I very rarely tuck into vegan ‘belacan’ - not because I don’t like it, but because my husband temporarily disown me.

He just can’t figure out how Asians can love things that smell so rotten. But he willed himself to sit next to me as I indulged in this Belacan Fried Rice at Le Veggie in Sri Petaling. He said this didn’t smell as bad as real belacan. It still had a discernible fermented taste to it, balanced with surprising bits of pineapple.

Compared to most other fried rice that comes with frozen peas-corn-carrot, all the veggies on this plate were fresh - a crunch in every bite!