Amazing Nasi Lemak, Malaysian Students’ Culinary Skills Impress in Germany in Just 10 Minutes

OFFENBURG, Germany: Surprised but excited, for the first time trying, the Nasi Lemak produced by him successfully captivated nearly 500 international guests at the International Evening event organized by the University of Applied Science, Offenburg, Germany.

Outclassing Briyani Rice, the authentic Malaysian Nasi Lemak dish by Malaysian student Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi Ahmad Zakki was eagerly tried by foreigners until his servings ran out in just 10 minutes.

Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi, 24, was truly thrilled by the situation, considering that the Nasi Lemak dish he created was quite simple, consisting only of rice, anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, boiled eggs, and sambal.

“I truly didn’t expect it. Even before the table was opened, many were already lining up to try the Nasi Lemak. I tried my best to create an authentic Nasi Lemak menu, served on banana leaves. In the rice, I added pandan leaves and kaffir lime leaves to give it a fragrant aroma. Luckily, it became a hit, finishing in just 10 minutes.

“Pandan leaves, banana leaves, and anchovies, I specifically asked my parents to send them from Kuala Lumpur. Yes, to ensure that the Nasi Lemak I produced here in Germany is not much different from the dish I enjoyed with family and friends in Malaysia,” said Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi, a Master’s student majoring in Biotechnology at the University of Applied Science Offenburg, Germany.

The produced Nasi Lemak was presented at the International Evening event, an annual event organized by the university. Among other things, the International Evening is an event for all students to showcase the uniqueness of their culture, food, and traditional clothing from their respective home countries to introduce them to friends from other countries.

“I deliberately chose Nasi Lemak because I feel this menu is very familiar to me; I’m a fan of it. Moreover, it displays its own uniqueness, truly reflecting the face of Malaysia, with fragrant and creamy rice, anchovies, sambal, cucumber, peanuts, and eggs. Just like the diverse ethnicities in Malaysia, the concept is very harmonious, unifying the taste of Nasi Lemak itself.

“My pride in the uniqueness of this Nasi Lemak is what drove me to introduce it to my friends, almost all of whom are from non-Asian countries, and others who come from all over Germany,” he said.

According to Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi, he had never cooked before continuing his studies in Germany, even just boiling water for his own drink. “But, with the help of my mother and videos available on various platforms, I am proud of this effort. I can say it is the uniqueness of Nasi Lemak itself that successfully captivated foreigners to try it, especially since it is a Malaysian dish produced by Malaysians; that’s the greatness of Nasi Lemak,” added Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi.

Meanwhile, among the foreign students who were impressed with the taste of Nasi Lemak is Macarena Paz Ohlbaum Toledo, a classmate of Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi from Chile. According to Macarena, she was impressed with the Nasi Lemak, which she considered different from other rice dishes she had tried before.

“I am interested in the side dishes accompanying this rice; there are fried anchovies and also eggs. The sambal is a bit spicy for me, but the taste is balanced when eaten with rice and cucumber,” said Macarena, who admitted she had no hesitation in recommending Nasi Lemak to other international friends.

In the meantime, there were also Malaysians who attended the International Evening event in Offenburg, Germany, namely Irfan Samrizan Samsuri and Muhammad Aizzuddin Haiqal Ramlee, who are students of the Malaysia-Germany Exchange Program. They expressed their longing for Nasi Lemak being cured by Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi.

“I’m really happy to eat Nasi Lemak, even though there is no fried chicken or other side dishes. The taste of the Nasi Lemak made by Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi is like the one I ate in Bangi, near my home,” said Irfan Samrizan.

Muhammad Aizzuddin Haiqal also said that the Nasi Lemak produced by Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi made his day full of joy.

“The comments received also state that it is the most delicious dish at the International Evening event. During the event, there was also Briyani Rice, produced by a student from India. There was also Arabian Rice from a friend from a Western Asian country. However, I can say that Nasi Lemak is the most delicious, and there is nothing as delicious as that produced by Malaysians themselves,” he said.

Seeing the very positive and good response to Nasi Lemak, Ahmad Taufeq Ismadi does not reject the requests of his friends, especially foreign students, to produce this popular Malaysian dish again.

“Maybe I will introduce them to Nasi Lemak with side dishes next time and see their reactions,” he said.

-Awani