in celebration of Malaysia's 53rd birthday, i've decided to dedicate my meals today to my motherland - Malaysia. today, my meals reflect the collections of my childhood memory, based on my gastronomic experience. it is also a manisfestation of the staple meals in Malaysia, the iconic homemade dishes that play a significant role in the construction of Malaysia's cultural identity.
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| b: the humble roti canai with sugar |
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| made for the bf - replacing sugar with mutton curry |
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roti canai 印度飞饼
roti canai for breakfast brings back a lot of memories for me. it is one of the cheapest yet satisfyingly filling meal you can get in Malaysia. back in the good old days, a fluffy piece of roti canai and dahl or curry only costs RM 1. when i was around 4 and when dad used to work odd hours, we would always have roti canai with milo at a local mamak before sending bro off to school. bro was skinny back then, and i was the chubby sister who often ate a bit of his share. not very long after, when dad lost his job, together with his best friend, roti canai became our usual breakfast because it was the only thing we could afford. years passed, and things got rosier, but roti canai, the most humble, basic ones you can find at any mamak, remained unchanged. it became my no-go zone during my extreme dieting days but once a while, it does fall back unto my plate, especially during those post-morning exercise with mum. it blows the exercise, but it is always well worth the effort.
and now, miles away from home, it has landed on my plate again. and like always, it never fails to satisfy. though this pre-made ones can never beat the fresh ones back home, it did the job. i also made mutton curry the night before for the boyfriend. i like mine with sugar best.
for me, seeing my mainland Chinese boyfriend licking off his plate of roti happily before going to work, just like millions of Malaysians do back home, was the best thing about this meal. 'that's a piece of my childhood you're eating,' i said to myself.
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| mid morning snack: strawberries and kiwi |
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| l: fishball soup noodle 鱼丸米粉汤 | | |
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| the highlight of the dish for me was the onion oil ala mum's style. but back home she uses shallots, which is expensive here. the fragrance of the roasted shallots would lift the flavour of any soup |
Fishball Soup Noodle 鱼丸米粉汤
fishball noodle soup or fishball soup noodle are two very similar but different things. because, a. there is a type of noodle made out of fish paste and could easily be passed off as fishball noodle b. where you put those words shows which ingredient you favour more, hence, for me it is the FISHBALL.
growing up, i was never one of the privileged few who had a doting stay-at-home mum (mine was doting, but she never could just stay at home) or a 'Kakak' (the
loving name we used to call our domestic helpers some still regard to as
maid) to serve hot lunch after a day of school. i often came home to an empty house, with only a tail-wagging dog to greet me. lunch was at one time, catered (yes, from catering services that usually bears the name 'Mom's this and that' or 'Homemade' but tastes nothing like the two), pre-cooked (all i needed to do was hit the REHEAT button on the microwave oven), leftovers (this is a gamble, if i loved the dinner before, i'll be a happy child, if not...come to think of it, there was nothing i didn't like) or good ol' Maggie (instant noodles).
so, i used to look forward to Saturday afternoons because it was the only time of the week, that i get to eat something piping hot, served in a bowl, in the presence of a stay-at-home mum. yes, it was usually bought from the market, but the mother's presence and the unusually noisy house makes all the difference. not that the noodle soup was bad, in fact, it was and is very very good, and cheap. some good things come cheap.
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| d: nasi lemak at Old Town Kopitiam, Melbourne...had half because i'm not a very big fan of nasi lemak to begin with |
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| frothy kopi peng...modified to suit locals obviously |
Nasi Lemak 椰浆饭
Nasi Lemak is probably the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions Malaysian food. i am however, not a huge fan but patriotism surely reels you in towards this dish, because you would never miss this one in an 'authentic' malaysian restaurant. i shall say no more.
