Semakin kita banyak kerja dan semakin kesuntukan masa, semakin lah kita nak mengemas kononnya. Macam semalam, kita nak tengok apa dalam peti ais yang dah boleh dihapuskira. Itu saja nawaitunya.
Tetapi… Tiba-tiba kita terpandang kacang panjang yang dah naik kecut kesejukan. Kalau tak bermasak, alamatnya minggu depan lah peminat kacang panjang di Mesra ni baru jumpa jalan balik. Orangnya nun di Batu Berendam.
Jadi kita pun berpencak silat lah di Cucina Mesra, asah pisau, capai papan pemotong, sambar Geragau dalam tempat sejuk beku, kupas bawang, buka balang emping cili, pukul telur sampai berbuih!
3 cawan kacang panjang potong 1-2 inci 3 sudu besar Geragau Tawau 3 biji bawang putih dihiris 2 biji bawang merah dihiris 2 biji telur dipukul laju-laju 1 sudu kecil emping cili 1 sudu kecil Cukup Rasa 1 sudu besar minyak masak
Panaskan minyak, tumis bawang-bawang.
Campurkan Geragau, emping cili dan Cukup Rasa sampai keemasan.
Masukkan telur, kacau selama 30 saat.
Sudahi dengan kacang panjang yang telah dipendekkan. 2 minit cukup.
Boleh dimakan dengan nasi panas, nasi sejuk, nasi lesung, nasi periuk atau pulut. Yang penting, mesti makan. Kalau tak makan tapi mengada-ngada nak mengadu lapar, Enida malas nak layan.
Lama saya tak makan hati. Bukan tak ada hati, tapi jadi tawar hati sebab dua tiga kali yang terakhir saya membeli, banyak hati yang tak bersih. Termasuklah semalam. Hati yang sampai masih ada hempedu nya. Mempedal yang saya terima terlalu banyak lemaknya.
Saya berkecil hati.
Sudahnya saya buang saja semua mempedal, jantung dan limpa kerana tak sanggup nak membelah mempedal untuk membuang tahi, membelah jantung untuk membuang darah beku. Limpa pula cuma ada satu. Lupakan saja! Saya bersihkan hati dari segala kehijauan hempedu, ketulan darah beku, lemak-lemak yang menempel. Lalu saya garam-kunyit dan serbuk ketumbarkan dia dan goreng sesuka hati saya.
Mempedal yang bertahi mengingatkan saya… Sekitar penghujung tahun 70an, my parents tried rearing a couple of chicken. It was most likely 1977 — I remember the year because I was still the youngest child then. Tapi bila tiba-tiba we had an unexpected guest, somebody high-up in the Cekak Harimau association who was coming for lunch, my parents had to sacrifice their chicken. Seemed to me it was the first time my mother had to clean chicken she reared herself. She cried, threw up and obviously was not happy.
I can’t recall apa yang mak saya masak untuk hidangan makan siang menjamu tetamu kami hujung minggu itu. Saya cuma ingat, mak saya tak sentuh langsung masakannya sendiri. She made us (my Irish twin sister, Mas and I) watch how she siang the ayam. She specifically dissected the mempedal to memburaikan tahi dan segala isi di dalamnya. The chicken’s throats were still full of jagung, she cleaned that too. Her face was red and wet with tears and sweat. She gagged and muntah a few times, but the chicken dishes were ready in no time.
While our guest, I had no idea what his name was, makan dengan sangatlah berselera nya, mak saya sambung konon sibuk di dapur rumah kecil kami di Kampung Jana Baru itu memotong semangka. She didn’t eat anything at all. Selepas makan dan basuh tangan, since we didn’t have any serviette or tissue back then, our guest showed me how he dried his hands pahlawan style! Itu saya ingat sampai sekarang. I do it almost every time saya makan di restoran yang tak menyediakan tisu berdekatan dengan tempat cuci tangan. Pahlawan sangat!
My parents never reared any more chicken after that foodful day. I never saw any mempedal (gizzard) full of tahi again until yesterday. Looking back, I am not sure if my mom actually sedih having to cook ayam yang dibela sendiri or she genuinely geli having to gut the gizzards. She let everyone makan ayam puas-puas that day. Us kids especially. Di tahun-tahun 70an dulu, ayam adalah lauk orang kaya. It was a meal to brag about! I heard that the Cekak Harimau guy was a rich man, so my parents must have been segan kalau hidang lauk ikan sepat masin atau telur masak kicap saja.
We did not have any chicken meal for quite a while after that special lunch. But less than a year later, ada telur baru menetas in our family. My Irish twin sister and I got ourselves a little sister.
