Nasi Ulam/Malaysian Herbed Rice Recipes - Vegetarian

Nasi Ulam is our beloved Malay rice dish, also known as herbed rice. While simple and easy to make, it’s all about gathering the right herbs. As a vegetarian and vegan-friendly dish, you can adapt by using whatever herbs are available - sometimes omitting certain ones is perfectly fine. After all, there are various types of herbed rice, depending on the combination of herbs used. However, the key difference lies in the herbs themselves.

 

At Nava’s Zen, where we grow all the herbs, the experience of handpicking fresh herbs adds a special touch - perfect for those passionate about urban gardening. There are three unique herbed rice recipes to choose from, or you can try each one to see which suits your taste best.

 

With its crunchy texture from the herbs and fragrant, flavorful rice, Nasi Ulam is truly yummlicious.

Easy Pumpkin Curry with Coconut Milk Recipe

(Updated Version)

Who wants to spend hours in the kitchen cooking? Not me! I prefer keeping cooking easy and straightforward. As I’ve mentioned before, it starts with the ingredients you have in your pantry and fridge, creating a delicious meal in no time (EASY SPINACH LENTIL CURRY).

 

Enter Easy Pumpkin Curry with Coconut Milk. Mildly spicy, creamy from the coconut milk (COCONUT MILK CHICKEN CURRY), tangy with the taste of tomatoes, and featuring soft, tender pumpkin pieces. Sounds amazing, right? Of course! This is an oilless, vegetarian, and vegan version with a healthy impact.

Easy Potato Sambal Recipe: Vegetarian

(Updated Version) 

A dish I've made countless times, potato sambal is fuss-free and comes together in just about 30 minutes. With its minimal ingredients, it’s a perfect choice for vegetarian meals (HYDERABADI VEGETABLE BIRYANI), usually paired with rice and a couple of side dishes. This classic dish, also known as spicy potato, is forever loved - don’t believe me? Try it yourself, and I bet you’ll agree. Soft, tender potatoes (MORINGA POTATO CURRY) are coated in a thick, spicy sambal with a hint of zing - a quintessential Malaysian Malay gravy or sauce. Simple, satisfying, and absolutely delicious.

Pork Chops Recipe - Chinese Style

(Updated Version)

I love pork to its core. I’m an ardent fan, though I don’t cook it regularly at home since my husband follows a pork-free diet. But when he’s not dining at home, I simply can’t resist the temptation of cooking pork (PORK BELLY WITH SALTED FISH).

 

One of the joys of making pork chops is the convenience. You can marinate the chops in advance, store them in the fridge, and have them ready to cook when needed. You can even freeze them, turning pork chops into an effortless meal option anytime.

Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe - Indian Style

(Updated Version)

Is Indian food Kerala food? Is Kerala cuisine also Indian cuisine? While you ponder, let’s get to the recipe. It’s a Kerala Indian coconut chicken curry (AUTHENTIC INDIAN CHICKEN CURRIES). How can a Kerala chicken curry be complete without coconut milk and a blend of spices for that punchy, spicy, and creamy thick curry with tender chicken pieces? Get your place of rice and a raw salad (BEST INDIAN NO COOK SALADS) and picture pouring Coconut Chicken Curry and enjoying it with your fingers and hands. Oh-Wow! 

Murungai (Moringa) Potato Curry: Vegetarian Recipe

Our moringa tree outside Nava's Zen is a gold mine. It provides not only moringa sticks or drumsticks but also leaves, which are a true treasure for health. The flowers, too, hold vital health benefits for cooking. When you combine murungai (moringa) and potato in a thick curry: easy-to-cook dish, you get a mouthwatering recipe. A dish you shouldn’t hesitate to try. 

How To Design A Vegetarian Dinner Party Menu

Throwing a dinner party is the kind of thing you definitely want to get right, and it’s really something of an art because there’s so much planning and hard work to put into making sure everything goes off smoothly. However, when you get it right, and everyone has a good time, you’ll feel great and proud of what you’ve done, and your guests will have a positive and memorable experience. 

