KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Generally, in Indian restaurants, most of the food is cooked ahead since it is faster to serve especially during peak times.
People are accustomed to seeing curries and vegetables put out front for them to select. One stall located in Pudu is bucking that trend by cooking their curry à la minute. Translated from French, this cooking method means “in a minute” as the food is cooked to order.
Started in June, this stall has M. Senivasagam, 46, manning the stoves. If you think he looks familiar, you may have seen him on the small screen as he has acted in a few locally produced Indian dramas and movies.
As an actor’s salary is quite small, he juggles running a textile shop in Brickfields and this particular stall. “You ask any Malaysian artiste and everyone has to do a part-time job or else they cannot survive,” he said.
When it comes to cooking, he picked it up when he was a 10-year-old helping out at his mother’s restaurant in the Choo Cheng Khay area. “I would go to the Pasar Borong at Jalan Ipoh to buy vegetables and meat,” he said.
As you watch him, you will notice he is an intuitive cook who does not rely on measuring spoons but just throws ingredients together in an agak-agak manner. “My specialty is even if I don’t eat it, I can cook it,” he said since he does not eat mutton or pork. He also prefers to cook using a claypot, just like in the old days long before stainless steel pots became popular.
Assisting him in this new venture are his wife B. Vijaya Latchumi, 46, and son, S. Sritharan, 28. His brother-in-law, R. Raja, 44, and friendAlvin Vinotharan also help out with the orders.
The menu is short and simple. Just pick from a choice of chicken (RM8), mutton (RM12) or wild boar (RM10). Portions are incredibly satisfying as a claypot of chicken curry with rice can comfortably feed one or even two diners.
You can opt for the curry to be served with a plate of white rice on the side or with the rice mixed inside the claypot. M. Senivasagam tells us most of their Chinese customers prefer to not mix the curry with the rice.
So far, their best sellers are the chicken and mutton. Even though he doesn’t eat pork, M. Senivasagam feels that introducing something unusual like wild boar will be a hit with customers. Later, there are plans to introduce more varieties like fish, prawns and sotong.
Before business starts, you can find M. Senivasagam boiling the meats. Usually this is cooked in a broth with curry powder for around 45 minutes to one hour until it has a fall apart texture. Should the meat be too tough despite the parboiling, they will cook it further in a pressure cooker.
Once your claypot reaches your table, dig into that pot of deliciousness — a fresh, vibrant curry that is mildly spicy with a creamy fragrant flavour.
The aromatic curry also complements the bold, gamey flavours of the meats. If you watch M. Senivasagam cook, all his ingredients are laid out in bowls for him to pick and add to the claypot.
He starts by frying the aromatics like spices and onions. He sprinkles dried red chillies, fresh curry leaves and a dollop of chilli paste into the pot. Ground cashew nuts are also used to impart a creaminess to the curry.
The quality of the curry’s ingredients is also important to him. For instance, he prefers to use the pricier onions from Thailand since they are more fragrant. This all adds up to make a curry you can’t stop eating.
Since opening, the stall located within a Chinese coffee shop has gained an appreciative Indian audience who don’t blink an eyelid over the long wait that can stretch from 45 minutes to one hour.
During the weekends, families visit and enjoy multitude claypots of the piping hot curry. As everyone tucks in, even curious Chinese customers from neighbouring tables start asking themselves what’s so good that they are willing to wait so long.
Some even venture off their usual orders to try out the curry for themselves. Once they taste its deliciousness, they will even order a take-away for their family members, sealing their approval for this curry cooked on the spot.
Satti Sorru
Kedai Kopi & Makanan Ban Heng
148, Jalan Loke Yew, KL
Open: 6pm to 11pm
Closed on Tuesday
