Less is more…

Sometimes, less is more! For instance, when you cook something, you may want to add this and that but at times, if the ingredients are not compatible or the combination is not in the appropriate proportions, the end result may be quite disastrous. Thankfully, though I am, at times, guilty as charged, so far what I have dished out turned out quite well…or most of the time, at least. But come to think of it, it is really not very necessary. Even with a little bit less, you can get something just as good or perhaps, even better.

Well, I was browsing through my fried rice posts the other day and I noticed that I had always added something extra – things such as bubuk (dried tiny shrimps), udang kering (dried prawns) and belacan (dried prawn paste) or cincaluk (fermented shrimps) and at times, even non-halal stuff like Chinese sausages or char siew (barbecued pork) or SPAM…and it dawned on me that I have never had a post on kampung fried rice in its simplest, most basic form…

It is very easy to cook kampung fried rice. Kampung is the Malay word for village and this is how the people in the villages cook their fried rice. It is simple and yet very delicious.

To cook this, you will need some leftover rice that has been kept overnight. It is best to use this instead of what you have freshly cooked. Loosen the grains so that your fried rice will not be lumpy…

You will also need a shallot or two, two or three cloves of garlic, a chili and some spring onion, if any…

Besides, you will need some ikan bilis (dried anchovies), fish gravy and an egg as well.

Peel the shallot and garlic and slice thinly. Clean the chili and remove the seeds and do the same to it, and chop the spring onion…

Heat up a bit of oil in the wok and put in the sliced shallot and garlic and the ikan bilis. Fry them till they turn golden brown…

Next, you add the sliced chili and chopped spring onion as well as the rice. Stir them well to mix everything together…

Then you add some fish gravy to it and a bit of monosodium glutamate. Instead of the fish gravy, you may use soy sauce or salt instead. After that, break an egg into the wok…

Break the yolk and mix the egg with the rice. Fry until the egg is completely cooked. Your kampung fried rice is ready. Scoop out the rice from the wok and serve it in a plate…

Now you may begin to enjoy the fruit of your labour. Bon appétit!

My parting shot – it is nice, as nice as all the rest that I’ve cooked before or perhaps even nicer…and definitely better than those at many places in town, take my word for it. Wink! Wink! LOL!!!