or country classics. all of them prepared with a staggering finesse and precision. this is delicious, delicious food. aini: welcome. it s been so long. oh my god, and you still look as handsome as ever.
all right. so david: so, let s pick up right where we left off, which we started with this. aini: help yourself. anthony: thank you. aini: you re going to have the roast beef, and this is poached egg, and our favorite will be our rendang. this is chicken rendang. anthony: oh, so good to be back. aini: i love watching you guys eat. anthony: who taught you to cook? who was the good cook in your family? aini: when we were small, my grandmother would say stuff like, i don t care who you are, if you can t cook, you re nobody to me. so it s like anthony: oh wow. aini: yeah, from there, there s no teaching malay cooking here. you just come from your grandma s kitchen, your mom s kitchen and you learn by smelling, by seeing. that s how i teach my children