PUCHONG, May 22 – I can already taste the long weekend ahead. Maybe that is why I always seem to look for Indian food to wind down the week.
It's incredibly simple to get your hands on banana leaf rice from Puchong Chettinad Mess. Just WhatsApp them a day ahead and it gets delivered to your doorstep.
If you live in KL, they now have an outlet at Bandar Baru Ampang you can order from. They have decided to suspend their dine-in service and food is only via delivery at the moment.
The menu is posted daily on their Facebook page; and once you have ordered, they send you the information every day. It's banana leaf rice and various side dishes every day except on Sunday. That day is reserved for biryani.
My meal is ready by 11am and arrives just before noon. It's all packed in individual bags that they tie with bands thoroughly (think two or three times knots) to prevent spillage.
My biggest surprise is my rice came wrapped in brown paper lined with banana leaf. I really felt like I was eating a proper banana leaf rice meal!
You can choose between normal or parboiled rice. It's always parboiled rice for me since that prevents me from going into a food coma.
There were more surprises as they had given extra dishes too with my meal.
Your packed banana leaf rice meal (RM9) is served with sambar, podalangkaa puli kulambu (snake gourd), rasam, sotong curry, chicken curry, keerai kootu (spinach with dhal), raita, peekangkai poriyal (ridge gourd) and their signature mango patchadi.
They are generous with the vegetable portions and I like how they cook the gourd dishes perfectly. Some places tend to overcook it but here, they're tender but not mushy. The carrot raita is cool and delicious with lots of grated carrots.
My all-time favourite is their mango patchadi that they make using whole mangoes. It adds a nice dimension to the rice with its creamy texture and slight tanginess. You also get pappadums packed separately too.
There's the option to add on side dishes that change every day. I added on the fish fry for RM8 and mutton varuval for RM8.
I do enjoy their fried fish as it's not overly fried till it is dry as a bone. You still can taste the sweet flesh and it is delicious with my rice.
For a deeper flavour, there's the tender, chunky mutton varuval. They had also given me their sotong masala. You get tender pieces of fresh cuttlefish cooked perfectly in a mild curry.
There is also a mildly spicy prawn masala with small prawns. I also got their chicken 65, where tender pieces of chicken are marinated and deep fried. These small bites are perfect for popping in the mouth.
Drink up your rasam to cleanse the palate after your meal and you can now enjoy the long weekend ahead.
Puchong Chettinad Mess, 11, Jalan Puteri 7/9, Bandar Puteri, Puchong. You can WhatsApp them a day in advance for your packed meal at 012-2833788, 012-7913788 or 019-2169862 for Puchong. If you want it delivered from Ampang, WhatsApp them at 012-4043788. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PuchongMess/
