Howdy everyone! April seemed to go by quicker than usual, before I realized it, it was May already, the time for our little nutrition/food talk. Before that, allow me to briefly chat about life here. I was supposed to be visiting home (the other part of the world, Malaysia) this month. Due to the current situation, I had all my flight and vacation plans cancelled in mid-April. A little sad but I guess I am not the only one who is going through something like this. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Oh, I miss the warm sea breeze from home, the soft sands squishing between my toes, and my mom’s cooking. I was browsing my sister’s Facebook last night, and happened to see this picture (attached) that she took during her last summer vacation, at one of the islands (Pulau Redang) in my hometown (Kuala Terengganu). The picture brings back sweet childhood memories.
(Image Credit: Hui Sher Lee)
Speaking of Malaysia, I must share with you about the Malaysian food. Let me take you guys on a food tour (visual). Malaysia is a beautiful country in southeast Asia and is a melting pot of culture. Therefore, the food we have over there is a mixture of cultures: a little of indian, chinese, middle eastern, indonesian, as well as european cuisine. Like most cultures, rice and noodles are our staple foods (which is commonly seen on each meal. YES, including breakfast).
I like to share with you several of my favorite/popular Malaysian dishes. NOTE: some of the ingredients might be very difficult to find. I generally get those ingredients at Chinatown supermarket or Super Cao Nguyen Market, which are located in Oklahoma City.
1. Nasi Lemak - Nasi means rice, lemak means creamy. It is a coconut milk rice that is generally served with sambal (chili sauce), hard boiled eggs, toasted peanuts, sliced cucumbers, and fried anchovies. Rice and sambal (chili sauce) are the major part of the Nasi Lemak dish. If you are interested in challenging yourself to make this dish, feel free to refer to Annapurna for the recipe.
(Image credit: Mike Tan)
2. Mee Goreng - It is literally a stir-fried noodle. The seasoning/sauce added to the stir fry depends on individual preferences. I made this dish (somewhat similar to this dish, and then called it chicken lo mein) about two weeks ago and shared it with my co-workers. I know them too well, and learn that no one cares for tofu stuff, so I replaced it with diced chicken. Also, at the time, I did not have choy sam (mustard leaves), bean sprouts, tomatoes, molasses, and brown rice vinegar, so I completely omitted them. From my several years of cooking experience, I learn to make do with what I have and what I like. Recipe adapted from Davina Da Vegan.
3. Curry Puff - It is a snack dish, which is a crescent shaped puff pastry filled with spicy, savory potato filling. The curry puffs can either be deep-fried or baked, but traditionally, we usually have them deep fried. Personally, I think it is complicated to make these curry puffs, the process of preparation is super lengthy and tedious. I will only make these after several months of mental preparation. But I never regret every effort I put into making this dish. If you are going to make these curry puffs, I highly recommend you to try the recipe from What to Cook Today.
4. Chicken Satay with peanut sauce - It is a grilled chicken dish served with a special creamy peanut sauce. You can find it almost everywhere in Malaysia. Barbecue/grilling season is coming up, so I think it is nice to share with you the recipe for this summer. To make chicken satay, kindly referring to Damn Delicious for the recipe. FYI, the recipe is not-so-much authentic, but the ingredients for this recipe are much easier to find here.
(Image credit: Damn Delicious)
Reference
Damn Delicious (2019). Chicken satay with peanut sauce [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://damndelicious.net/2019/06/07/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce/
Tan, M. (2020). Nasi Lemak [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10156222025519159&set=gm.4524048814287693