Kuala Lumpur - Nasi Kandar Pelita

On our previous visit to KL, Nasi Kandar Pelita was one of our favorite places. Since our hotel was within easy walking distance, we visited again twice this time.

Pelita has multiple stations, but the most important one is the Nasi Kandar station. Here you order a plate of rice and pick what toppings you would like.

It was late on our arrival day in KL and we didn't want to overeat, so we shared a plate with a couple of pieces of lamb rendang. We also got it "banjir" style - with a little bit of gravy added from each of the dishes.

Most other dishes are ordered from your table. We ordered a naan bread - which they make in the tandoor oven in the back.

On our second visit, we also were not super hungry, so we decided to go with a couple of dosas.

We got one plain dosa, and one onion dosa. The plain was perfect - super thin and crispy. The onion dosa didn't have much noticable onioniness going on, and it was folded over and thicker - more like an uttapam. We much prefered the plain one.

Both dosas came with a very nice dahl, and what I think was a slightly cococut-flavored raita. We also couldn't resist getting a chunk of lamb from the nasi kandar counter.

Every time we've visited Nasi Kandar Pelita it has been pleasantly busy, but not super packed. It remains a favorite place of ours.

Kuala Lumpur - Nasi Kandar Pelita

The term Nasi Kandar has an origin involving the historical selling of rice dishes. Currently, it embodies a heady fusion of Indian and Malay food.

Nasi Kandar Pelita is a chain of restaurants, one of which is conveniently located in the center of Kuala Lumpur. It is a large, bustling food mecca and we enjoyed two dinners there.



We arrived on our first rainy evening in Kuala Lumpur a bit overwhelmed. Helped by a friendly waiter, we ordered from our table. A Roti Canai, a Chicken Biryani set, squid, and of course Nasi Kandar rice.



Our first introduction to Malaysian Roti Canai was very good, with nice layers of bread/pastry to soak up the variety of sauces.



The chicken biryani was tasty, as was the squid.



But the heart of the meal was definitely the nasi kandar rice - mostly because of the sauce. The rice here typically comes with a mixture of the cooking sauces of the various supplemental dishes. On our first visit, they brought the mixture of sauces in a dish to our table:



The sauce spooned over the rice was very, very good.



On another evening, we were more organized, and bellied up to the counter to pick out individual add-ons to our rice - fried chicken and and braised mutton, along with some greens and the necessary complement of sauces.



We also got a Masala Dosa, which was tasty and filling.



Even with two visits, I feel like we only scratched the surface here.



Nestled under the the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, Nasi Kandar Pelita is definitely a conveniently located spot.

Kuala Lumpur - Banana Leaf Thali at Bakti Woodlands

One of the areas we stayed in while visiting Kuala Lumpur (near the Masjid Jamek metro stop) had a wealth of Indian food within a few blocks radius. We had never had a thali before, so one afternoon we stopped into Bakti Woodlands vegetarian restaurant to rectify this hole in our culinary experience.



A thali is a platter-for-one containing an assortment of foods - often served on a banana leaf, either spooned on directly, or presented in small containers.

We got a North Indian thali - pictured at the top of this post, and below:



And a "mini" thali:



Which wasn't particularly mini at all - it just came with less rice.



Both were delicious. Nicely seasoned rice, flatbreads, papadums with lime pickle, and an assortment of tasty dals and chutneys. The yellow cubes you see in the picture above were a sort of dessert - kind of like a sugary fudge. The single chili on the platter was really interesting - it was very salty, and crumbled easily so that you could use it as a condiment.

Definitely the kind of meal I could be happy having on a regular basis.

Singapore - Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak and Naan at Pak Kashmiri Delights

It was our last full day in Singapore and we had not yet had nasi lemak. This situation needed to be rectified, so we headed out to Adam Road Food Centre.



The food centre had a nice, laid back atmosphere. It was reasonably quiet apart from our destination, the Seleara Rasa stall, which had a good-sized line. It didn't initially seem that bad, but it turned out that many people in line were ordering multiple (or a dozen) meals to take away.



It took the better part of a half-hour to get food, but it was worth the wait. Sherry got a set that included a fried chicken wing, coconut rice, egg, little fried fish, cucumber and a sambal sauce.

I got the "Royal Rumble", which included pretty much one of everything - it added a fried fish and otak-otak (fish paste steamed in a banana leaf). The fried fish was nothing special, but we really enjoyed trying the otak-otak.



A little later we found ourselves in need of a little something to eat, so we headed out to Tekka Centre (yes, for the third time).



I was craving naan, and Pak Kashmiri Delights delivered:



Along with the naan, we had a little bowl of mutton curry. It was quite good, but really we just wanted it to dip our naan in. Yum.

