Let's Makan

Eating has always been one of the greatest Malaysian past time ever. No matter what time of the day or night, there is always someone asking the other 'Sudah makan?' (Have you eaten) or 'Mari makan' (Lets eat). Ehh hemmm gentlemen-It's a great pick up line that's bound to give you 90% positive result with the ladies with additional friends of course. Most of us ladies like to eat in groups on the first meeting.

Enough about the chasing game Let's Makan....

Breakfast is a great start for the days meal and what better way to start then with the old time favourite the NASI LEMAK. Ready packed (in banna leaves) and good to go in another words pick and pay style, regret later (alamak sikit juga).

The NASI LEMAK-Steam coconut and pandan fragrant rice with a side of half boil egg, cucumber slice, fried anchovies, peanuts and semi-spicy sambal (depends on the cook).
The best way to enjoy it is to pre-heat in oven for 1 minute (make sure you remove banana leave or whatever container it came from and place on microwave friendly dish) with a glass of hot 'Teh-Tarik' (pull-tea) or 'Teh-Halia'(Ginger-tea). In the picture, my sister had her Nasi Lemak with Terung Sambal, brinjal cook in spicy gravy. Any other side dishes are also great with it. Otherwise just unpack and eat.

Another Sabahan favourite for breakfast are noodles soup. The best we have is the Ngui-Chap, Chinese dis, or the Soto Daging, malay dish, both are Beef Noodle Soup but made differently. The Ngui-Chap for me has full beef flavour whereas the Soto Daging is more fragrant cause the prepare the dish with lots of spices serve with lime wedges. Either dish is great taken hot especially on rainy days. I like mine with lots of lime and chili...yummy.

Half time before lunch, guess what? It's time for good old chicken rice. One of life simple meal that's prepared with your choice of Steam Chicken or Roasted Chicken serve with sliced cucumber drizzled over thin soya gravy and accompanied by hot chicken soup with a few pieces of chives and also hot steam chicken rice. Cold or hot whatever it is never forget to dip you chicken pieces in mild chili sauce, ginger sauce and dark soya sauce. Don't worry all 3 sauces are available at your fingers tips just look out for the 'moving' sauce platter on tables in the chicken rice shop. Not all shops provide the 3 sauce thou, but the basic chili sauce and soya will do.

Have you ever wandered why they serve chicken rice with a few pieces of cucumber instead of other vegetable? Beside that cucumber is reasonable in price, (according to something I've heard before on tv) the cucumber is good for preventing cancer. Eating chicken to much or everyday is not good for the body (can't have to much meat or poultry everyday) so the cucumber act as a balance for our meal...more like yin and yang.

Another lunch favourite is the 'Economy-Rice' which simply means rice serve with 3 dishes of your own choices and hot soup cater for 1 person at an affordable price...kuang kuang kuang...where to get them? It's serve in most of the coffee shop around town and more specifically near office building. There will be so many choices of dishes ranging from sweet and sour fish to black pepper beef and tomatoe with egg to bitergoud with black beans. So much you can hardly make your choice. Price range around Rm3.50 to Rm5.00 at a Chinese coffee shop or RM4.00 to RM8.00 at a malay coffee shop (these prices varies depanding on the location) depanding what dish you choice.

It's almost 3 pm. Time for a tea break. Pisang goreng is nice when taken hot ...wow wee panas panas....Enjoy them with a cup of hot nescafe tarik or again the teh-tarik. I've had the KL pisang goreng but nothing taste better then the pisang goreng here. Ours are more nicer looking and tastier. I've done some trial and error and here is the best that I've made:

Banana slice vertically and thinly (normally you get 4 pieces from 1 banana). Mix normal flour with baking soda, water, a pinch of salt and few spoon of sugar (to your own taste). Make sure the sugar and salt are all desolve and the batter is not runny and not pasty, it should be like the consistency of yogurt. Dip the banana pieces in the batter and fry in hot oil. Drain oil on paper towel and serve. Another way to have pisang goreng is instead of adding in the sugar you may pour over condensed milk after it's fried and drain.

7pm and it's time for dinner. Crab anyone? You order by the kilo and they'll prepare it in anyway you want. Me and my husband we both love gravy so we ordered the spicy sweet crab. Eating with your hands is so comman here. Put your utensil down and literally dig in (make you sure you wash your hands 1st-lah). With steam rice you drizzle the gravy on the rice and bon apetite. You can order other side dishes like baby kailan with garlic and oyster sauce or lemon chicken....whatever your limit is, it's in your hands. Prices ranges from RM18.00 per kilo to Rm30.00.

If your still hungry head over to Foh Sang, they've got great con gee and you got to try them with century egg...sedap I tell you. Con gee is rice porridge but very fine and smooth. There is pork, chicken, fish, seafood or even mix con gee all you have to do is decide one. Other then that if your still hungry you can have some toufu or brinjal with pork filling in the middle as a grand finale. Con gee price ranges from RM5.00 to Rm10.00 (I think, haven't gone overboard yet)

Like I said no matter what you crave for you can have any of the above dish any time of the day as long as you know where to look..........Let's Makan