Hi Pam!

There are couple of things you can use if a recipe calls for evaporated milk: Since evaporated milk is considered a shelf-stable substitute for cream, if you can buy half-and-half or cream, that will usually be a good substitute. You can also “evaporate” your own milk: Simmer 2 1/4 cups of whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it is reduced to about 1 cup. Or, if you have dry milk on hand, you can combine 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk with 3/4 cup water to make 1 cup “evaporated” milk.  (It’s important to note that you should NOT use condensed milk when evaporated milk is called for unless it is UNSWEETENED condensed milk. Most condensed milk found these days is of the sweetened variety and is used almost exclusively in desserts.)

As for buttermilk, you can use the age-old trick of adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk and letting it stand for 10 minutes to make your own buttermilk. Many cooks also swear by powdered buttermilk, which can be stored in the cupboard for months (if not years) and takes only minutes to reconstitute. And keep in mind that powdered buttermilk and cans of evaporated milk are shelf-stable and will keep indefinitely, so you might want to stock up from online stores like Amazon.com to use during your time in Penang.