KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Woman power rules the Kelantan food scene.
That entrepreneurial spirit from Kelantan has spread all the way to the Klang Valley, giving us Kelantanese food in all forms; from a humble, streetside gerai to full-fledged restaurants.
Kak Dah Nasi Berlauk Istimewa is no different; it was transported from Kereteh in Kelantan to our shores, starting out as a roadside stall with a makeshift canopy in 2022 that grew into a proper restaurant in Taman Dagang Permai.
On September 12, their third outlet will open at Unit B4-G-2, Gaya @ Melawati, Jalan Bandar Melawati, Taman Melawati, joining their stall located outside the primary school in Kereteh and their Ampang outlet.
The success of this business lies in 30-year-old recipes passed down from mother to daughter.
They offer around 20-plus lauk, mostly curries cooked in huge pots and grilled items, paired with plain rice, nasi dagang and nasi kerabu.
Nasi Dagang Ikan (RM12) with its chewier brown flecked grains pairs best with their best-selling gulai ikan aya.
It’s not your typical watery gulai but a thick, luscious one with chunks of the fresh fish. green chilies, thickly cut cucumbers and a whole hard-boiled egg.
Even its colour isn’t an orange one but has a light yellow hue with a heavier hand on the turmeric.
As the slightly chewy grains absorb the thick gravy, each spoonful is a decadent combination you cannot stop eating.
Nasi Kerabu Ayam Percik (RM15) is another classic Kelantanese dish, featuring distinct blue coloured rice made using dried blue pea blossoms.
It’s a combination of various flavours where the person behind the counter adds a dash of everything to create a masterpiece of sweet and spicy flavours with crunchy textures.
There’ll be a drizzle of budu (fermented fish sauce), a dollop of bright red sambal belacan, a clutch of ulam, raw bean sprouts, sambal tumis and serunding ikan.
Some will also add salted egg, pickled garlic or solok lada (stuffed green chillies), while fish crackers are placed on the side for extra crunch.
You can slowly mix a bit of everything into the rice as you’re eating, keeping it dry rather than mixing it all together, which will make it too wet.
Remember also to select your protein from the counter, usually ayam percik or grilled chicken.
This place offers two versions: one covered with a creamy light orange rich coconut sauce or the red version, which uses the same coconut sauce but is laced with chillies for a sweet, spicy taste.
Or there’s the cult favourite lemak bakar (pieces of fat grilled over a hot fire), daging belangas (stir fried beef with turmeric, chilli sauce and oyster sauce), ayam bakar, daging bakar or ikan celup tepung goreng (deep-fried fish).
This place’s nasi kerabu has that sweet, spicy profile. A bonus is that the ulam isn’t overloaded with shredded cabbage and includes more shredded herbs.
Don’t miss the Kelantanese specialty Kerabu Sare (RM6), which is sourced from an outside supplier and placed in takeaway containers.
The seaweed salad uses a red algae that must be soaked to be edible.
Usually eaten during Ramadan and favoured by older folks, the algae is mixed with sambal tumis made from chilies, garlic, shallots, coconut milk and budu, which gives it a spicy flavour.
A dash of lime juice is added for a zingy flavour, along with chopped bird’s-eye chilies and kerisik. Some even add sliced green mango to freshen up the salad.
Once everything is mixed, the crunchy, refreshing algae absorbs the spicy flavour.
You truly dive straight into Kelantan with their Pulut Pagi (RM5) – a glorious brown, sticky mess – completely the opposite of the usual plain white grains.
It feels like a Jekyll and Hyde of glutinous rice: the creamy version, paired with grilled fish, offers savoriness, while the brown version signifies a devilish one, tempting you down the path of sweetness with gula Melaka syrup.
The glutinous rice mixed with gula Melaka syrup is steamed twice for about 50 minutes per batch.
Both versions come dusted with nyior or freshly grated coconut, and a pinch of salt — the right way to bring out the sweet flavours.
It doesn’t just stop there as this version also has steamed red beans that combine well with the sticky rice and grated coconut.
Although usually eaten in the morning, the Pulut Pagi is their signature item and is available all day.
They have also curated various desserts like lompat tikam (pandan pudding, pink coloured glutinous rice with santan and gula Melaka syrup), sago gula Melaka, kuih peria (red beans stuffed kuih shaped like a bitter gourd), and many other treats to tempt you.
Kak Dah Nasi Berlauk Istimewa
No. G-5, Jalan Indah 1,
Taman Dagang Permai, Ampang.
Open: 7am to 11pm.
Tel: 016-2119865
Facebook: @Kak-Dah-Berlauk-Istimewa
Instagram: @kakdahnasiberlaukistimewa
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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