If you have a vegetarian guest, it isn’t always easy to make one dish just for them, and what could be an easier option is to design an entirely vegetarian menu. Not only does this make things easier for you, but it’s probably not something your veggie guest has ever experienced before, so they’ll love it. Plus, if you choose the right food and cook it well, your other guests will enjoy it too, and it might even show them what can be done when meat’s off the menu. With that in mind, here are some tips to help you design a vegetarian menu for your dinner party. 

        Photo by Rene Asmussen  

Sri Lankan Fish Curry/Malu Hodhi Recipe

One of the joys of traveling for me is tucking into various cuisines. In Sri Lanka (COLOMBO, SRI LANKA) I discovered how spices, coconut milk, coconut oil, and the freshest seafood shape the incredible flavors of their dishes. Through tasting and learning from kind locals, I brought home a slice of Sri Lankan culinary wisdom. Here's to Sri Lankan Fish Curry, or Malu Hodhi (SALTED FISH PINEAPPLE CURRY). 

Best Indian No Cook Salad Recipes

(Updated Version)

I’m a huge fan of salads - how about you? I enjoy a variety of salads (AVOCADO TOFU SALAD), and Indian salads? They’re refreshing, crunchy, spicy, and tangy. While salads, in general, are healthy, Indian salads take it up a notch. 

When I used to host gatherings, Indian salads were always a hit because they’re so easy to prepare: just slice or cut the ingredients, which are both accessible and affordable. You can prepare them in advance, store them in the fridge, and serve them chilled or at room temperature. Isn’t that a fantastic way to entertain, rather than spending hours stir-frying vegetables (ZESTY MALAY OKRA SALAD).

Vegetable Biryani Recipe

Effortlessly made in the rice cooker, a versatile kitchen appliance designed for simple and efficient cooking. Beyond just cooking rice, I rely on the rice cooker for a variety of rice dishes. One of its best features is that you don’t have to worry about rice being burned or undercooked (LEMONGRASS RICE). 

 

For this vibrant, colorful, and grainy rice cooked with spices, using basmati super long rice is ideal. Consider splurging on saffron strands - worth the investment for its floral earthy notes, subtle honey-like taste, and light golden hue (SAFFRON RICE). 

Chicken Rendang Recipe (Resepi Rendang Ayam)

(Updated Version)

Assumedly, no Malay function is complete without a rendang dish. Typically, it’s either beef rendang or chicken rendang. But what is rendang? It’s our Malay Malaysian dish, crafted with various local herbs, coconut milk (EASIEST MALAYSIAN NASI LEMAK RECIPE) and a choice of beef or chicken as the base. These are the essential ingredients, though variations with additional elements do exist. Today, as the recipe name suggests, it’s chicken rendang - not the usual kind, but my own version with a creative twist. Interesting, right?

Easy Spinach Lentil Curry - Indian Style

A dish I’ve made countless times and is a favorite in my home, spinach lentil curry holds a special place at our table. Packed with nutritious ingredients like spinach, lentils, coconut milk, and spices, it’s a comforting and wholesome dish. Each time I prepare it, I tweak the ingredients for a slightly different version, ensuring it never becomes monotonous or boring (EGG GREEN CURRY RECIPE). 

Spinach lentil curry is not only easy to assemble but also bursts with flavor. For this version, I use red Malabar spinach and red lentil, though other varieties work beautifully as well. The blend of spinach, lentil, coconut milk, ghee, curry leaves, and cumin seeds elevates spinach lentil curry as a forever timeless classic Indian dish (CURRY LEAF RICE - 3 VARIETIES). 

Egg Curry Recipe: Thai Green Curry Style

Eggs – they’re the universal culinary treasure, right? At my house, they’re a staple, always on standby for those emergency cooking situations. Who doesn’t love the versatility of eggs? Countless dishes, endless creativity, and egg curries being one of them. Today’s recipe still features eggs, but in a thick, green curry (THAI GREEN CRAB CURRY & BASIL PEPPER CRAB). Once you make the green chillies and herbs-scented Thai paste, you’re good to go. The rest is simple – aromatic and creamy, mouthwatering boiled eggs in green curry (EASY INDIAN EGG CURRY). 

