By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Aug 11: For many Malaysians, Nasi Lemak easily wins the title of the nation’s breakfast.
After all, what’s not to like about this enticing meal, which is not only a favourite breakfast dish but also a meal that is readily savoured at any time of the day?
There’s rarely a wrong time to enjoy a good Nasi Lemak, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as a light meal, with your favourite beverage.
Neither is there a wrong way to savour this versatile dish. This writer prefers eating Nasi Lemak just unwrapped from its traditional banana leaf wrapper, with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee to go with it.
The first scent to hits one’s nose upon peeling back the banana leaf or paper wrap, is often that of the soft steamed rice freshly cooked in coconut milk, and the spicy sambal.
And what is a Nasi Lemak if it did not come with crispy anchovies, toasted peanuts, boiled egg or omelet and slices of fresh cucumber?
These days, Nasi Lemak vendors often put their own twist to this popular dish.
There are many tasty variations in its Sambal flavours, the side dishes and how Nasi Lemak is served and presented to patrons.
These variations have helped to elevate Nasi Lemak to another level and widen its appeal beyond its humble roots as a dish of the people.
For a delectable fragrant version of this tasty dish, you can’t go wrong with the Nasi Lemak served by self-taught food stall operator Egat Dunggat.
Egat revealed to the writer who patronised his stall recently that he always reminisced about his numerous times savouring the aromatic creamy Nasi Lemak in Klang Valley.
“Nothing beats a good breakfast with a scrumptious, fragrant Nasi Lemak. It always makes my day. Now, I make a living out of it, and I am a Nasi Lemak seller myself,” he said.
Egat revealed that he got involved in the business as he was jobless after returning to Kuching from Klang Valley.
“So, sipping my cup of coffee one morning, I remembered the Nasi Lemak stall and vendor that I frequently visited at Klang Valley. The vendor inspired me to cook and sell this dish myself,” he added.
He shared that without a second thought, he and his wife Maureen Rinet decided to come up with their own version of Nasi Lemak, through trial and error over a few weeks.
“That is how we started the Nasi Lemak business two-and-a-half years ago with a mobile stall by the roadside in a residential area. Later, we moved to the stall here,” he disclosed.
“It was a nerve-racking experience, but each day we perfected the dish with a twist in our recipe to suit local palates. It worked in the end,” he added.
Egat explained that the basis of a good Nasi Lemak is about the right ratio of rice to coconut milk, and imbuing it with the right aroma by adding pandan leaves, sliced ginger and lemongrass.
“Next is the sambal, the main accompaniment of the dish. We prefer to make mild sambal that suits local tastes irrespective of age,” he added.
To make his sambal paste, Egat revealed he used blended dried chillies, shallots, garlic and ginger.
He fries all the blended ingredients until the oil and flavour of the mixture is fully released before adding palm sugar and seasoning to it.
“Our sambal is usually made the night before. We want the sambal to be very fresh and to achieve a perfect balance in the taste,” he disclosed.
To cater to different customer palates, Egat offers a few different versions of Nasi Lemak at his stall.
His normal Nasi Lemak menu set priced at RM4 has a serving of fragrant rice with sambal, half a boiled egg, peanuts, salted fish and slices of cucumber.
The Special Nasi Lemak menu set at RM7 has a sunny-side-up egg and savoury fried chicken added to the normal Nasi Lemak offering.
“I do confess that I missed the Nasi Lemak I frequently had in Klang Valley. I am happy that I can have my own Nasi Lemak and my stall.
“Nasi Lemak is special to me now, and I want it to be as authentic as possible. But for now, as long as my Nasi Lemak and the sambal gravy is near perfection, I am happy.
“Most importantly, my customers enjoy my Nasi Lemak, and they love it too,” he said.
Egat’s Nasi Lemak stall is at Uncle Tan’s Kopitiam (formerly Yes Cafe), at Saradise Commercial Centre, BDC.
The stall operates between 7am to 3pm daily except for Sunday. For further inquiries, call 011-1665 8422. — DayakDaily
