The Unspoken Bond with Mani Cai

Update on **7 July 2017**

Mani Cai

Mani Cai was not the common vegetables in Peninsular Malaysia. I couldn’t see them in markets, supermarkets and vegetable stores.

Friends told me Mani Cai was village vegetables, so I wouldn’t able to see them unless I planted by my own.

I had seen them in the cafeteria but they cooked with coconut juices and carrots, which was not the way I had eaten.

I chose to let it be. 

I was at Jitra Chinese morning market last Friday. I wanted chai kueh but there were no chai keuh. Instead, tau sa piah were there.

A green vegetable suddenly attracted my attention.

“Isn’t Mani Cai?” I asked myself. The leaves very small.

The lady vegetable seller said “you want Mani Cai?” It can make soups.

I didn’t know how to describe my excitement. Mani Cai that I craved for were in front of my eyes. I 

could hold Mani Cai. I could smell Mani Cai. It was raw Mani Cai. I could cook it by my own way.

If the lady vegetable seller not confirmed my doubt, this chance was gone. Without hesitation, I immediately grabbed 1 bundle Mani Cai.

I stir fried Mani Cai with dried anchovies. It was more yummy if cooked with eggs but I had no egg. Plus, fried egg stuck on the rice cooker.

Before that, I stripped the leaves from stems and squeezed it.

The smells, fragrance and aromas were obvious after they were in the rice cooker several minutes. 

My heart skipped a beat. Quite a long time battled for cravings, now my dream came true.

My tears rolled down as I ate the first mouthful of Mani Cai. These were the tears of joy.

There was a certain sense of familiarity whereby no need to ask the friends on how to cook Mani Cai and felt like at home while having it.

My face instantly glowed and brightens up because of Mani Cai. I had found the comfort in Mani Cai.

Apparently, the smallest, trivial and common Mani Cai makes me missing the most. Mani Cai at homeland was not that bad after all.

I realized that being away from the homeland equipped me to appreciate Mani Cai.

I gained better understanding about the meaning of “the grass is not always green on the other side”.

At the end of the day, homeland was still in my heart. I could easily find peace and comfort when someone said “Mani Cai, Sarawak Laksa, Kolo Mee, 3 layers tea, etc”.