PETALING JAYA, May 15 — For a long time, I have been eyeing the postings on Pete and Dori’s Kitchen for their home cooked Indian fare.
Dishes like mutton varuval and wild boar peratal tempted me with their thick gravies but I knew I couldn’t finish such a large portion by myself, as their orders require a minimum of 500 grams.
That’s why I was ecstatic to find they have branched out to a standalone stall inside Ming Yang Kopitiam offering their famed dishes with nasi lemak.
Their signature dishes are served daily along with fried chicken. Occasionally, chicken varuval joins the line-up too.
On weekends, you may get special dishes like sambal prawns or sotong.
The basic nasi lemak (RM6) includes basmati rice lightly scented with santan, sambal with a spicy-sweet character, crunchy ikan bilis and fried peanuts.
A perfectly cooked fried egg with an oozy yolk and crunchy slices of Japanese cucumber complete the whole dish.
They were still tweaking their sambal when I visited and I felt version 2.0 was much better because it balanced spicy and sweet notes that uplifted and soaked into the fluffy basmati rice grains.
It’s hard to pick between the Nasi Lemak Mutton Varuval (RM17) and the Nasi Lemak Wild Boar (RM15), so both ended up on my plate even though I knew it was an overkill of protein
Their boneless mutton, diced into pieces, was a tender bite that complemented the drier varuval with its assortment of curry leaves, dried chilies and star anise.
For those who prefer more sauce with their nasi lemak, pick the wild boar peratal as it is served with a thicker curry redolent with spices like cinnamon, cloves and star anise.
Their handling of the wild boar is top-notch; they have tamed the gamey smell and it was likely pressure-cooked for the right amount of time to yield tender meat without any chewy parts.
Both dishes can also be ordered in larger portions in advance for your parties.
On weekends, special dishes are added and this time I had the opportunity to sample their sambal sotong, made with fresh cuttlefish.
Using fresh sotong instead of the dried brown, reconstituted version makes a world of difference in texture.
The fresh type has a slight chew that is more natural, unlike the brown dried sotong, which may use alkaline water for softening, resulting in textures ranging from too mushy to still hard and extremely chewy.
Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong is RM15 and available only on weekends.
Their fried chicken is made in small batches, so I got a freshly fried piece that was juicy with a thin, crispy crust.
You can get this with their Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken for RM12, available every day.
Pete and Dori’s Kitchen Nasi Lemak
Ming Yang Kopitiam,
19 & 21, Jalan Othman 3/14,
PJ Old Town, Petaling Jaya.
Open daily: 8am to 2pm or until food finishes. Days off not fixed.
Tel:016-3264184
Facebook: @pete-and-doris-kitchen
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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