SUBANG JAYA, Aug 10 — Nasi lemak is a popular breakfast dish but since the mid 1990s, many operators in the Klang Valley have been selling nasi lemak at night. One such place is Restoran Nur Anggerik in USJ 2, Subang Jaya.
“We started selling nasi lemak by the roadside in 1995. My mother-in-law, Noraida Mohd Said, would cook the nasi lemak and its accompanying dishes at home in Ampang Jaya and we would sell it in Subang Jaya.
“But somehow selling nasi lemak during the day didn’t work for us so we decided to sell at night. We did that for about 10 years before opening Restoran Sri Anggerik,” said Mazuan Md Jim.
The family decided to switch names from Sri Anggerik to Nur Anggerik earlier this year.
Three years ago, Mazuan left the restaurant to pursue other interests and someone else took over.
“When the goods and services tax (GST) was introduced, it affected the business badly as prices for our ingredients went up.
“In order to cut cost, some of the basic ingredients were reduced and that compromised the taste. We lost customers who complained about the dip in quality. To remedy that, my mother-in-law asked that I take charge again,” he said.
And thanks to Mazuan’s efforts, customers now flock to the restaurant every night. Its nasi lemak ayam berempah is the most popular and many would queue up for this delectable dish daily from 7PM until 1AM.
The person in charge of the kitchen is Mazuan’s wife, Noraziah Abdul Aziz.
“I try to maintain my mother’s recipe when making the nasi lemak and sambal. I would say the reason people come back is for the sambal,” she said.
Noraziah starts cooking from as early as 11am and stressed that she has to be really careful when cooking the sambal. “The basic ingredients for our sambal are chili paste, tamarind, onions and garlic.
“The technique of cooking differs from person to person but I try to stick as close as I can to my mother’s recipe,” she said.
Apart from nasi lemak, the restaurant also rents out space to other stall owners. To date, the restaurant has about eight stall operators selling a variety of street food like satay, char koay teow, Western food and more.
The restaurant also offers roast lamb on Fridays.
“Initially we operated the stalls ourselves but we couldn’t cope so we decided to let others handle the respective businesses.
“I’m also thankful to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) for allowing us to set up tables and chairs for our customers,” Mazuan added.
The restaurant is located at Jalan USJ 2/2c, USJ 2, Subang Jaya.
For more information, visit Restoran Sri Anggerik’s Facebook page.
