I was recently asked what my advice to expats would be in Malaysia and I thought long and hard about my answers. Given I am one to always seek out new ways of being better at adulthood, it was a new perspective thinking what I would teach others. So here you have it. My learnings and advice for expats and beyond:
- say yes to everything
- always carry an umbrella
- explore beyond your comfort zone
- food is always best at places with plastic chairs and street cats
- and on that note, an overflow of tums and panadol never goes astray
- learn the names of the service people who work in your building
- 100+ is king
- always have full battery
- and of course, cook your own dinner (from real ingredients!) three times a week
chilli con carne
serves 3-4
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red capsicum, diced
Half a carrot, diced
2tsp cumin
2tsp paprika
2tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp onion powder
2tsp garlic powder
1tsp cinnamon
4tsp tomato paste
4tsp chipotle paste
250-300g beef mince
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1tsp fresh thyme
1tsp fresh oregano
1 cup beef stock
2tsp brown sugar
1/2tsp salt
Method
Heat some olive oil in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, capsicum and carrot. Sauté on a low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Drizzle over a little more oil and stir through the spices until fragrant – about 2 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the tomato paste, chipotle paste and beef mince, breaking the mince up as you go.. After about 3-4 minutes the beef should be browned so add the remaining ingredients as well as a tomato can full of water.
Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer for 45 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste to make sure it doesn’t need a touch more salt. Serve with tortillas, hard tacos or rice.