This pyrex dish can go from bench top, to steamer, to table and back to a refrigerator with the convenience of a lid

As Malaysians will know, we are a bunch of food-loving people. We do not need any special occasions to search for and enjoy nice and delicious food.

This is the start of December, and we are already in full swing of Christmas celebrations. Only on the weekend we had our first round of gatherings with friends; and we are already reconnecting to our roots through our childhood favourites.

I also did an otak otak demo with the younger generations, showing them the fastest way to prepare this dish. And this is an increasing common conversation with the younger generations, who love Malaysian cuisine but just don’t know how to cook.

So as I chatted more closely with them, I had the chance to really see their frustrations. There is definitely not lack of enthusiasm and willingness to cook and try out new dishes, but they just don’t know where to start. There is also just the sheer lack of time to go through the tedious preparation stages.

So my job now has to be more than just cooking; I have to literally think of the shortest and fastest ways for them to cook. The aim is for the younger generations to have efficient ways to cook their cultural dishes for.

So that night, I brought all my otak otak ingredients, banana leaves, kaffir lime leaves, candle nut, coconut milk, fish, curry kapitan paste and my pyrex container to demo a quick and simple way to prepare otak otak. Before I went, I sliced my fish and marinated in the kapitan pastes for a few hours, and I added another layer of efficiency – the serving dish!

>> Check out otak otak recipe

I purposely used the pyrex container (with lid) as the serving dish. This is because, not only the pyrex dish can be used for storing, steaming, baking,  but it is still presentable on the dining table.

It is also very convenient if they need to bring a dish for a friend’s gathering or refrigerate the leftovers, as it has the convenience of a lid. So it can go from bench top, to steamer, to table and back to a refrigerator; it is a well worth investment for busy people – and they agreed!

So to make cooking fun and enjoyable when you are short in time, think not only of the convenience of appliances, readymade ingredients, but also the serving ware you use. They do make a lot of difference.

This is the Pyrex set I got from Kitchenwarehouse. They also come in red lids.