For Saturday lunch last weekend, Jac and I went to my folk’s place. A couple of my siblings and their partners were going to Mum and Dad’s for lunch too. Mum’s master plan was for everyone to eat nasi lemak and chicken rice, then play mahjong for the rest of the afternoon and stick around for a family dinner. As Jac had hockey at 4 o’clock and I was quite happy to get home and get a few things done around the house, she and I left after three o’clock. A shame we missed out on dinner with the family, but you can’t always have everything!
During the week, we’d placed our “orders” for lunch. I chose chicken rice and Jac chose nasi lemak; I’d always secretly planned to order whichever of the two Jac didn’t order, so we could share both dishes and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Here’s the box of nasi lemak which Mum and Dad bought on Saturday morning. I always get hungry at the sight of these brown paper packets.
Mum hard-boiled some eggs to go with the nasi lemak.
She’d also sliced fresh cucumber for everyone to eat with their nasi lemak and chicken rice. Each nasi lemak includes only one slice of cucumber, which is nowhere enough for us. We like our cucumber!
The nasi lemak, unwrapped. On top of the coconut rice is sambal, ikan bilis (tiny fried fishes) and peanuts, fried egg and the single slice of cucumber.
Jac waited patiently while I transferred her nasi lemak from the brown paper to a plate, added some of Mum’s sliced cucumber, a hard-boiled egg (sliced in half for visual appeal) and Mum’s homemade beef rendang, and then photographed it all.
As Jac attacked her nasi lemak, I got to work photographing my chicken rice. The chicken leg and thigh meat had been deboned. The rice was deliciously chickeny. The chilli sauce was the gingery, garlicky kind that I love.
The chicken was tender, the chicken skin so very fatty and gelatinous. I left the fattier bits of skin on the side of my plate, and Mum happily ate them. :) I know the chicken rice was from Ang’s at Dog Swamp Shopping Centre, but I’m not sure where the nasi lemak is from. Maybe my sister Juji can tell us, if she’s reading this?
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah Nasi Lemak, the national any-time meal of Malaysia. Best served with a teh tarik. :)
We buy the Nasi Lemak from Kongs on Wanneroo Road, Joondanna.
It comes from a restaurant in Perth (the owner delivers it on Saturday mornings) – Love & Care Cafe, which I believe is on Pier Street.
Damn! I was reading through the post thinking “TFP’s mum does a GREAT job making her home cooked meals look as good as a restauarant’s takeaway food! She even wrapped the nasi lemak up in brown paper!! And the chicken looks sooooo professional!!”. Then I realised it was all store bought. Hehehe Looks FANTASTIC though.
I’m searching for a really good nasi lemak and chicken rice in Sydney and there’s nothing close to what you get in Singapore/Malaysia.
When I first saw your pics, my question was, where do you get it from? It looks so appetising and so yummy and so delicious …. so real. Looks like the one sold by the makcik(aunty) by the roadside in Malaysia….
The chicken rice looks fantastic. I lov how the chicken is glossy and covered in that tasty-looking sauce. I really like that gingery garlicky chicken sauce. Good stuff.
The Nasi Lemak looks awesome.
Is it gotten from Sarindo at Spencer Village? It does look similar… but I don’t see the fried fish.
I love your site, I have to refrain from licking the screen.
I.MISS.MALAYSIAN.FOOD. *drools* 8-P
say, are you Australian? hmm~ :)
Damn, they come from Wanneroo Road.
I must be blind…
Must be the season. Just two days ago my mom picked up a couple of packets that look a lot like the ones you had except the sambal and ikan bilis came in their own separate baggies.
I can’t say I was terribly impressed. It tasted dry and stale.
For me, nothing beats the old banana leaf wrapped snack-sized nasi lemak picked up from a sidewalk stall for 50 sen.
Especially for breakfast.
cheers
cary
the nasi lemak looks as if it comes frm Chan brothers along high road!
mooiness,
Yes! I can eat it any time, hot, cold, lukewarm, whatever! Can you believe I’ve never had teh tarik? Never had it as a child in Malaysia, and never had it since coming to Australia as a ten-year-old.
Ta, Juji. I’m sure some people will put that info to good use. :)
sormuijai,
Hahaha, that’s funny. I can’t see my mum worrying about “authentic packaging” as much as making sure the food components were perfect. :) Maybe some of my Sydney readers may know of somewhere good for nasi lemak? Fingers crossed!
flower,
Well, as per Juji’s comment, you now have the details! So I hope you get a chance to try it for yourself. :)
dea,
That chicken rice was yummy. Impossible to declare a winner between the chicken rice and the nasi lemak. Both had their winning points. I’m so glad I was able to try both!
Lord Dianabol,
I love Sarindo’s nasi lemak and I LOVE that fried fish. Fried fish like that takes me back to my childhood.
FRESH.OYSTERS,
I am Chinese, originally from Malaysia, have been in Australia for over 22 years. I am a proud Australian citizen and consider myself an Aussie, but of course love Malaysian/Chinese/hawker foods.
cary,
What a shame the nasi lemak you had was dry and stale! What a disappointment. :( Oh yes, nasi lemak for breaky is just the best.
daphne,
Haven’t tried Chan brothers nasi lemak – on High Road, you say! I must mention to Jac.
OMIGOD.
That is all. Quite possibly two of my most favourite meals in the world.
Oooooh, two of my favourite meals! But they come from North of the river, darnit, so I shall just have to remember these next time I’m in the neighbourhood.
Do you know of any good SoR places for chicken rice and nasi lemak, tfp?
Jac is a good and patient gal! ;-) I hope she apreciates all of us that wait in suspense for the next blog entry… and yuk! my dad eats my chicken fat too… he says “ohh look this is good meat!” while stealing it from my plate…
C,
Heheh.
an9ie,
I think these two are lots of people’s two most favourite meals! :) Pretty good nasi lemak and chicken rice at Spencer Village. Very good chicken rice at Taurus Hawker Foods (I have blogged about them before). C (commenter above) will attest to that!
Bryan,
She’s had plenty of time to get used to it (as have my family). :)