You know what I just figured out? Good blogging is like having a yummy plate of nasi lemak. It’s true! Let me prove it!

Nasi lemak, or the coconut milk rice is a famous dish in Malaysia, usually eaten for breakfast. Nasi lemak is a ‘versatile’ dish that can be prepared and eaten in many versions – with the usual sambal (spicy sauce made from blended dry chilli), anchovies, peanuts, eggs, and cucumber slices or add keropok (fish crackers), kangkung or chicken rendang. Enjoyed by all regardless of race, it’s truly a Malaysian food heritage!

A good blog can also be ‘versatile’ – presented in different ways, with numerous topics to choose from against so many beautiful, eye-catching blog layout.

Now how does this yummy national food heritage fit in the blogging world?

Nasi : The Rice
A good blog posting is like a well-cooked nasi lemak, hot and scooped fresh from the rice cooker. The ingredients of a nasi lemak is simple, but individual touch makes all the difference, like Malays say, ‘air tangan‘ (personal touch)- sometimes our mak‘s cookings are always the best. Eh, not sometimes, ALL the time!

So blogging is simple – You think of a topic to write, and you write! You have santan, beras and voila – you’ll have a nasi lemak. To start a blog, and to cook nasi lemak seemed easy but to make it great takes a lot of effort, a little bit of talent and some enthusiasm.

If the santan (coconut milk) used is bad, your nasi lemak won’t turn out good. So if your topic of choice is already boring, like simply a post on you picking up your kid from the nursery – without any interesting happenings along the way, your post will surely bore people!

Add a funny conversation with your kid about what he/she did at the nursery, or a shocking revelation from the nursery nanny that your kid pinched another kid! Haha. Wouldn’t it be a fun read? The key is to add something extra to a basic posting that you have in mind.

Your ‘air tangan‘ is what makes your blog unique and spells YOU!

Sambal : The Spicy Sauce
The sambal is probably the most important partner to a nasi lemak. Without sambal, your nasi lemak will be bland and incomplete.

So a good post must also have a little spice in it. An extra something that separates you from the ordinary bloggers. Without it, your blog postings would be incomplete, and lack specialty.

When you decide on a topic, think also on how to add more to the topic. I’ll share an example : So you picked your kid from the nursery. This topic alone could be very boring. Every other moms pick their kids up from nursery. Why should your particular posting be interesting? Because you’re adding the ‘sambal‘!

• Did anything happened before, or after?
• Would you like to describe the nursery, like the fees, or number of helpers, number of kids, or how far is it from your home or office?
• Perhaps you’d like to list out the items that moms should include in the diaper bag when sending your kid to the nursery.
• You could share your kid’s funny behaviour when left with the helpers of the nursery.
• Maybe this time you’d like to share the problems faced when sending your kid to the nursery, or the benefits of doing so.
• Or you could start a discussion on which is better – the nursery, hire a maid, or send your kid to their grandparents?

All these extras add the ‘sambal‘ to you ‘nasi lemak‘ – the extra something to your topic. It takes a little work, but who says you need to write a 500-word essay? You could write one extra paragraph, and that still makes the difference, rather than just sticking to your ‘..today I have to pick my son from the nursery. Just like every other day. So tired.” – Yawn!

So remember, no sambal – no spice!

Telur : Eggs
There’s so many different kinds of egg – scamble egg, boiled egg, half-boiled egg, sunny side up, over easy, omelets, and many more. You can add cheese, onions, cut-up chilli, mushroom and so much more. Different people like different kinds of eggs. You have to know which egg fits your nasi lemak, and most importantly – your taste, or the people you’re serving the nasi lemak to!

Bloggers may have many topics in mind, with different target readers. Kids, work, hobbies, travels, recipes, feelings, current issues and so much more. It’s up to you to prioritize which topic to suit the message and theme of your blog.

Some lumps all sorts of topic in one single blog (like mine hihi) and some like one of my fellow mombloggersplanet contributors catlina who has multiple blogs that are dedicated to different topics. Choose what’s best for your likings and convenience. This way, you can do your blog justice and write wonderful interesting posts!

