Malaysia is one of the countries with the most delicious signature dishes I already mentioned in other posts. Unfortunately, more and more junk food is on the rise and also Malaysians are slowly stepping away from all the delicious food that is readily available.

So, fellow Malaysians (I know I know, I am not a Malaysian but I do love this country and here my home is) and the rest of the world. A quick demonstration of a matsaleh (white foreigner) who doesn’t want to join the fast food hype by cooking a very simple non-Malaysian, but delicious meal!

Time

I don’t spend much time on food, except when I make soup. That can take 3 hours or so. Usually I spend about 30 to 45 min from preparation to makan makan (eat! eat!). This is exactly the time Hadie needs to drive back from work. So when I know when she’s about to leave, I start cooking.

I think it is important that we eat healthy. An often heard expression is “you are what you eat” and that is both physically but surely mentally as well. It is okay to fast, it is okay to skip a meal, as long as the other food is of good quality!

What’s cookin’ today?

Wokked veggies with chicken and rice! Just a spontaneous idea, random, from the top of my head.

We do like big bold and spicy flavors. That’s kind of the only requirement. Fine dining to taste each individual ingredient is not really my style. Big, Bold, Strong, and a good coherence and balance between them Yeahhh!!

Jom lah! (Let’s go!)

As I said, it’s a 30 to 45 min meal so it is really simple!

I took:

• 4 gloves of garlic and chopped them
• 1 onion and chopped them
• 2 tomatoes and “diced” them
• 10 French beans and chopped them
• 7 okras and chopped them
• 3 chilies and chopped them
• ….. quantity of chicken and sliced it (cannot remember how much lah!)
• 1 cup of boiled brown rice

I totally do not like white rice. Brown rice is okay to eat, white rice is stomach filler without that you get satisfied. Well, yes, maybe after a pound of rice maybe! Brown rice on the other hand is much better. It is the least processed of all, thus, there’s a lot more fiber, vitamins and minerals left in brown rice and you feel satisfied much faster! Yes, it’s a bit more expensive, but hey, good health comes with a price. Which you save again because you eat less.

And yes, I do cut the okras! I know it’s super slimy when you cut them. It’s much cleaner to boil them, but no, I am not a fan of boiled vegetables. Veggies need to be crunchy!

 

What’s next?

Well, put everything in a wok and add flavor?

• Start from right to left! First the chilli, onion, garlic and the greens!
• Put everything in a big wok on a high fire and keep on mixing that portion!
• Turn the heat down a bit or else all will burn!
• Add flavor! I like the “mixed herb bottles” it’s a combination with oregano, basil, parsley and something more. Oh and I also added 1 big tee spoon of Tom Yam paste. Tom Yam is a Thai soup which has a typical flavor which comes from a paste. I used a bit of that paste to make it bolder.
• When the okras aren’t slimy anymore only then I added the tomatoes and the chicken.

• When they were nearly done, which is about 5 min as the chicken is sliced, I added the rice.
• Fire UP to fry and mix the rice properly with the rest of the food! When the chicken is totally done and the rice gets its “fried look” (figure that one out yourself hehehe) then,
• Your meal is done!

Was it any good?

YES!!! It was so good! And! I was done before she arrived home even! When she did come home I made it hot again by stirring it up on a high fire for a minute or so.

Then on a plate and outside on our little terrace in front of the house. It’s a nice cozy corner especially with the blinds down 😉

I know I know…. the presentation isn’t everything.. I could have added some sliced tomato or cucumber, but, yeah, you know me… I never was and never will be a specialist in fine details!

Did it cost much?

Nah. No. When you buy everything local at a pasar malam (night market) then it’s super cheap, though the veggies in a supermarket like Giant or Tesco are often better quality. I think, as an estimation because I bought ingredients in bigger quantities, I spent about RM15 (€3) for the two of us?

Recap

A simple healthy meal (healthy as without sugar and a good balance of fat, protein and carbs (as in the mix between vegetables, rice and chicken)), fast to make, delicious in taste and affordable is certainly possible! I rather eat like this than going to a junk food place, like KFC, which will costs you more than RM15, per person!

I’m satisfied! 😀 Whohoo! Let’s see what will be on the plates tonight!