Malaysian Nasi Lemak is the unofficial national dish of Malaysia. Nasi Lemak consists of rice, half a boiled egg, peanuts, cucumbers, stir-fried anchovies and Malaysian sambal sauce. So it seems quite simple for the first time. However, the taste created by simple ingredients combined is not simple. In particular, rice cooked with sambal sauce and coconut milk is the basic flavor of Nasi Lemak.
Table of Contents
1. Nasi Lemak , Malaysian traditional dish
2. Nasi Lemak restaurant
2.1. Village Park Restaurant
2.2. Nasi Lemak Peel Road
3. Hidden Gem Around My Neighborhood - EMI Nasi Lemak And More
4. Tips for choosing Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak, traditional Malaysian dish
When I was backpacking, I ate Nasi Lemak because it was cheap and easy, but it didn't leave a strong impression on me. However, as I continued to eat delicious Nasi Lemak, my thoughts changed.
In 2005, when I was backpacking through Malaysia, a restaurant served Nasi Lemak wrapped in banana leaves. However, now it has changed to paper packaging. Won't they still wrap it in banana leaves somewhere? Despite its popularity, Nasi Lemak is simple in its composition.
- Rice - ‘Nasi’ is rice in Malay.
- Sambal Sauce - Spicy sauce (sometimes sweet as well)
- peanut
- fried anchovies
- a few slices of cucumber
- Half an egg (may be optional)
You can add fried chicken legs, beef, lamb,etc. whatever you like to the basic menu . If you just eat the basic set, the price is cheap. If you buy it on the street in your neighborhood, you can get it for 2 ringgit.
'Nasi' is rice, and 'Lemak' is fat. This is because when cooking Nasi Lemak rice, coconut oil is used. Nasi Lemak is a simple dish. There is a world of difference in the taste of a place that is delicious and a place that is not.
Nasi Lemak restaurant
Village Park Restaurant
The most famous Nasi Lemak restaurant for locals as well as tourists is 'Village Park Restaurant'. There is also an advertisement posted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
On our way back from buying a ceiling fan, we stopped at Village Park Restaurant in Petaling Jaya. There was no parking near the restaurant, so we drove around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes. Actually it was hard to find a parking lot. So park in the near a shopping mall. In the end, I managed to park in the underground parking lot of an office building near the restaurant.
When you enter the restaurant, you will see the food to your right. Fried chicken is laid out deliciously. As you continue walking inside the restaurant, there is a table on the right. It was barely full, but luckily there was an empty seat.
I was shown to an empty seat, looked at the menu, and ordered Nasi Lemak Ayam (with added fried chicken) from the waiter. Since Nasi Lemak is simple, it comes out quicker than you think.
The fried chicken leg that I ordered in addition to the Nasi Lemak was really delicious, so I ordered one more. The fried chicken legs are really crispy. But the real star of this Nasi Lemak is the ‘sambal’ sauce. You can also order additional sambal sauce. The sambal sauce was delicious, so I kept eating it, but it wasn't enough, so I should have added more sauce, but I regretted it a little.
And when I finished eating, I ordered an additional fried chicken leg and brought it home. However, this time I regretted not ordering additional sauce. Village Park Restaurant is so far from where I live that it's hard to get to unless you go somewhere. Nevertheless, I plan to go again if I have to go nearby.
Nasi Lemak Peel Road
Compared to Village Park Restaurant, Nasi Lemak Peel Road is relatively closer to where I live. It's relatively close, but I have to pass by here to get to downtown Kuala Lumpur, so I occasionally go near Peel Road. There is a road called Peel Road between Ikea and Sunway Velocity Mall in Kuala Lumpur.
Although it is not a big road, there is a famous Nasi Lemak shop on this road. Originally, it was sold on the street, but it was crowded with people ordering Nasi Lemak on the street. However, when I went back, they were doing business inside a commercial store due to COVID-19. So the atmosphere of the store has completely changed.
The Malaysian government is preventing shops from conducting business on the roadside through compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs).
There were so many people the first time I went, so I went early on my second visit. But the store on the street disappeared, so I had to look for it. So, after going to the store next door and asking, I found out that there was a Nasi Lemak store inside the mall.
There weren't many people at the Nasi Lemak store in the mall and it was quiet. So, when you enter the store, you first order and pay, then sit down anywhere and your ordered food will be served to you.
Nasi Lemak on the Peel Road has nothing that stands out overall. The taste of Nasi Lemak is above average, but it is difficult to find anything strong about it. Since I ate Nasi Lemak inside the restaurant, I compared it to the first time I ate it while sitting outside with a crowd of people.
It definitely tastes better when you eat Nasi Lemak outdoors in a noisy atmosphere. It seems that the atmosphere has a lot to do with the taste. When ordering Nasi Lemak , I also ordered Malaysian black coffee. For black coffee, I order Kopi O Kosong. Previously, 'Koffee O' was black coffee, but at some point, places began serving it with sugar.
To get to Nasi Lemak Phil Road, park your car at Sunway Velocity Mall or Manuri Aeon Mall and walk across the mall. Walking outdoors during the day in Malaysia can be quite a challenge.
However, it is worth the walk while feeling the air-conditioned breeze of Sunway Velocity Shopping Mall.
Hidden Gem Around My Neighborhood - EMI Nasi Lemak And More
I've eaten Nasi Lemak all over Malaysia, but aside from the famous restaurants above, there are two places I like. One is
Nasi Lemak sold at the Hawker Center (food court) near UCSI University in Taman Connaught. The secret to the taste of this Nasi Lemak lies in the rice.
Although the amount of rice in this Nasi Lemak is small, the taste of the rice is unique. The owner is from Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It looks like Malaysian herbs, such as pandan leaves, are added to the rice. Pandan leaves are the herb used to make gaya toast. Plus, the Nasi Lemak sauce tastes delicious.
And the lamb and beef were so delicious that I even asked where they bought the meat. So, there were times when I went to a meat store and bought beef. Usually, when I want to eat Nasi Lemak, I often go here.
The other one is a Nasi Lemak shop run by an ethnic Chinese in Taman Desa. It is said that meat from wild boars is used. Maybe that's why the taste is so unique and memorable. But I can't go to Taman Desa because of the lockdown. And unfortunately I don't know the name of this shop.
Tips for choosing Nasi Lemak
Malay people in Malaysia love sweet food. The Nasi Lemak where Malays stand in long lines is likely to be sweet. Of course, this is not the case for everyone, but there have been a few cases where I bought Nasi Lemak because I was deceived by the long line, and the nasi Lemak turned out to be sweet, so I don't trust long lines.
Because Nasi Rummak is so easy to make, you can easily find it sold on the streets. However, unlike simple dishes, it is not easy to find delicious Nasi Lemak . It is especially difficult to get the flavor of sauces like sambal sauce right. The taste of Nasi Lemak is not bad even when it is made by Chinese people. And McDonald's in Malaysia also sells nasi Lemak menu. But I haven't tried it yet.
There are many foods to eat in Malaysia other than Nasi Lemak. But if you haven't tried Nasi Lemak, you should try it.
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