I had been craving for a simple dish of Sotong Goreng Tepung for a while. So when I took Monchies to Udang King for their famous Salt & Pepper Squid last Wednesday, I wasn’t prepared to be be told that their kitchen was closed for the day. They never closed before. Ever! To say that I was terkilan was an understatement.
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I had already pulled a chair and was about to sit down when our usual server came to say, “Sorry aaa… kitchen close, kitchen close.” Monchies saw my merajuk face. I didn’t even try to hide it. We settled for sushi at Sushi Zenmai later that day where I pretended to be happy with my Yakiniku Don. It was good, but it wasn’t squid.
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After a couple more attempts during the weekend, I gave it up. Dah lah, no more craving. I even settled for Mee Udang Special at Zetty’s place, Changkat Jering on my way home from Alor Setar. The restaurant didn’t serve squid nor did they have any tepung to make any ‘goreng tepung’ thing.
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But today, when all I wanted was just a good egg-on-toast breakfast at Dôme, I was still drawn to the Salt & Pepper Squid on the menu. So be it lah kan. Although the squid tasted like chicken, it finally closed my craving door. Merajuk face no more. I was grateful the batter was just as I imagined a simple Sotong Goreng Tepung would be. The accompanying dip was good, the salad was perfect. Dah, done!
Pagi-pagi bute koi ni semalang celek mate, tekok konoin baser nok makei pateng. Tok kire lah masok mpoyok ke, asang pedaeh ke, goreng kunyek ke. Asei ke pateng. Keknye sebelong masuk seminor, koi ni tadi berguraa dengei rodong boleh ke nyeboat pari. Ntoh ngaper nyeboat pari ntoh. Laeng lalu dengei hok konoin tekok dok sedang ngidang nye.
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Habih seminor berajat nok ke Gombok lah sebak rase koi situ hok banyok lauk kampong nye, ye dok. Keknye tok semene-mene, tangei koi ni elok molek membelok kakroh MRR2 beloh kiri dari aroh UIA te, lanteih ke Ampang. Ahhh yer, pedo’oh sangek nok ke Gombok nye, mokngoh heh. Tercengang-cengang rodong koi, keknye dia ni mudoh hek. Ngikut je memane lah.
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Doh separuh jalan, koi ni tadi dapat lah idea nok makei mane. Tingek ke kedei makei hok sebeloh The Garage te. Name dia Istana Bambu, iklan bapok besor tulih Pateng Masok Mpoyok tepi jalan te. Dalang hati koi, bedo’o je lah mudoh-mudohei bukok lah ari Saktu gini. Risaa jugek kot dia bukok ari keje je sebak beramei sikek datang makei tengohari. Gitu lah bacaan koi ni tadi.
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Sampei di parking Istana Bambu, nampok gaye nya nasek koi baik. Hah bukok pon kedei te. Nang tujoh kali dah koi datang situ keknye tok perenoh lagi lanteih masuk ke Istana Bambu te. Sokmo lah ke The Garage beloh malang bese nye. Doh duduk, doh dapat menu, doh berangan nengok gambor pateng masok mpoyok nye… siak ander set RM17.00 dengei ulang, dengei buoh, dengei sirak limaa siak.
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Tetiber budok hak ngambik oda tu kabor… “Pateng tak ander. Pari ander lah.”
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Koi ni tadi tarik napeih dalang-dalang tok reti nok kabo kebende. Betoi mek cakak mok koi kemereng. Bende hok awok tak mboh, jangei seboat! Padan ke muke koi. Sudohnye koi ngoda pari lah jugek.
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Gambor beloh kiri te Pulut Mangga di Istana Bambu yang koi saloh pandang mulanya macang ‘Pungut Mangga’. Sagu Gula Kabung dalang gambor beloh kanan ni pulok koi saloh bace jadi ‘Sagu Gula Kambing’. Ahhh yer, Enida… mentang tok dapat makei pateng, seme mende jadi tok betoi yak.
I makan spaghetti petang tadi, ingat you. I makan sandwich malam semalam, ingat you. I makan keropok losong Pak Ngah lepas makan spaghetti dua suap ni pun, ingat you. Apatah lagi bila I makan asam pedas ikan kembung yang you cadangkan I masak esok tu, dah tentu lah I ingat you.
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I sampai tak pergi makan angin, ingat you. Dan bila you tak ada, I makan hati… ingat you. .
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I tau lah you sentiasa ada dalam hati I. Tapi you kat mana? You… you kat mana?
