Eat, Pray, Gov

A plate of plain, simple nasi lemak is sitting before me. The other customers around me are wolfing the coconut rice down, bits of egg, sambal and fried ikan bilis disappearing into chomping mouths. Chomp chomp gulp, goes the rhythm, alternated by giant swigs of iced Milo. Within minutes, the plate is emptied.

Nasi lemak. Image from wikipedia.

I turn back to my own plate of nasi lemak. I appraise it, observing the ratio of sambal to rice, how crispy the fried anchovies look, how the sunny side up egg glistens in the amber light, how fluffy each grain of rice seems, how there are wafts of steam rising from the plate. I smell it, a deep breath, a lover inhaling perfume within another's embrace. I smell the fragrance of fresh coconut milk, a hint of onion from the rice, and then I'm assaulted by the spice of the sambal, the subtle fishiness coming from the anchovies. 

And then I have a sip of water. Cleanse the mouth of any residual tastes before diving in. I first try the rice, slowly letting each granule dissolve in my mouth while soaking in the coconut flavors. A sip of water. Then the sambal. Another sip of water. The process continues until finally, I eat nasi lemak the way it was supposed to be eaten: a wonderful mix of nuts, sambal, rice, cucumber, the yolk of the just fried egg oozing onto everything and bringing everything together. 

I'm guessing this scenario seems pretty ridiculous to you. Indeed, ever since primary school, my friends have often been rather amused or annoyed with my food antics. But as anyone who knows me will tell you, I love food, and I take food very seriously. 

Food is more than food to me. It is not just sustenance, it's not just entertainment or socializing, it's not just something you put in your mouth and wonderful things happen, it is a way of life. I'm a very firm believer in the importance of food, and its influence on the way we live, the way we look at things, the way we approach people. 

Look at some of the most explosive political shenanigans that have happened in Malaysia for example. There is the most recent scandal, where Cadbury chocolates apparently contained pig-DNA and the religious authorities went berserk on the report. Then of course, there was the infamous cow head protest, when protestors against a Hindu temple gravely offended everybody by marching down the road with a bloody cow head, an animal that Hindus do not consume as it is considered sacred. And then there are minor tussles here and there over halal status, about the segregation that happens in certain facilities, the complaints over organ donors being pork-eaters so on and so forth. Just think about it, among the worst insults one can suffer in the Malay language is being called babi, pig. 

Apparently comes in roast pork flavor too. (Yes I know it's been cleared up now just a joke). Image from VenusBuzz.

Malaysians complain about a lack of unity and national identity. I think there is nowhere you see this clearer than in the food industry. The kopitiam, which used to be the de facto community centre, always with Malay, Indian and Chinese food stalls has become the domain of the Chinese community. People like to shout a lot about appreciating Malaysian food, but rarely does this go beyond the mamak staples of nasi lemak, roti canai and such standard fare. Increasingly, Chinese stick to Chinese/ Western/ mamak food at best. 

Malaysia is blessed with such incredible diversity. Yet we rarely if ever take advantage of it. I frequently find myself being the only Malaysian Chinese at many Malay or Indianrun joints, whether it be eating mee udang, or nasi padang, lontong, tandoori, banana leaf or some bubur cha cha. And I know far too many people for whom lontong and ayam varuval are as foreign as foie gras and paella, despite these things being right on their doorstep. Maybe I haven't seen enough, or maybe I just happen to run around in rather unadventurous circles, but I fear that this is a greater trend in Malaysian society. 

Curry laksa. Image from wikimedia.

I liken it to curry laksa. Curry laksa is a great dish not only because it tastes great, but because it's a wonderful coming together of cultures that make something truly Malaysian: noodles from the Chinese, curry from the Indians, the spices and sambal from the Malays, and with every state having their own unique spin on it. Yet, what seems to be happening in Malaysian society is that we're not coming together. The ingredients are all there, but they aren't mixed together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Maybe I'm taking it all too far, this the world through food lens of mine. But I've often heard it said that a family that eats together stays together. And what about the Malaysian family? 

Heh. All this talk of food and politics is making me depressed and hungry. Oh well. Nothing a bowl of curry laksa won't cure. 

Malaysian terms

nasi lemak- coconut rice served with condiments. Considered perhaps the most iconic Malaysian dish.

sambal- a light chilli paste of sorts. Often served with anchovies.

ikan bilis- anchovies.

Milo- a chocolate-flavored drink.

babi- pig

kopitiam- a Malaysian cafe. Thus the kopi/ coffee.

mamak - restaurant serving standard Malaysian fare that are often open 24 hours and are halal.

mee udang- prawn noodles.

curry laksa- curry noodles.

lontong- rice with a light broth. ugh. it's hard to explain. search them up! 

5 Things Worth Celebrating for Merdeka

 REFSA Rojak is our weekly take on the goings-on in Malaysia. We trawl the newsflow, cut to the core and focus on the really pertinent. Full of flavour, lots of crunch, this is the concise snapshot to help Malaysians keep abreast of the issues of the day.

Malaysia turns 55 this year, and a generation is retiring – a generation for whom a mouse was definitely not something you wanted in the house, a generation for whom Emergency was when communists came knocking on your door and not when you lost your smartphone, a generation where “tweets” were only for twits.

