Going Bananas Over Rice
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Banana leaf rice is a South Indian speciality that never fails to curry favour with rice lovers. By Alice Yong
Banana leaf rice is a South Indian speciality that never fails to curry favour with rice lovers. By Alice Yong
The banana tree is considered a sacred plant in the Indian community. Its large, waxy leaves are ideal as a food serving vessel; they are bio-degradable with a subtly sweet, fragrant aroma and contain natural chemicals that aid digestion.
Originally a South Indian speciality, a banana leaf rice meal typically has steamed white rice heaped onto a large piece of fresh banana leaf. Copious amounts of piquant fish, chicken or dhall curry are then ladled over the rice, complemented by side dishes of cooked vegetables, pickles, chutneys and fried papadum crackers.
What separates the more popular banana leaf rice restaurants from others of its ilk lie in certain signature specialities that add to their pulling factor. At Raju’s, crisp, lightly spiced fried ikan bulus (silver whiting) and juicy fried chicken are the main draws while the tangy crab rasam heavily flavoured with aromatic Indian spices rules at Sri Ganapathi Mess. Most diners also swear by its curried crab and chicken curry that taste home-cooked.
Over at Fierce Curry House, the show-stealing fried spice-rubbed chicken and mutton varuval (dry spicy curry) keep diners returning for more. What sets Ravi’s banana leaf rice apart from the pack is its scrumptious chicken 65 – well-spiced, golden bronze cubes of fried boneless chicken breast and interestingly, claypot prawn masala, a searing hot yet irresistible North Indian dish.
While detractors consider using fake banana leaves (food-grade waxed paper printed to mimic the real thing) at Kanna Curry House as offensive, it sure hasn’t dimmed ardent fans from going there to relish the outlet’s cook-to-order, pressure-fried goodies: whole chicken drumsticks, assorted local fishes, fish eggs, quail and squid.
Here are five of the best banana leaf rice eateries that “rice” to the occasion. Check them out for a no-holds-barred carbohydrate and curry overload:
Raju’s Restaurant
Curry fiends will like the trail-blazing chicken varuval and mutton curry. Temper their fiery hotness with some crunchy cucumber raita in yoghurt, stir-fried spinach or daily vegetable dishes that are cooked just right; not too pulpy or mushy.
Price: Expect to pay RM6 per person for a standard serving of rice, a trio of vegetable dishes and requisite condiments. The fried ikan bulus costs RM7 per piece and fried chicken RM6 per piece. Chicken varuval costs RM7 and mutton curry RM9 per portion.
Raju’s Restaurant | Address: 27 Jalan Chantek, Petaling Jaya, Selangor| Tel: 03-7956-1361, 012-2218-209| Opening hours: Daily 6.30am – 10pm | GPS Coordinates: 3.1016314, 101.6538185| Pork-free
Sri Ganapathi MessSet up like a mess hall, diners will find themselves tackling a generous mound of perfectly cooked, fluffy long grain Indian rice doused with lashings of hearty dhall curry. Besides the house speciality of crab rasam, there’s also chicken rasam, which qualifies as the proverbial soup for one’s soul.
Price: Expect to fork out RM5 for a typical banana leaf rice vegetarian meal, RM1 for a cup of crab or chicken rasam, RM7 for a serving of curried crab or chicken varuval and RM2 for deep-fried bittergourd chips.
Sri Ganapathi Mess | Address: 47, Jalan 1/10, Petaling Jaya (Old Town), Selangor| Tel: 03-7782-0863| Opening hours: Daily 12noon – 3pm | GPS Coordinates: 3.08578, 101.646501 | Pork-free
Fierce Curry House
The banana leaf rice here is presented in a banana leaf-lined thali (a stainless steel plate with multiple compartments) with the day’s vegetable dish, chutney and sambar. Piquant curry, meat, fish or seafood dishes can be ordered separately to supplement your BLR meal.
Price: Banana leaf rice RM6 per head, fried chicken 65 RM5
Fierce Curry House | Address: 16 Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama, Kuala Lumpur| Tel: 019-383-0945, 03-2202-3456| Opening Hours: Daily 10.30am – 10.30pm| GPS Coordinates: 3.1296223, 101.6796359| Pork-free
Ravi’s Banana LeafMost regulars will opt for the pressure-fried chicken drumstick with delectably crisp skin and juicy meat that’s well-suffused with a heady spice marinade, sweet ikan bulus or tender squid rings with crispy onion rings and curry leaves. The house speciality of North Indian claypot prawn masala also lends a distinct difference to one’s banana leaf rice experience here.
Price: RM5.50 per person for a serving of rice with two types of vegetable, side condiments and curry gravy. Fried chicken drumstick is RM5 each, fried silver whiting RM6 per 100g and fried squid rings, RM8 per 100g. A serving of claypot prawn masala costs RM18.
Ravi’s Banana Leaf | Address: E-33A-01, Dataran 3 Two, No 2 Jalan 19/1, Petaling Jaya, Selangor| Tel: 03-7957 1441| Opening hours: Daily 7 am – 10 pm daily (Closed on Deepavali and Thaipusam) | GPS Coordinates: 3.113419, 101.628673 |Pork-free
Kanna Curry HouseVoted Klang Valley’s Best Indian Restaurant in 2010 and 2011, Kanna remains one of the most well-patronised banana leaf rice eateries. Its multiracial clientele can never get enough of its gamut of fried chicken drumsticks, assorted local fishes, fish eggs, quail and seafood that are cooked to order. Other crowd-pullers here include chicken or mutton varuval, mutton/chicken curry and mutton rendang.
Price: RM6 for a standard serving of rice and vegetables, RM5 for fried chicken or chicken curry, RM4.50 for fried silver whiting, fried quail RM5.50, RM7 for mutton varuval and RM7.50 for fried calamari.
Kanna Curry House | Address: No 29, Jalan 17/45, Petaling Jaya, Selangor| Tel: 03-7958 4814| Opening hours: Daily 6.30am – 9pm| GPS Coordinates: 3.1196835, 101.6298125 | Pork-free
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