PUCHONG, July 13 — It’s only 8am but there’s a queue in front of this stall inside Medan Selera MBSJ Puchong Permai.
Welcome to Makang Sedak, where you get Terengganu food cooked like in the old days.
Almost 90 per cent of those waiting are there to take-away the food, probably tasked by their families to bring home breakfast while others laze in bed.
Nasi Dagang Ikan Aye (RM9) looked plain on the plate — just a mound of rice topped by a huge chunk of ‘ikan aye’ — gulai in a bowl on the side, along with acar.
The white glutinous rice is soft with long grains, absorbing the gulai and coating each grain to infuse it with flavour.
Your piece of fish is a largish chunk without the head, making it easy to cubit or pinch a small piece of white flesh to eat with the gulai soaked rice.
On the side, a crunchy acar of cucumber, red chilies, and onions, refreshes the tongue. There’s also a small whole red chili for you to ramp up the heat in this dish.
Those accustomed to heavier Kelantan fare will find this dish less sweet, offering a cleaner savoury taste, much like simple kampung food.
Nasi Minyak (RM9), or rice sauteed with ghee is a simple affair here unlike the versions found in wedding feasts that are bejewelled with raisins and nuts.
Its faithful companion is a gulai and only the chicken version is found here.
The consistency may look thin but it holds up well, with spices lightly infusing the rice, making it a good way to start the day.
Laksa can be found here in two forms: one with kuah putih and another with kuah merah.
Soft fresh rice noodles are used, mixed with your choice of gravy.
The white one is simpler, relying on fresh santan, black pepper, fish and a clutch of fresh ulam for flavour.
Laksa Kuah Merah (RM8) uses a chilli spice paste that gives the thicker fish gravy an extra oomph.
An assortment of crunchy fresh bean sprouts and chopped long beans adds crunch and freshness to your bowl of laksa.
The pièce de résistance is the Bubur Lambuk Terengganu (RM7), packed on the spot in batches at the side of the table.
A weekend-only treat, it’s completely different from the bubur lambuk served in the Klang Valley.
The porridge is cooked with pucuk midin until it contains more greens than smooth rice grains.
Pucuk midin is a wild fern foraged from forests and often used in stir fries back in Terengganu.
Dig deep inside each tub to triumphantly get a chunk of orange sweet potato.
As you eat a spoonful of the porridge, the taste of fish comes through as blended fish flesh combines with the porridge.
It feels healthy with the greens yet savoury with that lingering flavour of fish.
This porridge isn’t often found in the Klang Valley and is usually limited to the fasting month, where stalls selling it pop up in Ramadan bazaars.
For those who arrive early to queue, the bubur lambuk usually arrives later so circle back to the stall to find it packed in tubs right next to the Pulut Gaul Nyior, a popular Terengganu breakfast dish where glutinous rice is mixed with fresh grated coconut, salt and fried fish.
A couple we sat next to who call Terengganu their kampung explained that in their home state, many places don’t serve the old taste of Terengganu food as recipes aren’t passed down to the younger generation.
Since relocating to the Klang Valley, they travel around looking for Terengganu food and Makang Sedak plus the Sri Kembangan Kafe Masakan Terengganu Asli are their chosen spots.
Makang Sedak
Stall No. 8, Medan Selera MBSJ Puchong Permai,
Jalan Permai 3,
Taman Puchong Permai, Puchong.
Open: 8am to 1.30pm or until food finishes. Closed on Tuesdays.
Tel: 010-9324493
Instagram: @makang_sedak
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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