Mayor’s simple pleasures in life

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BEING the mayor of the capital city of the most developed state in the country may seem as a glamorous job to many.

But for Shah Alam mayor Mazalan Md Noor, it just means spending a lot of time at the office.

A helping hand: Mazalan cooking Sambal Tumis Udang with help from his wife Saliza Shafie during a cooking competition recently.

His hectic schedule has not slowed down even during the fasting month.

Besides his usual work at the office, there are many official functions for him to attend and buka puasa invitations to fulfil.

When there is a chance to break fast with the family, Mazalan would spend a quiet evening at home.

“I prefer to break fast at home with the family than at a fancy restaurant,” said the father of four.

Because of the hectic schedule, he would normally buy the food on working days.

His children sometimes go with him to the bazaars where they can choose from a wide variety.

His favourite food are ayam golek - succulent grilled chicken.

“Usually after work, I will head to the bazaar Ramadan near the Shah Alam Stadium to look for the ayam golek.

“It is nice to eat it with piping hot rice and some vegetables,” said Mazalan, 51.

The most juicy ayam golek is usually the best as it retains its moisture and is not over cooked and dry.

At the Stadium Shah Alam bazaar Ramadan, there is plenty of ayam golek to choose from.

Another favourite of the mayor is Sambal Tumis Udang, a dish which he is good at making.

A favourite: The ayam golek or succulent grilled chicken.

He even showed off his cooking skills at a recent cooking competition held near the Shah Alam Lake.

Big prawns are preferable for this dish which also goes well with piping hot plain rice.

“It is a simple dish to make and which cannot go wrong,” he said.

For gulai, the Selangor-born mayor likes the simple, kampung-style Gulai Singgang Ikan Senangin.

The dish does not require any frying or blending. The ingredients are just boiled with some water, chilli, lemon grass and asam keping.

When it comes to cooking, Mazalan who was born in Sepang, said he does not like to cook food that required hours of laborious work. Instead, he prefers making simple food as he then gets to spend more time enjoying these with his family.

“I however prefer to have freshly cooked meals for sahur instead.

“So whenever possible, I would wake up early to help my wife in the kitchen to prepare the meal. We usually have simple meals,” he said.