Singapore - Sungei Road Laksa and Roti Prata at Tekka Centre

Having a bowl of laksa while we were in Singapore was a must for us. Sungei Road Laksa was one of the more well-regarded spots and was relatively near our hotel, so we set out for a late breakfast bowl.



One of the reasons people like Sungei Road is because they still cook in the traditional method over coals. I'm not sure how the coals could have much impact on the flavor of something cooked in a metal container above them, but it was cool to watch them at work.



And the bowl of laksa was delicious. Rice noodles, fish cake slices and plump cockles floating in tasty, but not overpowering base broth. The bowl was relatively small, which didn't bother us at all, and very reasonably priced.

Sungei Road Laksa is not far from Little India, so we decided to stop back in at Tekka Centre for a bit more to eat. (You can find our first visit to Tekka Centre here).



Roti prata was another dish on our long list of food to try in Singapore, so we ordered a plain version with onions at Prata Saga Sambal Berlada.



We really enjoyed watching the guy at work making the roti - stretching and slapping out the dough until it was paper-thin and then cooking it on a flat-top grill.



They serve their roti with sambal, which I gather is not typical. They gave us some curry sauce as well - both sauces were very good.



Here is a little video I took of the roti prata being made:

Singapore - Biryani, Dosa and Idli at Little India Tekka Hawker Centre

When we arrived at our hotel in Singapore and began to get our bearings, we were delighted to find out that the Little India neighborhood was within walking distance.

Setting out into the balmy night, the border of Little India was unmistakable:



Our primary destination was the Tekka Centre, one of Singapore's many hawker food courts. While other types of food are also represented, Indian food is the primary draw here.



We started out with an order of chicken biryani:



We couldn't have asked for a better first dish to eat in Singapore. This version came with a piece of chicken and an egg atop the richly flavored rice. Super satisfying to eat,

Because it was evening, many of the stalls were closed up, but there was still a lot of activity.



We ordered some dosa and idli from a vegetarian food stall and were not disappointed.



Idli and dosa are made from the same batter - a mixture of rice and lentils. The dosa is cooked somewhat like a crepe, while idlis are steamed. We make dosa at home, but this was our first idli experience and it was heavenly.



The sauce that came with our rice and lentil treats was delicious, as were the additional sauces that were provided on the table.



It is hard to describe just how much we enjoyed this - both the food and the atmosphere, which felt very culturally Indian.



We noticed signs on the table which said that alcohol was not allowed on Sundays after 6:00pm. Fortunately, it wasn't Sunday, so we had a beer. The vendor that served us told us the restriction was due to rowdy crowds of drinkers on Sundays getting violent.



After our meal, we wandered the the busy evening streets of little India - lots of people were still out doing their shopping. Given the heat of Singapore days, it seemed like a perfect time for it.



Overall, a great first evening in Singapore.

Ten recipes of ours that you should make right now

This blog is almost six (!!) years old now, and we've posted quite a few recipes along the way. Here are ten of our favorites.

Go make them right now!


Lamb Rogan Josh


While Chicken Pathia is the most popular of our reverse-engineered Indian takeaway recipes, Lamb Rogan Josh is probably the one we like the best.


Pancetta Tesa


Making your own Pancetta is super easy, and doesn't require any special equipment. The rolled version is a bit more involved, but still quite manageable. Using pretty much the same technique and then smoking it afterward will get you your own Homemade Bacon.


Taco Shop Hot Sauce


We use this hot sauce almost every day - particularly at breakfast. You should, too. The green stuff is pretty darn good as well.


Cream Cheese


Cream cheese is one of the easiest cheeses you can make. Infinitely better than the store-bought stuff.


Zesty Dill Pickles


We haven't bought a jar since we started making these simple refrigerator pickles. Our version is modeled after the taste of Vlasic Zesty Dills - twangy and spicy.


Smoked Almonds


Smoked almonds are quite possibly the perfect snack food. Once you start eating them it is very, very difficult to stop.


Chile-Lime Chicken


The salty earthiness of the soy-based marinade for this chicken works so well with the acidity and chile heat from the dipping sauce.


Fish with Spicy Lentils


"Spicy" here refers to complex, intense flavors, rather than heat. It is impossible to adequately describe how delicious the lentil base for this dish is.


Cochinita Pibil


Cochinita Pibil is pork with a complexly flavored achiote marinade, cooked in banana leaves. Pure Yucatán flavor.


Chori-Migas


We first had chori-migas on a trip to Austin, and they've been a breakfast favorite ever since.

So, there you go - ten of our favorite recipes. Go make them right now!