This is the last of these posts, I promise, as you're probably getting bored with this theme. But I need to just record that the whole thing is getting a whole lot easier. This is because:

1. We pretty much know what works now.

2. We reckon we can cope with three low-GI carb meals per week.

Noodles, as I've noted, have a comparatively low impact. Which means you can occasionally have really delicious things like the pork leg noodles from one of the stalls operating out of Tai Pan on Jalan Padungan (honestly, these are spectacular):


Or, you can have pandan chicken abura soba kikari, from the Himawari Ramen Bar, also on Jalan Padungan. This is a cosy little cafe, where diners cluster round the bench lining the chef's cooking area. We've walked past this place many times, and thought, hmm, looks nice, must try, but the operator is kept pretty busy, and spaces have always been few. Today, we were in luck. The dish I mentioned (featured at the top) was absolutely irreproachable: two packages of chicken exuding the fabulous flavour of pandan, crunchy veggies, toothsome noodles, a great sauce (add chili to suit your taste), and a refreshing bowl of soup. The owner is a real enthusiast -- a la Ramen Heads -- so this is another eatery we'll visit again.


3. More surprisingly, perhaps, given that most types of bread are a blood-sugar disaster, roti are not nearly so bad... And we've found an alternative roti-purveyor for those times when the Bombay Riverside is not open: Chip Pung Hui, near the Brooke Dockyard. The roti are delectably crisp (and they also sell yummy tapai pulut -- although this really isn't for the carb-restricted...)


4. We also continue to benefit from Kuching's vast array of "fast food" stalls. (We can't help but feel there is a greater density of these places here than there was in KL.) If you forswear the rice, and just pick from the fantastic selection of meat, fish, tofu, and vegetables, then you get something that's both low-carb and delicious. To all the favourites I listed last time we've now added Taiwan Xiao Kao (again, it's on Padungan, that hub of fine cuisine, has a great array of dishes, and serves generous portions), and Nigel's made the acquaintance of the Aroma Cafe's buffet, which he similarly rates.


5. In addition to the low-carb versions of bread, savoury muffins, and pancakes that have now become go-to staples, I actually found a reasonably decent recipe for low-carb scones. Lots of the versions out there on the internet produce something that really looks more like a muffin than a scone. But these do look and taste like real scones. They're a teentsy bit crumbly. And even if you use a chia seed replacement for the xanthan gum that I can't find here and don't entirely trust anyway, they remain a teentsy bit crumbly. But they're really pretty decent, especially served up with with coconut cream and low-carb "marmalade" (mix a couple of spoonfuls of orange juice with half the amount of chia seeds, so that they gel).


6. Sometimes you just have to know when to give up... I've searched high and low for a low-carb Christmas pudding, and nothing seems to quite fit the bill. Either it needs a sugar substitute (I don't like the idea of those) and/or it needs a microwave (which I don't have). Neither have I yet been successful in locating a low-carb pizza crust recipe that isn't super-high in calories. Never mind. You can't win 'em all...

7. Dedicated low-carbers (at the keto end of the spectrum) will be familiar with the highly calorific but very low-carb concoction known as bullet-proof coffee. It turns out you can get it here in Kuching: at the Khai Joo Cafe. I first met butter in drinks during our time in Tibet, and actually really like it, but I absolutely don't need the calories... Nigel, who does, is not a fan. But Khai Joo is a pleasant little place, and serves normal coffee too.


So... the low-carbing is going well, but the proof of the pudding will be in the blood tests early next year...