All that I wanted sangat-sangat di pagi Selasa yang sunyi sepi itu selepas Monchies ke sekolah ialah sebungkus Nasi Lemak. That’s all! Yang mudah, yang ringkas, yang kecil. Okay, I might have to have two if they are pretty small, but that’s not the point. Saya cuma nak kan nasi lemak bungkus. Nasi lemak bungkus yang macam dulu-dulu.
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Syarat utamanya ialah, the bungkusan mestilah ada daun pisang dan kertas suratkhabar. I don’t want banana leaf and brown paper. No! Tak nak. Tak sah. Saya nak yang dibungkus dengan daun pisang dan NEWSPAPER paper. The brown paper is too fancy, too mengada-ngada. And plus, what is there to read after eating the nasi lemak if I am eating alone? Reading makes one look not too lonely at a restaurant, or warung, or in the kitchen, or wherever.
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That was all I wanted. Nasi lemak bungkus. Tak nak yang dalam styrofoam containers. Tak nak yang bungkus dengan plastic sheet inside newspaper or brown paper. Tak nak yang dalam recyclable transparent plastic container — tak kira lah yang boleh atau tak boleh masuk ketuhar mikrogelombang. Chewah, ketuhar mikrogelombang, okay! Dah lama tak guna perkataan ketuhar. Siapa je yang guna perkataan ketuhar, anyway?
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So, ini lah dia… luahan hati dari hasrat yang tak sampai di pagi Selasa. Well, I was on the phone for an hour or so that morning, rambling away about nasi lemak business and whether it is still do-able to sell “Nasi Lemak Seringgit Sebungkus”. We even talked about the feasibility of getting the supply of banana leaves from Karak. If we stick a plastic spoon into each bungkusan and put them at the drive-thru-newspaper-stand, people who buy newspapers on the way to work can have breakfast too. Even people at bus stands can have our handy nasi lemak.
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But I did not get my nasi lemak yang macam dulu-dulu that pagi Selasa. I ended up breakfasting with sekeping kerak roti Masimo dip-dip in secawan Nescafé Gold dan dengan linangan airmata. Saya sebenarnya rindu nasi lemak bungkus Mak saya yang macam dulu-dulu.
While waiting for Kitreena to finish with her Istana Dance at Pak Ngah Studio the weekend before puasa, Edrick wanted an early supper at the nearby Mamak. A Roti Telur supper. Since it wasn’t busy at all, Edrick’s Roti Telur came in no time at all.
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Mommy: How’s your Roti Telur, Monch? Sadap kah?
Edrick:Deliiiiiiiicious! Mom, this roti tow-lorrr sure tastes like roti canai and egg.
Mommy: Huh? Do you know what Roti Telur is?
Edrick: Roti tow-lorrr is a roti canai cooked with an egg.
Mommy: Du’uhhhhh!
Edrick: Oh yeah. Tow-lorrr is egg.
Mommy: Double du’uhhhhh!
Edrick: Hehehehehehe. Sorry Mom. I forgot.
Mommy: You aaaa! So old man bah!
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Malaysianization process of me Monchies’ language is not so delicious these days. 🙂
Waking up this morning, I rushed downstairs to make breakfast only to realize that I didn’t have much to scrape from. There was Masak Lemak Kobis from supper the other night. But I already set my mind that I was going to make Cucur. It wasn’t easy to make a connection between Masak Lemak Kobis and Cucur, I tell you.
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But the picture above proved that I am pretty good at recycling. Ehem! It is Cucur Kobis with Bawang Goreng. I fished out the cabbage from the Masak Lemak Kobis and since I was time-pressed to peel and slice fresh shallots, I just mixed in some ready-made bawang goreng (fried shallots) into the dough.
It was an hour to midnight. Aida Maria sent me a text message on WhatsApp:
“I teringat nasi panas yang you makan dengan sambal/rendang and kacang panjang. Sodap nye. Menyesal den tak baham semalam. Huhuhu. Okay lah, rest well.”
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After all the guests left, it was just me, Aida Maria and my leftover Spaghetti Marinara. But all I could think of was my Mom and her nasi panas with anything that always looked so delicious. Like a hungry raven of Port Klang, I scrounged for the leftover Rendang Kerang that had become Serunding Kerang, found some Sambal Tumis Ikan Bilis and some string beans for ulam. Aida Maria didn’t join me because she had two plates of mia pasta del frutti di mare. Basta pasta. Si!
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To Aida Maria, I replied with:
“Hahahaha padan muka!”
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She didn’t text me back. I think she pretended to be asleep.