Kami kukus sayur dan rebus telur kerana kami mahu makan dengan lebih sihat.

Because kami means we, but not you.

Malay makes a distinction that English does not:

• kami = we excluding the listener
• kita = we including the listener

So Kami kukus sayur... means the speakers are talking about themselves, not including the person they are speaking to.

If they said Kita kukus sayur..., it would sound like Let’s steam vegetables... or We (including you) steam vegetables...

That is a very common learner question.

In more formal or careful standard Malay, many speakers would expect:

• Kami mengukus sayur dan merebus telur...

The version with bare verbs:

• Kami kukus sayur dan rebus telur...

sounds more conversational, compact, and informal.

So the short answer is:

• mengukus / merebus = more formal/full form
• kukus / rebus = common shorter spoken style

A learner should recognize both. If you want to sound safer in formal writing, use mengukus and merebus.

They are cooking verbs:

• kukus = steam
• rebus = boil

So:

• kukus sayur = steam vegetables
• rebus telur = boil eggs

These are very common cooking words in Malay.

Malay does not use articles the way English does.

English often needs words like:

• a
• an
• the
• some

Malay usually does not.

So:

• sayur can mean vegetables, the vegetables, or some vegetables
• telur can mean eggs, the eggs, or an egg / some eggs, depending on context

The exact meaning is usually understood from the situation, not from an article.

In Malay, nouns do not have to be marked as plural.

So:

• sayur can mean vegetable or vegetables
• telur can mean egg or eggs

Malay can show plurality in other ways, such as:

• context
• numbers
• reduplication

For example:

• telur = egg / eggs
• telur-telur = eggs, multiple eggs, but this is not always necessary

In your sentence, context makes it clear that food is being prepared, so plural meaning is easy to understand without extra marking.

Both relate to vegetables, but they are used a little differently.

• sayur is very common in everyday speech and often means vegetables or even a vegetable dish
• sayur-sayuran is a fuller form meaning vegetables as a category or group

In a sentence like this, sayur sounds very natural:

• Kami kukus sayur...

You could also hear sayur-sayuran, but sayur is simpler and more everyday.

Yes, it often could be left out if the subject is already clear.

Your sentence says:

• ...kerana kami mahu makan dengan lebih sihat

This repeats kami to make the subject explicit and clear.

A shorter version could be:

• ...kerana mahu makan dengan lebih sihat

That can still be understood as because we want to eat more healthily, especially if the subject is already obvious from the earlier clause.

So:

• repeating kami = clearer, slightly fuller
• omitting it = more compact, often natural in context

Kerana means because.

Yes, sebab can also mean because, but there is a tone difference:

• kerana = more neutral or formal
• sebab = very common in speech, often more informal

So both of these are possible:

• ...kerana kami mahu makan dengan lebih sihat
• ...sebab kami mahu makan dengan lebih sihat

A learner can think of kerana as a good standard written choice.

Yes, all three relate to wanting, but they differ in tone.

• mahu = want; standard and common
• ingin = wish/desire; a bit more formal or literary
• nak = want; very common in casual speech

So these are all possible in different styles:

• kami mahu makan... = standard, natural
• kami ingin makan... = more formal
• kami nak makan... = casual spoken Malay

For learners, mahu is a very useful middle-ground word.

Yes, it feels different because Malay builds this idea differently from English.

Literally, dengan lebih sihat is something like:

• in a healthier way
• more healthily

Breakdown:

• dengan = with / in a ... way
• lebih = more
• sihat = healthy

English uses an adverb here: healthily.
Malay often uses an adjective-like form instead:

• makan dengan lebih sihat = eat more healthily / eat in a healthier way

So even though it may feel like with more healthy word-for-word, the natural meaning is more healthily.

Yes, it is natural and understandable.

Malay does not work like English, where you often need an -ly adverb. Instead, Malay commonly uses phrases like:

• dengan lebih sihat
• secara sihat
• dengan cara yang lebih sihat

So these are all possible:

• mahu makan dengan lebih sihat
• mahu makan secara sihat
• mahu makan dengan cara yang lebih sihat

Your sentence is a normal and practical way to express the idea.

Mostly yes.

The sentence follows a very familiar order:

• Kami = subject
• kukus sayur dan rebus telur = verb + object, verb + object
• kerana = because
• kami mahu makan dengan lebih sihat = subject + want + eat + healthier

So the structure is roughly:

• We steam vegetables and boil eggs because we want to eat more healthily.

That is one reason Malay can feel approachable for English speakers: basic sentence order is often similar.

In formal written Malay, yes, many people would prefer:

• Kami mengukus sayur dan merebus telur kerana kami mahu makan dengan lebih sihat.

That version sounds more complete and standard.

Your original sentence with kukus and rebus is still useful to learn because it reflects the shorter style learners will often hear in real life.

A good rule is:

• for formal writing: prefer mengukus, merebus
• for everyday conversational exposure: recognize kukus, rebus

Yes.

Just like many Malay nouns, telur does not have to change form for singular or plural.

So depending on context, rebus telur could mean:

• boil an egg
• boil eggs
• boil the egg(s)

If the speaker wants to be more specific, they can add a number:

• rebus dua biji telur = boil two eggs

Without that, the sentence stays general, which is very normal in Malay.