Nasi Goreng Kicap (Fried Rice with Soy Sauce)

When I studied A-Levels in Shah Alam in 1992,  every one of us received a student allowance of RM291 per month. The tuition fee & accommodation were already paid for & this amount was for food. 

Meals were much cheaper then. Roti canai was a mere 50 cents; and it is possible to get lunch costing between RM2.50 or RM3 with protein (typically chicken, fish/seafood, beef or eggs) and vegetables. 

We spent frugally and at times shared a can of tuna/ sardine/ chicken curry/ sambal bilis with a loaf of bread with our housemates (6 of us), to manage the cost. A can of tuna cost less than 2 ringgits then, and the loaf of bread less than 1 ringgit, if you would believe it.

However as students we were always broke. [Well as working adults we were also broke, but a different kind of broke].  At the hostel, there were a few stalls that sold food for breakfast lunch & dinner. One particular  stall empathised with our financial predicament and created one meal for dinner called "Nasi Goreng Kicap" which is literally rice fried with soy sauce, an egg and some vege, sold for a mere RM1. It became a hit at the end of the month (particularly for months that have 30 or 31 days, which is every month except February). 

We were not supposed to have chicken added to the fried rice, but sometimes the abang cook added it in the mix... hence it was a nice surprise to bite into chicken pieces. He had no idea how much it meant to us hungry folks. God Bless him, and literally for anyone who help the poor and needy.