Signature Tiffins Cafe: Exploring a New Eatery in Bandar Rimbayu (Teluk Panglima Garang)

Two weeks ago, a fellow food enthusiast and I embarked on a delightful culinary adventure in Bandar Rimbayu, uncovering yet another food paradise. As a resident of Kota Kemuning, I was thrilled to find an expanding dining scene right in our own backyard. On a leisurely Sunday afternoon, we made our way to Signature Tiffins Cafe (Blossom Square, 7-G, Jalan Flora 1/4, Bandar Rimbayu, Teluk Panglima Garang, Selangor), a 20-minute drive away, and were pleased to discover that parking was a breeze. Bandar Rimbayu has truly evolved into a haven for food lovers (Nutz & Boltz, & He Ju Kopitiam) offering us an abundance of new and exciting eateries to explore, including those in Kota Kemuning.

Curry Leaf Rice: Three Simple Recipes

The aroma of curry leaves is a natural perfume for the senses - imagine that scent in a rice dish? Sounds fantastic, right? Absolutely. By the way, have you made curry leaf rice before, or even tasted it? You should, because the aroma of curry leaves lingering in your kitchen while cooking and in the rice dish will bring a smile to your face when you tuck in (BUTTERFLY BLUE PEA FLOWER RICE). 

Crab Masala Recipe

(Updated Version)

Have you realized that compared to enjoying a crab meal outside, nothing compares to savoring a crab dish at home (BLACK PEPPER & GREEN CRAB CURRY)? You can sit comfortably, take your time, and use your fingers to dig in, feeling the spiciness ignite sparks on your lips, tongue, and throat. We cherish our home-cooked crab, and nothing beats a crab dish infused with Indian spices - thick, spicy gravy or sauce that coats the crabs, leaving them drenched in fiery, lingering flavor (EASIEST MUTTON CURRY RECIPES). This crab masala dish is exactly that. Sit back and picture yourself indulging in it? Pow!!!

Exploring the Versatility of Brazilian Spinach: A Hidden Gem in the Culinary World

Discovering new ingredients is always an exciting journey, and my encounter with Brazilian spinach, about four years ago, was nothing short of a delightful surprise. Prior to that, I had never even heard of this leafy green vegetable. Its origin remained a mystery, intriguing me to delve deeper into its background. Today, I not only grow Brazilian spinach myself, but also relish its diverse culinary applications. Join me as we explore this fascinating ingredient and its simple yet flavorsome Malaysian-style stir-fry recipe.

Best Vegetarian Okra Salad - Malay Style

(Updated Version)

No-Cook Vegetarian Okra Salad, or Kerabu Bendi as it's known among the Malaysian Malay community. Isn’t it amazing that even okra can shine in a no-cook salad? By the way, kerabu needs no introduction - I’ve previously shared Kerabu Taugeh/Bean Sprout Salad and Kerabu Mangga/Mango Salad) (KERABU TAUGEH/BEAN SPROUT SALAD).

Pineapple Salted Fish Curry Recipe

Pineapple salted fish curry is a beloved dish among the Eurasian, Portuguese (EASY MALAYSIAN DEVIL CURRY), and Malay communities. It’s a dish I truly love and have introduced to my other half-half. He, too, has grown fond of it, though he never knew such a dish existed until we got married. Yippie yeh!

Long Beans Stir Fry Recipes - Chinese Style

The versatile and affordable long beans can be transformed into various dishes - ranging from stir fries to soups or curries. However, nothing beats the simplicity of cooking long beans as a stir-fried dish. Trust me, a long bean stir fry as a pure vegetarian option is absolutely delightful (CHINESE CHILLI CASHEW VEGGIE STIR FRY VEGETARIAN)

Whether you prefer them cooked to a crunchy texture or soft bites, it works beautifully. Especially when stir-fried with common kitchen staples, these effortless, quick dishes are a winner. Ready to dive into the recipes? Not just one, but three easy and delicious options for you (PICKLED RED CABBAGE VEGETARIAN).