Working, working, working at reducing weight…to bring it down to the accepted weight range according to fitness or health “experts”. Not sure if they have a life but…just kidding. We have to anchor our belief system in all we do to get to that “order” or “common ground” which the majority agrees as common ground.

Then, this has to happen. Why? Delicious meehoon siam with sambal and potato cutlet.

Jeannie, my wife; went out with her mother (my mother-in-law, for the uninitiated😉) to this famous, super popular Makchik and Pakchik nasi lemak stall in SS18, Subang Jaya. Aunty Maryjane Atkinson, who introduced this place to us; speaks so highly about the nasi lemak from this food vendor.

I love rice, even until today though I have stopped eating rice for nearly 15 years. If nasi lemak was served to me, I will eat everything but the rice. Strong💪 will power.

This same stall also sells meehoon siam. Since Jeannie and her mother were buying packets of nasi lemak for themselves, they decided to buy meehoon siam for me.

Though this meehoon siam is not same as the legendary famous meehoon siam of the hawker who had his 3-wheeler bicycle parked in front of La Salle School, Klang; every school day in the late 1960s to the early 1970s; it is still unabashedly tasty. To top it, Jeannie asked to add in a side order – potato cutlet!

What made it difficult for me was I on most days, do not have breakfast or lunch. I have been on this regime for the last couple of months. So, yeah.. I am putting in the effort to keep my weight down.

No way was this meehoon siam going to make it through dinner. Jeannie had her fill from the nasi lemak she had before coming home. That is why I cannot provide pictures here of this awesome nasi lemak. Though I have not seen this nasi lemak myself, just the thought itself, makes me drool over it.

The generous serving of meehoon siam came wrapped in a sort of waxed paper. Open the packet, the food is on a banana leaf. It is said that the banana leaf has healthy nutrients that enhance the food that is on it. I am not going to get into those details or question the validity of the healthy nutrients that are said to come with it. To me, the banana leaf sort of added on to the presentation of this meal.

This meehoon siam was delicious. Your first forkful enters your mouth and it sets the mood. The meehoon by itself was a little plain or bland. The generous serving of sambal complemented the noodles well. The sambal was not too spicy It was on the sweet side. Malay cuisine generally tend to be on the sweet side. This whole meal was wolfed down in no time at all. My compliments to the chef.

Guys n gals, if you are in Subang Jaya, head over to SS18 to get yourselves packets of nasi lemak and meehoon siam from this Makchik and Pakchik stall. No need for addresses or maps – the wonderful smells (aroma) from this food fills the whole area and will be able to attract you to their stall.

As for my weight-watching, what is that? Damage control – Actually, I took to the street for my 10 kilometer walk shortly after lunch. No, not due to guilt that I ate lunch. It is just that I had to compensate for eating lunch. Also, it was my routine daily walk.

Words from a 96-year old, two times Prime Minister, the second Premiership stint was at his age of 95; “If you love the food, eat a little bit, not too much”. This was in response to a question as to how he managed to stay slim. Wise words from him, who is also a medical doctor by profession.

NOTES:
1. Subang Jaya is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
2. “Makchik” is a Malay word which means “aunty”.
3. “Pakchik” is a Malay word which means “uncle”.
4. Nasi lemak and meehoon siam are favourite Malaysian local meals.