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Nasi lemak ~ Malaysia’s favourite meal

Shot this fancy version of a ‘nasi lemak’ that was served at an uptown trendy restaurant. ‘Nasi lemak’ is a breakfast favourite but Malaysians love it, and can eat it any time day or night. The breakfast portion is usually smaller and may be packed ready-to-go in banana leaf for extra fragrance! The rice in this dish is normally cooked with coconut milk whilst here it is made with additional spices, hence the browner colour.

Clockwise from left: beef rendang and fresh red chili sambal served creatively in banana flower petals (yes, it is banana flower petals!), cucumber, *’ikan bilis’ and onion sweet sambal, half a boiled egg, fried peanuts and ‘ikan bilis’, and water spinach (water convolvulus).

*Most call ‘Ikan bilis’ anchovies, but I think it is not the same — ‘ikan bilis’ is seemingly a smaller cousin; it is normally fried crispy or cooked in sambal, or fried together with veg for taste.

Traditionally, ‘nasi lemak’ is sold ready-to-go in small packets (see above pic) and you can have more than one packet if you are really hungry! You can still find ‘nasi lemak’ sold this way, and these may be placed ready to eat on the tables at local eateries.

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Written by ac khoo

26 Comments

    • No, the banana leaf adds fragrance to the rice, so most prefer buying the packed variety if they are wrapped with the leaf rather than just the normal wrapping.
      Thanks, VersusVII