If you only have one type of egg, make sure they really taste yummy, because if your guests doesn’t like the egg, they have no other eggs to eat. If you’re blogging only on photography, make sure your shots are creative and beautiful. However, if you cook 3 different types of egg to serve with your nasi lemak, it’s fine too because your guests can choose which one they like. Just like your readers can choose which blog post topic they want to read.

Timun : Cucumber
Not everyone is a fan of vegetables, and you have to be aware of who and which. Just as there are different kinds of readers out there, looking and liking different things on blogs.

Like when I ramble on and on about my beloved Anuar Zain (hihi) I must remember that not all readers who visit my blog would enjoy that particular blog post. Or when I (ulp!) ‘commented’ negatively on the super-popular movie Twilight, I must remember that I may have started a war with millions of Edward’s fans out there!

So when you blog, decide who do you want to please – are you writing for your own pleasure, or are you writing to increase traffic, or are you targeting a specific group of people? From there you’ll know which topic to focus on.

Ikan Bilis & Kacang : Anchovies & Peanuts
I used to have difficulties in frying anchovies. Haha. Stop laughing, okay! As a newly crowned SAHM, I’m just learning to cook daily! Ok, if you throw in the anchovies into the pan when the oil is not ready, then it’d be soggy. If you throw them in when the oil is too hot, it’ll burn up very fast. You have to have the right temperature, and the right duration of time to fry it.

Same as blogging. Blogging too much, and your readers might get turned off because they can’t keep up! Too many postings to read and not all visitors read your blog 3 times a day! On the other hand, if you blog too little, readers may stop visiting your blog because everytime they click, there are no new post for the past month!

The key is to be consistent. If you know you get crunchy anchovies when you fry them in oil that has been heated up for exactly 5 minutes, then repeat this process everytime you want to fry. 3 minutes frying is enough to get crispy anchovies? Then take note, and always remember the duration, so that you’ll always eat nasi lemak with crispy crunchy anchovies!

Know your capabilities when blogging, and have good time management. Most importantly, be consistent. Decide whether you want to blog everyday and be discipline about it – or decide to blog only on fridays. And when you have decided – stick to it! Either way, your loyal readers will always know when you will have a new post, and will stick around.

Lauk Lebih : Extras (Sambal Sotong, Rendang Ayam, Paru goreng, Keropok or fish crackers)
Nasi, sambal, eggs, ikan bilis and cucumber slices are basic items on a plate of nasi lemak, but now that you’re already good at cooking nasi lemak, you can add more items on the plate! You can create your signature dish. When people see nasi lemak with rendang daging, for example, they’ll know it’s from your kitchen or stall.

This is for when your blog starts to take off. You add individuality. You sprinkle in some creativity. You put a stamp on it that says this is YOUR blog, and it’s unique. People would start recognizing your blog as having the best info on motherhood. Or the best site to get great recipes. Or they’ll click your blog for the latest makan place that you went to because you write good food reviews.

You have started to carve your niche, and beginning to collect fans, and loyal readers – which I have yet to find! I write about all sorts of stuff about my travels, my food adventures, my sons and my family – without any specific topic to prioritize. I’m still searching for my niche, and I hope you find yours!

Balut Nasi Lemak : The Packaging
At stalls or restaurants, how is nasi lemak served? The serving or wrapping is not the most important thing, but when it comes to food, it doesn’t hurt to present it the best way you can to entice the palate of your guests. It’s perfectly fine to serve it on a normal plate, but to ignite the seductive aroma you can place the nasi lemak on a daun pisang (banana leaf)!

A blog can be interesting whether you put glittery pictures on your sidebar or not. But appearance can help with the overall look of a blog, so it’s best to take into consideration:

• Decide the theme of your blog. If it’s to share recipes, you can choose the background with pots and pans, or aprons.
• Decide a theme color. When weddings have theme colors, aren’t they pleasing to the eyes? So decide on a combo of colors and play around with the shades. Too much colors can make your blog page looks like it’s at a mardi gras party, or dipped in rainbow paddle pop!
• Sometimes white font over super-black is not so appealing to the eyes, making it hard to read your blog when people need to squint constantly. Choosing the right color combo for your font and background is also important.

Now that you have all the ingredients to create the perfect nasi lemak, you can sit down, make a cup of hot teh tarik or milo suam and enjoy! Oh, I’m craving for a yummy nasi lemak right now…and wouldn’t it be so nice to enjoy one while I blog…

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