Nasi Lemak

Homemade chicken curry rolls, a twist of curry puffs and spring rolls.

Sweet and sour squids with capsicum

Nasi lemak (coconut rice) with fried chicken, squid sambal and anchovy sambal, served on a banana leaf.

I haven't eaten home–cooked nasi lemak (coconut rice) in a long time, close to a year. This national dish is traditionally eaten for breakfast, but nowadays, you can find nasi lemak being sold throughout the day, including in the evenings. The rice is cooked or steamed in coconut milk with a few knotted pandan (screwpine) leaves for fragrance, ginger and a pinch of salt. Nasi lemak is traditionally served with crispy, fried anchovies, roasted groundnuts, hard–boiled egg, steamed kangkung (water convolvulus) and sambal. You can also have nasi lemak with chicken, beef, cockles, prawns, and/or squids, which makes it a versatile dish. Imagine my delight when I went down to the kitchen and saw nasi lemak on the table after studying!