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The Wedding Rice is Hawa’s Artisan Kitchen’s take on the dishes that are often served to guests at a Malay Wedding particularly in Peninsular Malaysia. The current time does not permit for us to host or attend wedding ceremonies which is perfectly understandable. A few months back I was missing the Malay Wedding Rice dishes. Most of my friends are already married so does not like I will get invited to any friends’ wedding anytime soon. Hence, the addition to our new menu which we finally refer to simply as the “Wedding Rice”. The idea behind this dish is to create convenience for you to savour the beautiful wedding Malay cuisine without leaving your home or office!

Hawa’s Artisan Kitchen is happy to introduce a slight twist to our Malaysian National Dish – Nasi Lemak Vegan. Yes, our version of “authentically unauthentic” but needed the tweak to be enjoyed by vegans, seafood intolerant community and also to those who at their own will wishes to eat plant-based meals once in a while.  

Our Nasi Lemak Vegan was also inspired by Simon’s and my 2 months trial on vegan journey earlier this year and in line with #veganuary 2021. During these 2 months vegan journey, we had a few “off days” to enjoy birthday cakes and such.

Sambal – is a must have chili paste / hot sauce. Sambal is Southeast Asian condiment available in many different versions. It is a condiment that is so versatile you can have it with almost anything – rice, noodles, bread. The paste can also be used as a base for fried rice or combined with proteins and/or vegetables to make dishes from the Malay/Nyonya kitchen – Shrimp Sambal, Squid Sambal, Anchovies Sambal, Potato Sambal, Eggplant Sambal, Kangkung Belacan and the list goes on.

So with so many different versions of sambals, I must admit I’m a bit lost on where to begin…….. 

Nasi Ulam or Malaysian warm herbed rice salad is a heritage Malay and Nyonya/Peranakan (Straits born Chinese) meal. Nasi means Rice in Malay and Ulam is Salad and the marriage of these two elements presents a celebrated meal that is exotically aromatic, nutrition packed and irresistibly delicious.

Laksa Johor as the name suggests originates from the southern state of Peninsular Malaysia – Johor. Laksa Johor is unique compared to other laksa as the thick gravy itself is made from creamy coconut and fish base compared to Assam Penang Laksa for with its tangy tamarind soup base, or Laksa Sarawak with its chicken & shrimp broth spiced base. Another distinct feature of Laksa Johor is the noodles itself. Unlike most laksa that is paired with rice noodles, Laksa Johor is eaten with spaghetti!!! This heritage specialty from Johor tells a story! Laksa Johor is probably the first form of East meets West Fusion in Malaysia.