- Nasi Lemak with banana leaf
If someone were to ask me what is the best thing you can find in Malaysia? I would say it’s “Food”.
Malaysian food is unique in the World. It’s a mixture of exotic cuisine brought over by the Indians, Javanese, Thais, Chinese and Portuguese. But of course Malaysians love their ‘fish & chips’ and beefburgers too. Which they cordially call “western food”. A reminder of a time when Malaya was a British colony.
Finding food in Malaysian is a galore. Everywhere you go you’ll find food – in the alleys, by the road side in the neighborhood, in shop houses, prestigious malls and morning or night market (pasar tani and pasar malam respectively).
Nasi Lemak
What do a typical Malaysian have for breakfast? “Nasi Lemak”.
I must have been about 7 yrs old when I first savored Nasi Lemak. Nasi Lemak is served with ‘sambal’ (hot chili sauce) so you must be of an age whereby your palate is tolerable to hot food.
When I was little girl, vendors came to your house to sell their delightful food. You can hear them calling out “Nasi Lemak!!”, or what ever they are selling. I remember a little girl and her sister (she was my age and her sister is a little older) They carried the Nasi Lemak in a rattan basket. She had a strong voice. I can hear her calling out a yards away. Her mother (God bless her) whom later became a family friend cooked the best Nasi Lemak on the planet.
My father who was an officer and a gentleman would order a dozen packets wrapped of Nasi Lemak in banana leaves. Then he would take us all for a picnic at the Lake Garden park in Kuala Lumpur. The best part before you could savor the contents was when the banana leaf wrapped packet was opened up. The first thing that hit you was the combined aroma of the pandan leaves, banana leaves and coconut milk. It was heaven. I’ve never forgotten the earliest memory of my first Nasi Lemak experience.
Nasi Lemak is a simple dish, but it must be cooked with just the right balance for it to be perfect.
What is Nasi Lemak?
Nasi Lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk, made aromatic with pandan leaves (screwpine, Pandanus amaryllifolius) and ginger root. It is served with Sambal Ikan Bilis (fried dried anchovies cooked in a dry chilli paste) and garnished with fresh cucumber slices, hard boiled egg and roasted peanuts. Traditionally packages are wrapped in a banana leaf. The dish is usually eaten as hearty breakfast or for supper after a late night clubbing.
