Rather cool for a Thursday afternoon. There was a bit of a shower or heavy downpour that lasted 10 minutes top.

As noon was approaching earlier on, I was still trying to figure out what to write. My ideaSketchpad 💡 had essays at various stages of completion (some with 3 or 4 words in them and that’s completion?). Here’s the thing: I’ve got to get into the grove of things, the feel for words, sentences, paragraphs, stories to flow from my thoughts to my fingers, tapping the keypad and showing up on the computer screen.

So, whatever was on my ideaSketchpad 💡was not a “Thursday or a now article” to work on. Have you ever got into a feeling like that? Opened your wardrobe, full of clothes yet don’t have anything to wear? Yeah, yeah… I know I used this line in the last article I wrote yesterday. It does drive home a point. The same goes with an artist – his studio could have lots of unfinished pieces, yet he does not know what to work on for that day.

While trying to figure out what to write; I served myself a bowl of green beans desert or as it is more commonly known as bubur kacang hijau, which Jeannie boiled yesterday. “Bubur” is the Malay word for porridge.

A very simple dish. It is boiled in water for er…awhile. Added in is brown sugar (healthier than white sugar), not too much though. We don’t want it to be too sweet. Coconut milk, commonly known as “santan” in Malaysia; is a main ingredient. It is added in to bring out the richness of this desert. Then, a bit of salt is added in, too. That’s it.

The way we like it is thick. Unlike the type you find as a desert in Chinese dinners, where it is very watery with hardly any coconut milk.

Other varieties include boiling sago seeds with it to add a different flavour. Some people add slices of banana or sweet potato – all this to create a different variant to the original.

As you scoop a serving of bubur kacang hijau and bring it towards your mouth; its beautiful aroma brings a smile to your face. When you eat it, the beans, together with the coconut milk and brown sugar melted in it, takes its simplicity to a whole new level – divine. 😋I’m a simpleton – easy to please.😉

In the family of this type of desert, there are also “Pulut Hitam” (Malay for glutinous rice) and “bubur kacang merah” (Malay for red bean porridge) varieties. Equally delicious.

For those who are weight watchers, it would be advisable to work it off with exercise. I will go out for my 10km brisk walk and weigh myself when I get back after my walk, everyday. I think my weighing scales aren’t exactly truthful to me. It does not want to go down to my “within normal range” or lower. It showed that I am 2kg overweight today.

We’ve also got these green peas biscuits, too:

These green beans / peas biscuit is more commonly linked to the state of Penang. Also, if you were to make a visit to Jonker Street, Malacca; you will find several bakeries making these biscuits, in a variety of choice, too. You can buy them as they come straight out of the oven.

It becomes really hard to keep your weight down and in check when we are spoilt for choice of food. Safe to say, the choice is unlimited. Different parts of Malaysia will prepare the same dish like the bubur kacang hijau with a twist in preparation for example.

Hey, it looks like I have penned down / Logitech MX-Keys (brand) typed an article here. When it comes to food, there is plenty to talk about.

Let us know how you like your green beans, red beans, pulut hitam in the comments section and it may come up in a future article.

Wishing all Malaysians, “Happy Malaysia Day”!

NOTES:

1. Penang and Malacca are two states in Malaysia.