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Rambling: Our Story

Throwback to the day after lockdown was announced last year! Day drinking was 100% allowed.⁠ And necessary.

We were still cooking from home and had taken orders for local home deliveries so there was a bit of a panic and a freak out followed by a nap and a woosah. And then we decided that the safest thing to do was to shut shop ⁠until we could figure out a new way of working which was safe for everyone.

We did try the route of personally home delivering orders but soon realised we were not a fan of driving around town and getting lost with Kat’s directions…ain’t nobody got time for that!

So, we went back to the drawing board to figure out how to send food out safely through a courier/postal service that was not Kat & Sue… And this is what happened:

A LOT of research and testing⁠… We spent a good 3-4 weeks ordering samples, carrying out tests, failing, learning lessons and finally finding the best resources to package our products

We relaunched our online shop

Kat moved in⁠

and the MM we know today was born!

Yup, that’s our story folks! Not quite book material yet.. maybe one day 🙂

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Rambling: Why We Do What We Do!

So this isn’t the most flattering picture of us – we’re sweaty, full and sleepy from ALL the food but we’re SO HAPPY! And that’s just what it’s like in Malaysia, it’s humid, you’re hot and, more often than not, uncomfortably full but still loving life because you’re surrounded by amazing food!!

⁠These roadside plastic tables & chairs where food is served on colourful, delicious plates from different food stalls are where we spent most of our childhood – before school with breakfast roti canais, after school for some chicken rice … and sometimes sneaking out of school to Makan some indo mee. Basically being surrounded by food was always our hang out of choice (except for coin beer- IFYKYK ) ⁠

⁠All the memories and good times had whilst eating at places just like this one, is why food is so important to us. And it’s not just us, it’s part of the Malaysian culture – we’ve not yet met a Malaysian who isn’t obsessed with food! ⁠

⁠So we can’t bring you the tropical weather, BUT hopefully it’s not long now until we can host our supper clubs again where we fully transform venues to bring you THE Malaysian experience!  But until then you can still order some tropical flavours from us online and create your own Malaysian experience right at home – unsweaty and without the fear of someone taking a photo of your food coma face  ⁠

⁠We deliver nationwide so anywhere in the UK, we’ve got you covered. Follow this link  for information about delivery for next week. ⁠

P.S We went for a ‘run’ before this meal so we could eat more. And we DEFINITELY ate too much more.

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Rambling: Malaysia’s National Dish

Coconut Rice, Sambal, Ikan Bilis, Peanuts, Cucumber & Egg.. that’s right, it’s NASI LEMAK

Nasi Lemak directly translates as fatty/rich rice which is perfect because it is sooo rich in all the flavours… it’s spicy and cooling, crunchy and soft and smells SO SEXY. It’s Malaysia’s national dish and we eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!⁠

The best Nasi Lemaks are the ones you get from roadside stalls that come all wrapped up in a perfect little banana leaf pyramid and you barely make it round the corner before you can resist breaking into it and having a little nibble….⁠

We try our best to recreate this vibe for you with our Nasi Lemak kits and though we can’t send it to you all packed up in a neat little triangle (sorry … but maybe at one of our supper clubs when they happen again) we do give you the tools to DIY, including the banana leaf!⁠

So order your kit today and send us your creations… we love to see them!

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Rambling: Are you missing out?

HAVE YOU BEEN MISSING OUT?!  If you’ve not had a taste of all the wonderful flavours of Malaysian dining then yes, yes you have. It’s the reason we started Makan Malaysia – to share Malaysia with you, through food! And we want as many people to taste the amazingness as possible! 

‘Makan’ means ‘eat’ and it’s a very important word for us, not just because we LOVE to eat, but we also believe that food is one of the best ways to explore and learn about a country… It’s definitely one of the tastiest ways!

