I skipped blog post #12 not because I got lazy – I’ve decided the photos I had and the experience I didn’t really have (e.g. I didn’t really eat most of the food I took photos of, and the photos weren’t that great as I took them clumsily and too quickly and they weren’t even on MY plate – they were still on display at the quiet Malay food shops at The Mall) so I’ve decided not to post #12 for that very reason.

Also, today being the 31st of August – last day of the month – also Malaysia’s Independence Day – I thought it would be a great idea to end my Malaysian Food Adventure Blog Series all within the same month of August (for archiving purposes) and celebrate “Merdeka!” aka Independence Day and the fact that I have successfully finished writing these blog posts which initially seemed like a neverending task!!

Task or no task, it was a fun task and I am so glad to end it on a really happy note with this last post!

Chicken Rice is one of my ultimate favorite Malaysian dishes. It is so simple (steamed chicken) and healthy yet so delicious! As soon as my cousin and I arrived at this restaurant just around the corner from her place, and I was presented with the menu, I started salivating and could not wait to dig in! This was going to be my last meal in Malaysia for a very long time, this dinner was just hours before I had to hop on a plane back to Melbourne! I had to savor every minute, every taste, every piece of chicken, every little grain of beautifully steamed chicken rice (the really good type, with the Hainanese smell and knowing it’s been cooked with the flavors it rightfully should have!) and it was truly a bittersweet feeling. I was sad to leave Kuala Lumpur and all the yummy (and cheap) food it had to offer – but at the same time I was looking forward to going home to my husband 🙂

We started our meal with a plate of freshly cooked bean shoots aka “taugeh”. The bean shoots were nice and fat, and crunchy, and beautifully cooked to retain its firmness without going too soggy. This simple dish cooked in light soy sauce, with some chilli and spring onions, is the perfect side dish (along with the plain soup) for the steamed chicken we’re about to be served…

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Mmm… and then came the Steamed Chicken. If I was ever going to go on a healthy diet and eat only steamed food – I can totally live off eating steamed chicken every day. The chicken is always beautifully cooked and the meat is soft and melts in your mouth. I admit I’m a huge fan of the chicken skin and bits of fat stuck to the meat – and yes I very much prefer the leg and thigh pieces of the chicken and not a big fan of breast meat.

Together, the dishes we’ve had so far seems to have made me fully content and satisfied and ready to hop on that plane back to Melbourne…

But wait! It seems Steamed Tilapia Fish was also on the menu and looking at the aquarium full of tilapia fish I wondered if this could be my last opportunity (for a long time, at least) to indulge in freshly steamed, freshly killed tilapia fish! There is something about this fish when steamed… it is the perfect fish to steam and we don’t have this breed of fish in Australia, so even if it was only my cousin and I, just had to have it!

So we ordered the smallest Tilapia Fish in the aquarium and within 25 minutes or so, the fish has gone from swimming happily in the aquarium to our table ready to be devoured. I feel kind of bad for the little fishy, but nothing beats the taste of freshly steamed tilapia fish! The restaurant has done a fantastic job at steaming it perfectly, just until it’s cooked, not overdone, so the meat is so soft and tender and you can still taste the freshness coming through the flavors. Of course, I went and finished the fish with its head – and it was just perfect! Soft textured and just so satisfying.

Now, my last meal in Malaysia is complete. I’m ready to hop on that plane back to Melbourne and knowing I won’t be traveling back to Malaysia anytime soon with a newborn baby. Maybe when the baby is at least 2 years old – but then again, we never know if I will then be expecting our 2nd child, would we? So, it feels a little bit sad but it’s not too bad knowing Melbourne has some great Malaysian restaurants to fix my occasional cravings if I ever get desperate. Plus, all the more reason to improve my Malaysian cooking and indulge at home!

I really do hope you’ve enjoyed reading my Malaysian Food Blog Series. Be sure to expect more Malaysian cooking goodness on my blog for sure! You can take the girl out of Malaysia, but you cannot take the Malaysian out of the girl… haha. Until next time!