KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Queen on Friday (Oct 25) tweeted about her sambal diplomacy with Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and uploaded a letter of appreciation from the late Singapore leader for her spicy gift.
Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, 59, wrote on her widely followed Twitter account that she now sends her sambal belacan (chilli shrimp paste) to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The Queen, in a mix of Bahasa Malaysia and English, wrote: "This story, I had long wanted to share with Malaysians... I was last time... the official sambal belacan supplier to the PM of Singapore... Dato Lee Kuan Yew... n now supplies to his son PM Lee also!"
Tunku Azizah's husband, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin of Pahang, is the reigning Malaysian King. She is the sister of the Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
She uses the handle @cheminahsayang for her Twitter account, with 352,000 followers.
The Queen uploaded a picture of a letter from the office of the Minister Mentor, Singapore, dated July 23, 2009, signed by Mr Lee.
The letter read: "Dear Tengku Puan Tunku Azizah,
"The six packets of belacan you gave me were delicious. I shared them with my two sons. They have all been consumed.
"It is the best chilli belacan we have tasted. Can my family have a few more?
"Sorry to trouble you over this. It makes so many dishes taste better."
Tunku Azizah also uploaded a picture of a bottle of her sambal.
The post received dozens of comments, with many asking her if they could have samples of the sambal sent to them.
