Of Malaysian Coconut Rice and Sheer Joy, Nasi Lemak

#lockdownsimplemeal

#minimalisticmeals

#recyclefood

#leftovers

#NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag?

#servelovegive

#cookwithlove

#cooknoairs

#vegetarian

#vegan

Let me state and restate.
My dishes are not original. That’s allowed.
None of our dishes are.
None of what we make or pose or shoot is original.
It is however, authentic. Our cooking is authentic.
True. Real.
We make it our own.
In a good sense, in a not so good sense, which my mum will attest to.
If she had said “1 teaspoon of mustard, and Bavani, let it splutter”, OCD me would have added two teaspoons, and at the slightest crackle, would have added onions and garlic, not wanting mustard to fly all over stove, floor and wall; even though Mum’s recipe would have explicitly stated ‘add onions after garlic cloves have browned”.
It’s alright Mum, I’ve got this. Chill, as my girls would say.
Anyway, the preamble above is to figure as a disclaimer that you would have seen, tasted these dishes many times over.
Doesn’t matter.
This is my take.
Starting off by sharing a little of who I am.
Am of Malaysian Sri Lankan Indian heritage. Third generation Sri Lankan born in Malaysia, now in The Land of the Long White Cloud, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Lunch today was Nasi Lemak, a popular breakfast in Malaysia.
Have been drooling over my friends’ exotic Nasi Lemak posts, replete with banana leaf and fresh green pandan/screw pine leaves. Invoked nostalgic memories of my childhood, having nasi lemak bungkus for breakfast, and on my recent visits home, vegan bungkus from the food outlets in mum’s suburb.
Husband had bought fresh ong chow/kangkung yesterday. It gave me (literally) withering looks each time I opened the fridge. So between My Drools and Its Withering,
Here is my Vegan Spin on our Malaysian All Time Favourite.
Spoiler Alert – no timun/cucumber.
Just fried peanuts, fried dried mushrooms to substitute ikan bilis/anchovies, sambal/chili paste, water spinach/kangkung chilli stir fry, soy protein rendang curry. And of course coconut rice with ginger and aromatic pandan/screwpine leaves.

Over fed, dishwasher loaded, siesta time. @ Auckland, New Zealand