Nasi Kandar - Lauk Bawah Meja

13/6/2020

1:02pm

Kedai nasi kandar yang legend kadang kadang ada lauk 'secret' specialty yang tak ramai yang tau, contohnya Nasi Kandar Tamil Street dulu ada limpa and Nasi Kandar Sirajudeen (depan Caltex Transfer Road - kedai asal bapa Deen Maju) ada gulai sembilang - yang ni kena pi awal, kalau tak tinggal kuah saja.

Yang penting, lauk special tu kena memang exceptional sedap baru boleh diambil kira, macam gulai sembilang, limpa dan perut kambing dan teloq sotong yang memang syur. Kalau takat kobis goreng, sotong, ketam, atau udang goreng tepung, or sausage masak sos(!), tu semua bukan lauk hidden specialty nasi kandaq!

So, memang betui lauk asas wajib nasi kandaq adalah daging hitam, gulai ikan, telur dan bendi, setiap kedai akan ada special dish dia sendiri, jangan lupa ayam goreng dan ayam gulai pun bukan lauk asas nasi kandaq, tapi dah evolve cukup lama untuk diterima sebagai lauk asas nasi kandaq.

Harap hampa semua jangan triggered na, tapi adik abang kakak semua, hampa toksah dok buat lecey kata lauk nasi kandaq gulai sembilang tu merepek semua na, sebab lauk specialty memang wujud sebagai tarikan tambahan.

Tepuk dada tanya selera.

(Tambahan)

Kalau nasib baik, ada masa mamak tanya nak tak lauk underground yang dia simpan bawah meja, sembilang karang atau teloq ikan!

p/s: weekend ni kami rehat sat makan nasi kandaq, bagi peluang pada yang rentas sempadan cari nasi kandaq selepas tiga bulan kena quarantine 😉😅

Life, regret?

Funny thing this regret, given a chance we will always go back and have another go at it. It must be coded into our genes to relish in the memory of pain.

Betrayal can only come from a friend

...at the end of the day darling, you've got to trust to learn about betrayal.

Fuad's Bukhari Rice

Thirty years mission accomplished!

I finally am able to make Bukhari Rice almost as good as my father's famous one! 

It all started with a last minute request by my cousin last week, for me to cook dinner for the clan and send it over to Sungai Petani. She was specific, she wanted Bukhari Rice and it has to be with beef, the rest is up to me. I knew I had to make the dish, as my uncle who was unwell really love it. 

Luck has it my regular meat guy closes on Tuesday, and so began the great hunt for beef ribs that took us to 3 markets and 4 butcher shops - apparently Penangites are more into mutton and lambs these days! 

Mama and I, with help from Zz and the two boys made from scratch the Bukhari Rice with beef ribs and briskets, Pan Sheet Grilled Chicken with Gravy, two types of salads and salsa sauce for forty people in under 4 hours. It was really exhausting, but the result was really worth it.

And this time I managed to write down the recipe that has been passed down for many generations verbally, and in 'guesstimate' measurement. Even Mama's versions are hits and misses, most time they don't pass Baba's finicky tastebuds, which can leads to some sulking, but that's another story.

When the whole house started to smell just like when Baba cooks, we knew we have hit jackpot! 

And later when Baba tasted it, I saw in the midst of pride, a moment of sadness in his eyes when he said, "People will not remember me anymore".

I'm glad that it was a success, more so when my Ami Radzi gave me thumbs up and said "Sedap macam selalu" eventhough he was in pain from the cuts and bruises on his face.

Yesterday I recreated the recipe, on my own this time, for 10 people, just for us at home. I'd say I'm almost 80% there. Maybe because I made it with just brisket, hence no deep flavor from rib bones, maybe because I removed most of the oil from the stock, maybe I  added too much orange peel because the orange is too big, maybe because I didn't use the right type of shallots. 

Maybe, mine will never be as good as Baba's, he is after all a legend around here.

Happiness

 "If your happiness only depends on positive happenings, you might not be happy that often, because a lot of shit happens as well. Better to base our happiness on more stable factors, such as the constant beauty of nature, the energy of positive vibes and being a good friend to ourselves and others." 

— Sereno Sky, Lonely Traveller