We started off spreading the Malaysian love through supper clubsand private dinners where we took our guest on a journey through Malaysia with our dishes – exploring different regions and discovering a world of flavours! This year, after we were no longer able to host events, we wanted to make sure everyone could still get their Malaysian fix so started delivering meals right to your door!

Whether you’re trying Malaysian food for the first time or haven’t been able to travel back home and are missing those comforting flavours, we’ve got you! Just head to our online shop browse the menu, place your order online and wait for that yummy package to arrive at your door!

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Rambling: We Are Responsible

The planet we live on is the only one we have, so it is important to look after it! This is why we try our best to make sure we consider sustainability and the environment as much as possible in our business. We that you recognise that this is reflected across our products and services: ⁠

⁠ALL our food packaging is plastic free and home compostable or recyclable – right down to our ziplock bags, vacuum pack bags and sticker labels! These are made from vegetable starches which mean they can be put with all your other veg waste in the compost bin 🙂 ⁠

Our delivery boxes and insulation are completely curbside recyclable and the icepacks are reusable or safe too our down your sink. The only time we will ever use non-recyclable packaging is if we are repurposing materials sent to us..⁠.

⁠We have an extensive vegan menu, and have given each vegan dish a lot of thought and care because we know how disappointing it is when the vegan option is pretty lame and uninspiring. We’ve also hosted sell out vegan supper clubs pre-covid and are looking forward to doing it again when we are able to!⁠

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Rambling: How we make your food safely!

We hope you guys are ready for a food safety lesson today! This giant piece of equipment is our Blast Chiller and it is key to how we get food SAFELY and deliciously anywhere in the UK from our kitchen in Reading 

⁠Sue likes to call it the opposite of an oven, which it is .. or you could call it a reaaaaallly powerful fridge. But basically, it circulates really really cold air around freshly cooked hot food to cool it down as quickly as possible to get it out of “the danger zone” (real industry term, between 8C and 65C) which is the temperature range where bacteria can rapidly grow and multiply  ⁠

⁠Once the food is cooled nice and quickly, we then vacuum pack it in non-plastic bags and by removing all the air, we limit the growth of aerobic bacteria and funghi and extend the fridge life of the sexy food inside! Bonus point: vacuum packing food means that the package is super slim so that you can slide it right into your fridge or freezer and fill it up with even more food!⁠

⁠Once everything is packed and wrapped in specially insulated boxes with gel packs to keep food out of the danger zone we use a 24 hour courier to send orders out to you! All you have to do is decide if you’re going to heat up and makan right away or keep it in the fridge or freezer for later!⁠

⁠Side note: this is the ONLY time we’ve ever used our pallet lifter for its intended use which is why we had to document the moment….usually it’s a giant skateboard or box storage  Soo turns out not necessary buy. Still a fun one though! 

⁠Anyway, hope you enjoyed our food safety lesson today and feel confident that we are doing all the right things to get food to you safely! Order on our website for delivery next week!

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Rambling: Meet the Team – Part Two

You’ve met our kitchen team, and now here’s the ladies that make everything else happen! There is so much more to running a food business than just the food (seems weird, we know) but we have these amazing gals to support us in ALL the ways:⁠

First up – Kaya dog: she lets us force cuddles on her and keeps us entertained, very necessary. Also, accepts payment in dentastix soo winning all round ⁠

G: aka queen of logistics  ⁠.. she makes sure your packages get to you safely and that we stay on top of doing our job … we require lots of chasing up as we get VERY easily distracted by food. She looks cute but she’s SPICY and whips us and our delivery guys into shape! She also cares about our health more than we do and always reminds us to hydrate which is probably why we’re still alive today.⁠ 

Beckie: Our everything person⁠. Seriously. This woman is amazing and has helped us blossom with all her behind the scenes organisation and hard work. She’s the reason for all the competitions we run and the magazines you see us in… and she’s making sure this new website of ours is happppening! Everyone needs a Beckie in their life. But not ours, we don’t share, sorry not sorry. 

