Sunday 6 December 2009

Nasi Goreng Kampung in a Cold Climate

We left for Leicester a week ago today. I've satisfied my craving for fish fingers, chips at the market, marmite on toast, toasted hot cross buns with lashings of butter and a 5-star home-cooked meal of mushroom omelette,steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes.
This morning I could not bear it anymore - I had to have my own 'native' food. I fried sliced onion, 2 pieces of garlic, 5-month old chili powder, ikan bilis,peas and leftover rice and voila we had nasi goreng kampung (kampung style fried rice) for breakfast. And the piece de resistance was sliced chili padi which never fails to bring the spouse to ecstatic heights! Oh joy unlimited. You can take the woman out of the kampung but you cannot take the kampung out of the woman.


The hand that holds the spatula ......... sedaaaap! yummy!



My Precious, my precious (with apologies for stealing Smeagol's lines) ikan bilis and cili padi.


"I didn't realise I could miss Malay food so quickly." quoth Donald Iain Buchanan.

19 comments:

Kak Teh said...

aaaaah, ms hamid, it is 10.09 as i typed this - and not a grain of nasi goreng kampong n sight in our household - yet! am still contemplating whether to get up or go back to sleep.
I love nasi goreng kampong but what is nasi goreng kampong without ikan bilis? it is rather like having apple tart without lemon curd.

How did you bring the ikan bilis in? I am so worried abt bringing in food into this country...i think i watch too much UK BOrder Force and Nothing to Declare.

Iain, is that you going back for more nasi goreng kpg? Come to london and we'll treat you to the best.

mamasita said...

Hai..did you say nasi goreng kampung?? Oooh..I can smell your cooking all the way from Kuantan!

Oghang Melayu tetap oghang Melayu! hahaha

p.s.hope you remember me..we met at the Lake Club..I'm blogger sakmongkol's wifey! Cheers!

ph said...

So that's the ikan bilis you were peeling while watching your favorite movie ;)

By the way,the nasi goreng looks delicious.

anak si-hamid said...

Dear Kak Teh,
I just blithely pack my ikan bilis, cili-cili, lengkuas and dodol (from the pasar Tani at JB)with the checked-in luggage and keep my fingers and toes crossed. I do not carry any meat (cooked).
Tell you what- when you two return from your 'balik kampung' I shall give you two tablespoonsful of my precious ikan bilis in exchange for your apple pie/lemon curd.
I caught Iain sneaking after we had finished eating the NGK breakfast.

anak si-hamid said...

Mamasita, of course I remember that lovely and loving couple!
When I fry the ikan bilis I have to cordon it off from the rest of the house. The smell even goes into the bedding and up the road as well.
In fact I used it as a ploy to put off some nasty people from buying our neighbour's house. Wicked!!

anak si-hamid said...

ph, say it then, say it. I was peeling the ikan bilis while watching the movie Godzilla!!!
You don't know what you're missing - come over- the temperature is 6C!!

Helas木村 said...

yup its true.. cannot bring out the kampung inside a woman (and also boy like me) hehehe..

i womder, maybe next is..

1) nasi putih, telur dadar,telur mata with kicap.

2) ikan bakar

3) will be discussed later hehe

anak si-hamid said...

Helas,
Will you think of nothing else but your stomach? How can anyone as skinny of you devour so much food?

Helas木村 said...

hehe... maybe becoz, work alot, then eat alot, then throw also alot, nothing left inside hehe.. until today i dunt know why i cannot grow up(of become chubby) hehe

imsunnysideup said...

nice photos ! ..especially the nasi goreng. It will always look good anywhere in the world --- especially if there is ikan sepat. ! OMG---it has been so long......

NanaDJ said...

AsH,
Brave of you to 'smuggle' those things, but the nasi goreng kampong is worth the risk isn't it. Wonder why they are so strict now, I used to bring all sorts of thing to UK including petai, tempoyak, kicap cap kipas not to mention ikan kering, ikan bilis, daun pandan etc. even frozen roti canai and karipap. But most things are available now so thats not too bad.
Wonder what your next craving will be? Salam to you both

anak si-hamid said...

Helas,
I think you need more of your mum's cooking.

anak si-hamid said...

Sunnysideup,
Ikan sepat? I agree but it's not good for us old fogies you know-old age is a bore.

anak si-hamid said...

NanaDJ,
I take off my hat to you. Tempoyak?? You must be reckless or mad. But it's fun when you succeed.
My salam too to you and yours.

Anonymous said...

Anak si Hamid,

this is such an entertaining piece. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. And I LOVE your loving rephrasing of "You can take the woman out of the kampung but you cannot take the kampung out of the woman." So true!

There's much more in that statement than many people who've never left home realize.

Thanks for the good read.

imsunnysideup said...

aiiiii...I thought only ikan bilis is not good for us---for whatever reason. Ikan sepat is just another ikan kering. I don't think I'll give up the sepat !

anak si-hamid said...

Adirya Kiratas,
Thank you for your kind comment. Why do we have to be away from home to appreciate what we are made of?
I fear even those who are in the midst of the 'homeland' are losing their direction.

Sunnysideup,
You keep your sepat. Ikan bilis is my top favourite.

Musliminah said...

I've been reading your blog since I discovered it a few weeks ago. I'm also studying in a cold climate (Melayu Singapura sesat di Belanda) and I must confess that nasi goreng kampong with ikan bilis and cili padi is my favourite dish too - I even cooked it for International Day at my uni to share the love (:
I enjoy your blog and I learn so much from you. Thank you!!

Syahirah

anak si-hamid said...

Syahirah,

Thank you very much for your very kind comment.

I'm so pleased you manage to learn something from my blog - it's the teacher in me, I'm afraid.

I think you should have no trouble in getting the ingredients for nasi goreng, mee rebus, lontong, rendang daging etc in Holland ..... I know I am cruel.

Take care