As that generation passes the mantle to the next, it is time for reflection upon our yesteryear. Though our beloved nation has seen its fair share of controversy and angst over the years, there are certainly things for which we can be happy about. And so today, REFSA Rojak puts aside its usual cynical self, and celebrates those things that give us hope, things that unite us as a nation and as one people. Five things stand out as we turn 55…

5. Exorcising the ghosts of May 13, 1969

May 1969 no longer conjures the same feeling of dread it used to. It has become like the bogeyman in fairytales of yore – used only by people who think they know what is best for us, to scare ‘ghoul-able’ souls! This spectre of fear tried to rear its ugly head after the 2008 political tsunami. However, the attempts to stoke ethnic tension – cow heads in Shah Alam, church arson, pig heads in mosques, JAIS raids on church dinners, bible-stamping – fizzled out when ordinary Malaysians rose above the fray. With Bersih being the most ‘muhibbah’ event of recent years, and inflammatory film trailer Tanda Putera receiving a red light sabre of dislikes on youtube, it looks like this May 13 ghost has truly been busted.

4. A new breed of young political leaders

With the dead having been taken care of, let’s focus on those who are breathing new life into the nation. From the ever purr-fect and CAT-chy Lim Guan Eng and latest clean-and-lean analytical machine Dr Ong Kian Ming, to the Rambo-brave Rafizi Ramli, the blossoming Nurul Izzah and the far-sighted Saifuddin Abdullah, to name a few, a new breed of political leaders have emerged, leaders who stand up for what they believe in and kneeling only in service of the rakyat!

3. The blooming of grassroots movements

While young politicians at the top are spreading the spirit of nationhood down, grassroots movements from the rakyat are also spreading their roots all the way up! Civil society movements have burst forth these past few years. Many, such as UndiMsia, Loyarburok, Bersih, Stop Lynas and Tindak Malaysia have received overwhelming support from ordinary Malaysians. They are truly organisations by the people for the people!

2. ‘Jalan-jalan cari makan’

At the end of the day there is one thing in Malaysia that can stop FRU units mid-charge, blow away placards and banners, and unite the entire country against ‘Singaporean culinary culture thieves’- FOOD. From the divine balance of spice and fragrance in that Mak Cik’s nasi lemak, to the joys of chomping on a dhal-flooded roti canai from that machaar down the road – Malaysia is truly the land of Makanmania. All things point to the possibility of eating our way to inter-cultural harmony, and this may well be the foundation to restore inter-ethnic interaction and understanding.

1. The freedom fighters

No, we’re referring to not just the soldiers who fought in the Emergency, not just the leaders who claimed independence from the British, not just the entrepreneurs who made it big on the world stage, but people like you and me. We celebrate the parents who lay for us the foundations of freedom that shape our character and sense of right and wrong, the teachers who give us the beginnings of the freedom of thought, and the friends who teach us the meaning of freedom to be who we are. Today, as we remember our day of Merdeka, that fight for freedom continues.

Fifty-five years on, let’s recognise that there is much to celebrate. The things that really matter are really right before us.

“A great nation is not one which, like Russia, has an enormous territory; or, like China, has an enormous population. It is the nation which gives mankind new modes of thought, new ideals of life, new hopes, new aspirations; which lifts the world out of the rut, and sets it going on a cleaner and brighter road.”

                                                            L.E. Blaze, Lecture at the D. B. U. Hall, November 26, 1926

———————

As published on REFSA.

Nasi Lemak Tanglin

Type of food: Malay

Signature dish: Nasi Lemak ( coconut rice)

Location:Kompleks Makan Tanglin, Jalan Cenderasari, Tasik Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Wilayah Persekutuan

Map: http://g.co/maps/ktnw6

Opening Hours: All days, 7.00a.m.-10.30a.m.

Contact: 03-22843366

Other: Halal. Medium spicy.

Nasi Lemak Tanglin is one of the best known Nasi Lemak stalls in Kuala Lumpur, situated in a food court near Lake Gardens/ Bukit Aman. It's been around for ages, and past 8am the crowd starts to form a long line. My father swears by this place, and it's easy to understand why.

The nasi* is fresh, fragrant, and especially in the early morning is hot and fluffy. The sambal is a good, deep-flavoured spice infused prawn base, it's obvious it has lots of herbs and spices that give it a layered taste. It might be a bit mild in terms of spiciness for some though, I find it just right.

There is a good selection of lauk to choose from, ranging from the more mundane fried egg to the more exotic cooked beef liver. I went for their specialty ayam dish, the sambal sotong, and fried ubi. The ayam is a fantastic one- it is not quite rendang, not quite curry, but is something born out of a union of the two. It has a good, thick santan and herb infused yellow gravy, the chicken is cooked perfectly, and with some rice, the aroma of kunyit is just sublime. The sotong is relatively tender, but otherwise nothing to really shout about; whereas the fried ubi is a nice, filling side dish for carbo-suckers like me. 

The meal, for both me and my dad costs RM 9.50. A pretty reasonable price, definitely worth it. It's near the Lake Gardens, so it's ideal spot to eat breakfast after a morning jog. Heh, I know, what's the point of exercise then, but I can say its worth the extra calories. 

There is also a Chinese kopitiam stall at the other end of the food court which serves decent coffee, tea and Hainanese toast, if you like your breakfasts a la muhibbah style.

Nasi Lemak Tanglin

Taste: 8/10 - One of the best nasi lemak in town.

Value: 8/10 - Can't complain about the price.

Health: 6/10 - Calories, but really, who cares?!

Overall: 4/5 durians!

Notes*:

Nasi- rice

Sambal- spicy paste

Lauk- dishes

Ayam- chicken

Sotong- squid

Ubi- Potato

Kunyit- Turmeric