During the leisure time especially during the weekends I would devote some of my time to cook for the family. Cooking has been in my blood. My mom was a good cook and I learned informally from her how to cook nice dishes . She was frequently invited by women's groups in Kedah and Pulau Pinang to teach them how to cook traditional Malay dishes. Her specialty was the unique "acar buah" which I regret for not learning how to make it. But my hobby in cooking is now adversely affected by the high prices of food items especially fish in Bandar Baru Bangi. The prices are now sky-rocketing.
| RM 25 a kilo |
The price of fish has gone up uncontrollably. Someone is actually making so much money. I don't understand why the prices have gone up too much. The petrol and diesel are subsidized by the government. The deck hands on the fishing boats are mostly foreigners which means that the salary is not very high. But why are the prices of fish so expensive? It's even more expensive than in Singapore because the fish sold in Singapore are of good quality.Ikan Merah is now almost RM 30 ringgit a kilo. Ikan Jenahak RM 30 per kilo. The so called rich man "Ikan Bawal Hitam " fortunately hovers around RM 20 ringgit per kilo. Even the farmed bred ikan Siakap is RM 20 a kilo. It seems that the price of fish is nothing less than RM 20 a kilo. I really hope that Dato Saberi Chik who is the minister responsible for consumer items would find a solution to this really big problem,. It must be solved immediately and I believe that it's now becoming a liability to the BN government.
It's just not fish that has seen the price going upwards. Even shrimp prices have seen an upward trend. It is now sold for RM 20-25 a kilo. Even the smallest shrimp that looks very much like "udang karai" is sold for almost RM 12 a kilo. The small shrimp is not even fit to make" cucur udang" (shrimp fritters).Squid prices in Bandar Baru Bangi are sold for around RM 22 a kilo. Five medium size squid would weigh more than a kilo. The dried squid is almost RM 50 a kilo. If your nasi lemak man is rather stingy with his sambal sotong it's because the crazy prices of these items.My favourite dish "ketam masak gulai" Kedah style - with "tumis darat"-is now a less frequent main dish served to my family because a kilo of that crustacean sets you back RM 26 and that is just for 2 medium size crabs. Definitely its not enough for my small family. My big son son who is studying at Asis would need more than a crab to satisfy his cravings. To prepare the dish I need at least 2 kilos which means RM 52 just for the "ketam".
| RM 9.90 a tray of 30s |
If fish is expensive and seafood is also beyond reach what do we have for lunch and dinner? I suggest that you buy "Telor ayam". Even the eggs have not escaped the price increase. A tray of grade "C" eggs that was sold for RM 7.90 a few months ago is now sold at RM 9.90 and those are only available at the hypermarket. Your typical tray of 10 eggs will cost you almost RM 4.50 at your Speedmart store or Indian own sundry shops. But the prices of eggs are still bearable. I suggest that you cook " sambal telor" "kurma telor", "telor kicap", "telor masak lemak", "telor masak tomato", "telor goreng"," telor rebus salad" to beat the price increase of fish and other types of seafood. However, you must be warned that too much " telor" is bad for you.
| RM 6 a kilo |
The price of food items have gone up. we can't just sit idle and do nothing about it. We have to play our role as consumers. We need to beat those middle men and those who hoard the items. I believe that one effective way to stem the price increase is not to buy the items that are too expensive. My suggestion is to boycott the expensive fish. Use more of the eggs. If you still need to buy fish get the cheaper ones like "ikan Kedera", "Ikan Keli", or" Ikan Tilapia". The prices of those types of fish are less than RM 10 a kilo. Those whose hobbies are cooking and dining try to change your menu to more of dairy based.I mean you should use more of the ubiquitous eggs.
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