Human Writes: Cut the rice, cut risk of diabetes

Different varieties of locally produced rice are displayed for sale at a local farmers market in Donggongon, Sabah, Malaysia, on July 30, 2017. Photo: Bloomberg/Sanjit Das

One of my favourite meals as a child was a simple one, common across South-East Asia – rice with fish and a vegetable dish on the side, such as kangkong. Varieties of this dish are traditional here, as in Nasi Lemak, although I am partial to Nasi Dagang.

Rice is central to these dishes. Look at the names: the very first word is nasi (rice). What would they be without rice?