Chan: We basically pay her to be our friend  She has such amazing energy and brings so much fun to our events – she’s also like an extra arm and just knows what we need before we do. We love having her with us at pop-ups! So if you see Chan in our gazebo, she’s the reason your sexy plate of food was served with a smile! Oh, and one time she brought us cookies. AMAZING.⁠ 

And now you’ve met everyone! Our Makan wheel would not turn without any of these people and we’re so grateful for all of them  So when you bite down on that super tender, tasty rendang and you’re like oooooh yeahhhh this is IT – don’t forget to send a lil thank you vibe to the team.

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Rambling: What is Pandan?

Ever wondered what pandan tastes like or even what it is? For looks, it’s basically a really big blade of grass with a sweet smell and the taste is something we find quite hard to describe… It’s often likened to the Malaysian version of vanilla as we use it in similar ways such as in cakes and desserts but we find it a lot more versatile and also use it for rice, chicken, jams and all sorts!⁠

Here we have pictured some gorgeous pandan madeleines made by amazing pastry chef (and friend) @cocolico! With her Chinese-French background, she really knows what she’s doing when it comes to balancing the fragrant pandan flavour with her perfected madeleine recipe, and we can confirm the result is perfect!

So feeling tempted? Yes? Ok, then head to our online shop to get your hands on these special Pandan Madeleines made just for MM! They’re sexy and vegan and everything you could want in a tea time treat so go on, feed your taste buds to something new!⁠

Oh and make sure you check out @cocolico ‘s instagram to see all her other amazing bakes … but have a napkin handy because you will be drooling!!  pandan makana malaysia yummy pandan madeleines fragrant rambling

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Rambling: What is Sambal?

So you hear us talk about Sambal and how amazing it is all the time, but what is this thing we speak of?!

Sambal is a Malaysian chilli paste and the cornerstone of Malaysian cuisine. Bold statement, but true. There are many different versions of Sambal, and every restaurant, shop, and grandma has their recipe – but they are full of chilli, oil and local veg like galangal and shallots. It makes a great condiment to any meal, a sexy marinade or just off the spoon deliciousness.

Whilst you can buy Sambal from your local Asian grocer or Supermarket, ours is better. We’ve tried and confirmed, done all of the research so you do not have to. ⁠


⁠At Makan Malaysia, we have three types: ⁠

1. The Sambal – our everything Sambal, best selling, and most versatile⁠. Whilst this packs some heat, also layered with galangal, ginger, tamarind and more! Great on its own, mixed into mayo, as a curry base and however, you want it!
 

2. Sambal Belacan (pronounce beh-la-chan) – packed full of chilli and fermented shrimp paste, this one is deeper, hotter and very intense. Perfect if you’re looking for a punchy, umami kick and makes an excellent fish marinade⁠

⁠3. Sambal Hijau – the light and friendly⁠ sister to our other Sambals. This one is full of fresh green tomatoes, chilli’s and limes and carries more of a salsa vibe to it⁠
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So have you tried the entire collection? Which one is your favourite?

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Rambling: Our Veggie and Vegan dishes

Isn’t it SO frustrating when a veggie or vegan option is BOOORING?! We’ve been to a few places in our lives where we’ve found that the only veg option available is a soup, salad or mehh. And even worse than a poor selection? When that dish comes out so PLAIN! ⁠

                                                                
⁠We don’t ever want anyone to feel left out or disappointed which is why we put a lot of time and thought into creating our veggie and vegan dishes! We make sure that they are equally delicious and an option that someone would enjoy by itself and not feel like it’s just a side, or lacking flavour. 

And if you’re not veggie but are just curious, try lah! We’ve even had some customers prefer our veggie to our meat dishes…

So if you’ve been wanting to eat more veg meals in life or just looking for something tasty – get stuck in with our selection on our online shop!

We’ve got curries, snacks and bundles – you won’t be short on choice! ⁠