Description
About the Author and Illustrator

Nasi: When Rice Grains Cry tells the stories of 12 quintessentially Malay rice dishes, eaten and enjoyed by people of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
- In essence, the book captures the stories of rice dishes of the Malays in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei while promoting an appreciation for Asia’s staple food.
- Essential, as there is no book like this one.
- Educational for everyone, students, researchers, and foodies, who will be introduced not only to local rice culture but also to some proverbs and literary aspects of rice.
- There are about 50 beautiful illustrations in the book.
- This book is designed with a classic open spine sewn with threads exposed, symbolising the exposed rice grains when they are dehusked from their paddy stalks.
These small rice grains that we eat… they whisper forgotten stories. Tales relating to rice grains are diverse and varied, given that nasi or rice is a staple for most people in the world. In fact, 90 percent of rice is being grown and eaten by people in Asia. One of the many stories which we might have heard when we were young was likely to be about the crying rice grains. Every rice dish has its own story. How did it come about? What is in its name? Why use a particular ingredient? What makes the dish unique?

This book tells the stories of 12 quintessentially Malay rice dishes, eaten and enjoyed by people in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Hidayah Amin is an award-winning and multi-lingual author. She has published nine English non-fiction books and ten children’s books since 2010. Some of her achievements:
• Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam is the winner of the 2021 NUS Singapore History Prize.
• The Mango Tree is the winner of the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award 2015 and the Grand Prize winner of the Samsung KidsTime Author’s Award 2015. The Mango Tree was also shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize 2014 (English non-fiction).
• Bahasa: A Guide to Malay Languages was shortlisted for Singapore Book Awards 2018 (Best Non-Fiction Title).
• Malay Weddings Don’t Cost $50 and Other Facts of Malay Culture is one of the two finalists of the 2016 International Book Awards (‘Multicultural Non-Fiction’ category).

Hidayah received her master’s degrees from the University of Cambridge and Lehigh University where she was a Fulbright Scholar.

Jafri Janif is a mixed media artist. He has won 1st and 2nd prizes in the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) Young Designer Award in 2000 and 2001 respectively. A father of three girls, Jafri has illustrated 10 children’s picture books, one non-fiction book and three calendars. Hidayah Amin and Jafri Janif’s ‘Kuih, From Apam to Wajik’ book was nominated for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2021 for two categories—B07 Illustrations and E03 Pastry.

Authors

Nasi: When Rice Grains Cry, A Pictorial Guide to Malay Rice Dishes