PETALING JAYA, April 23 — Are you a fan of Sarawak laksa or kolo mee? Salted, a cafe in Mutiara Damansara opened by Sarawakians Sofia Yusof and her husband Chai Wee Loong, serves up authentic Sarawak specialties like laksa, kolo mee and belacan beehoon. There is also mee Jawa.
Hankering for the taste of home, Sofia who moved here in 2009, resorted to learning how to make the laksa. The trial-and-error efforts took a few tries before her husband was happy with the results.
She tells us that in Sarawak there are two variants of the laksa; a Malay and Chinese version. The difference between the two lies in the laksa broth’s flavour and consistency.
Usually the Malay version would have a richer, stronger taste and thicker consistency from the liberal use of santan and spices. In comparison, the Chinese version’s laksa broth has a less intense taste and thinner consistency since less santan and spices are utilised.
Personally she prefers the Chinese style that is reflected in her version served at Salted.
When her cousins tasted her laksa, they gave her the thumbs up and encouraged her to start an eatery. In December 2015, an opportunity arose that led to her opening a stall at Zam Zam Cafe & Satay Club.
Catering to the dinner and supper crowd, she served her Sarawak laksa and belacan beehoon. In November last year, the couple moved their business to their present premises in Mutiara Damansara.
At Salted, you get a choice of three variations for your laksa, from the basic toppings to the most luxurious, depending on the addition of cuttlefish strips and the size of the prawns.
The Basic for RM6 is served with bean sprouts, omelette strips and shredded chicken — the must-have for every bowl of laksa. It also includes the add-on of cuttlefish strips.
The next level known as the Original is priced at RM9 and retains all the toppings of the Basic with the exception of the cuttlefish which is replaced with three average-sized prawns.
Finally there is the Special (RM14) which is a bigger portion of everything and includes three large-sized prawns. Sofia prefers using Ming prawns or udang kertas versus farmed prawns as she feels that the taste of the sea prawns is far superior. The prawns are supplied directly from Port Klang.
All the variants come with the fragrant burnt brown hued laksa broth made from a chicken-and-prawn broth cooked with laksa paste and santan.
Salted also prefers serving thicker vermicelli that has a slightly firmer texture. On the side, you have the spicy sambal and calamansi lime; a must to give the broth a spicier and sourish edge.
Sofia tells us that she uses laksa paste sourced from Kuching rather than making her own. “No one makes it as it is very troublesome and it takes a lot of spices.”
This practice is also common amongst most of the stalls serving laksa here and in Kuching. However each cook has their own touch. Sofia adds, “Even if it is the same paste, the outcome is not the same.”
For the ultimate fan of prawns, a must-try is the belacan beehoon (RM7 for a bowl, RM8.50 with the addition of century eggs). Unique to Sarawak, this pungent dish is best paired with a bowl of icy cold ais kacang made with coconut milk, just like how they serve it at Jubilee Ground in Sarawak.
Sofia tells us that she has fond memories of eating the noodles there after her school’s sports day at the nearby field. Her personal preference though is pairing the belacan beehoon with ais jagung; a refreshing shaved ice concoction of corn kernels, sago pearls and evaporated milk.
If you’re not too sure about your tolerance level for the belacan or fermented shrimp paste sourced from Kuching, you will be happy to know that Sofia has taken a lighter hand with the pungent ingredient here to cater to the local tastebuds.
Eat it together with the cuttlefish strips topped with chilli sauce and slices of the century eggs combined with pickled ginger. Strangely, the odd combination makes the dish slightly less pungent. You can also add on the century eggs or telur padi topped with pickled ginger slices for RM3.
You can also have mee Jawa here (RM8 for beef, RM7 for chicken). Similar to the thick hearty versions served in Sarawak, Salted’s version uses beef broth that is thickened with potatoes. It is served with yellow noodles, bean curd puffs, hard boiled egg, bean sprouts and shallot crisps. Unfortunately, Sofia has had to omit the satay usually served with the noodles as she is unable to add a proper exhaust system to grill the sticks at Salted’s premises.
If you prefer a non-spicy alternative that is high on comfort level and even suitable for children, go for the chicken mushroom kolo mee (RM7.50). To give the freshly made noodles that extra oomph she has a trick most home cooks use: aromatic shallot oil.
It is that fragrance that draws you in together with the juicy bits of chicken and mushroom cut into small pieces. No wonder, I finished the whole plate in a heartbeat.
In Sarawak, the Chinese-style kolo mee is usually tossed with lard. The Malay version that is known as mee sapi is topped with beef slices and uses kicap to flavour the noodles.
With these fresh egg based noodles, getting the right water temperature to cook them is crucial to ensure the fine strands do not clump together. Sofia tells us that some customers often clamour for a faster turnaround for their kolo mee orders but she insists the noodles be cooked the right way by using super hot boiling water.
On the menu, she also offers a beef version for RM8 that is served with stewed beef slices. Currently the seafood kolo mee is taking a hiatus from the menu. After Raya, Sofia hopes to reintroduce it using kway teow or smooth flat rice noodles that will be topped with fresh fish balls, fish cake and prawns.
So far, Salted’s food has found an appreciative audience even with non-Sarawakians. The majority of their customers is Chinese. In fact, Sofia says, sometimes her customers are astonished after they taste Salted’s food items that they are a pork-free eatery.
If you’re curious about how they got their name, Sofia shares with us that “Salted” actually stands for “Sarawak Authentic Local Taste Extra Delicious.”
It is a name she admits to have dreamt up long ago to create an entire concept and brand for the eatery. Apart from that, she adds that most food is salted anyway hence that reference. After the Raya holidays, more dishes will be launched. This includes rice sets served with Teochew style braised duck and chicken.
“I took computer science and business studies but ended up in the kitchen,” said Sofia. Lucky for us, she chose that path, otherwise we would have to fly to Sarawak each time we have a hankering for these authentic Sarawak specialties.
Salted
No. 30-1, Jalan PJU 7/16A, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya
Tel:03-7733 4566
Open: 10am to 5pm (Monday to Friday),
10am to 3pm (Saturday and Sunday)
