GEORGE TOWN, July 1 — Thick, rich, gooey and with just the right touch of spiciness, kacang phool is a delicious although not commonly heard of dish in Penang.
But Nasirah Sharif is on a mission to change that with her own special kacang phool recipe.
Kacang phool is a concoction of fava beans and minced beef/chicken that has been cooked to a thick, soft consistency. The addition of spices and herbs to the mixture makes for a truly satisfying meal.
Think Mexican chilli meets dhall and curry. The best part, it is topped with a sunny side up and just the slightest sourish tang from a squeeze of half a lime.
This is then served with toasted Benggali roti (thick slices of fluffy white bread) to mop up every last drop of the gravy.
Kacang phool here is Nasirah’s own version of Middle Eastern ful which is made of fava beans. Phool is another spelling for ful which simply means fava beans.
While the dish is not well-known in Penang, it has been a favourite in Johor for over three decades and Nasirah has tried it there a few times.
“When I started my stall, I didn’t want to sell something common and I thought of kacang phool which is not available here,” she said.
The 41-year-old didn’t want to sell the exact version of kacang phool found in Johor so she and her mother came up with their own recipe.
“We decided to combine the Mexican chilli recipe with the Middle East fava beans recipe, added local spices and tweaked it to suit local tastes,” she said.
This saw the start of Nazzeera’s kacang phool in a relatively unknown, almost deserted food court in Tanjung Tokong back in 2015.
Nasirah had initially rented a stall at the food court to register her bakery and to apply for halal certification.
She was setting up a baking company to export her homemade cakes, specifically her red velvet ice cream cakes.
“Since I was already renting the lot, I thought I might as well open it and sell food to pay for rental,” she said.
She started out selling only kacang phool served with thick slices of Benggali roti and roti jala with chicken curry.
Now, she has expanded her menu to include cheesy melts, capati gulung or fajitas using capati and huevos rancheros.
She has also opened a branch in Wisma Yeap Chor Ee in George Town that has an extended menu of vegan specials, pasta and grilled pizza sets.
The cheesy melts, with a choice of chicken, beef, pepperoni or both, is a sandwich bursting with flavours. The thick slices of bread are toasted to a nice crispiness on the outside while inside, it is soft and juicy bursting with the spiced minced meat.
This is one sandwich that has the best of both worlds, the creaminess of cheese offset by the spiciness of the minced chicken or beef.
Huevos rancheros is a Mexican dish of eggs with salsa but Nasirah gave the salsa a local twist and served it on the thick slice of white fluffy bread.
As for drinks, other than the usual local favourites of teh tarik, Milo and kopi, Nasirah also has specialties like teh O with longan and lemonade with assam boi, which are especially refreshing on a hot day.
Nazzeera’s Cafe
China Street Ghaut,
George Town.
Time: 8.30am-6pm
Nazzeera’s Roti Bakar Kacang Phool
No 1, Kompleks Desiran Tanjung,
Jalan Desiran Tanjung 3,
Seri Tanjung Pinang,
Tanjung Tokong.
Time: 8.30am-9pm
Facebook: Rotibakar Kacangphool Penang
