The Ramadan stalls are in full swing and there is all manner of food to buy. Here is a list of unusual fare at several bazaars in the Klang Valley.
AT THE SECTION 17 RAMADAN BAZAAR with JULIE WONG
Jalan 17/1A, Section 17, Petaling Jaya
THE STAR
Great sticks of spiral potato chips drizzled with three types of sauces – mayonnaise, black pepper and spice.
Great paella pans of nasi goreng kampung and fried noodles command your attention at the Section 17 Ramadan bazaar.
Great Spiral Fries
Stick it to kebab and satay fans with these great sticks of potato chips. A whole potato is given a paper-thin, spiral-cut, stretched out naked on a stick, and deep-fried. It’s then doused with not one, but three types of moreish sauces: mayonnaise, black pepper and chilli. RM2 each from Ali’s Ayam Goreng stall.
Stick it to kebab and satay fans with these great sticks of potato chips. A whole potato is given a paper-thin, spiral-cut, stretched out naked on a stick, and deep-fried. It’s then doused with not one, but three types of moreish sauces: mayonnaise, black pepper and chilli. RM2 each from Ali’s Ayam Goreng stall.
Paella KampungSo it’s not Bomba rice piled mountain high on the gigantic flat black paella pans lined up in a row, commanding our attention. But piled up on paella pans, the nasi goreng kampung, bihun goreng Singapore and kway teow goreng somehow look more appetising. Like Paella Valencia, they are studded with seafood – salted fish, fried shrimps – and ayam masak kicap. Just a silly question about those pans – were they sunken sea treasures from the great Spanish Armadas that used to ply the Straits of Malacca, washed up on the shores and found by a plucky fisherman who sold them for a few kupang? Find it at the Selera Kita 2 stall.
Murtabak Cinta is all heart.
Murtabak Cinta
Got no skills to make a great murtabak? No worries, beat the competition with smarts. This stall draws the crowd with a huge message of love. Toss up some instant noodles, slap them on a hot murtabak grill packed in a heart-shaped ring, stir in some beaten eggs, and after a few loving pats, you have – drum roll, please – Murtabak Cinta! Choice of two flavours: Ayam or Daging. RM3 each.
Got no skills to make a great murtabak? No worries, beat the competition with smarts. This stall draws the crowd with a huge message of love. Toss up some instant noodles, slap them on a hot murtabak grill packed in a heart-shaped ring, stir in some beaten eggs, and after a few loving pats, you have – drum roll, please – Murtabak Cinta! Choice of two flavours: Ayam or Daging. RM3 each.
Super tasty fried chicken skin – fresh, crispy, with not a drop of grease on them.
Grilled chicken butts with secret sauce go for RM1 a stick at the Section 17 bazaar.
Holy Chicka-rones
Chickarones is, of course, the halal half-sister of chicharron, Spanish pork crackling. While you can find these popular crispy-fried chicky skin at most pasar malam and Taiwanese snack stalls, these are really ace – fresh, super crispy, with not a drop of grease on them. We absolutely vote this one of the best bites in the world. RM2 from the PPPKM M/P Cawangan Sg Besi stall.
Chickarones is, of course, the halal half-sister of chicharron, Spanish pork crackling. While you can find these popular crispy-fried chicky skin at most pasar malam and Taiwanese snack stalls, these are really ace – fresh, super crispy, with not a drop of grease on them. We absolutely vote this one of the best bites in the world. RM2 from the PPPKM M/P Cawangan Sg Besi stall.
Does my butt look big in this?
Still hungry for nasty, tasty bits? How about some chicken butts? If you stand a bit further away, they actually look like slightly blackened, succulent red strawberries. They are delicious. Strung up four butts to a bamboo skewer, they are massaged with a secret red sauce and grilled until hot, sticky and sweaty. We don’t want to be anal about this folks, butt, seriously, don’t give these the butt. Bird butts are storehouses of pheromones as the uropygial gland is located right there. Need we say more? RM1 per stick of Tongkeng Ayam, Section 17, PJ.
Still hungry for nasty, tasty bits? How about some chicken butts? If you stand a bit further away, they actually look like slightly blackened, succulent red strawberries. They are delicious. Strung up four butts to a bamboo skewer, they are massaged with a secret red sauce and grilled until hot, sticky and sweaty. We don’t want to be anal about this folks, butt, seriously, don’t give these the butt. Bird butts are storehouses of pheromones as the uropygial gland is located right there. Need we say more? RM1 per stick of Tongkeng Ayam, Section 17, PJ.
Pulut Panggang Retro comes with different types of filling.
Pulut Panggang Branded, brother
For a bit of retro cool, head to this branded pulut panggang stall. Remember, not any pulut panggang stall. I mean, there are guys in chilli red polos, MIB dark glasses and Ah Pek white towels slung around the neck here. And the sticky rice sticks have value added: not just rempah udang filling, but also daging and ayam. Retro is so old, it’s bold, and gold. So stylish are these, it’s not unbecoming to have a few sticking out of your Gucci bag. RM1-RM2 each at the Pulut Panggang Retro stall.
For a bit of retro cool, head to this branded pulut panggang stall. Remember, not any pulut panggang stall. I mean, there are guys in chilli red polos, MIB dark glasses and Ah Pek white towels slung around the neck here. And the sticky rice sticks have value added: not just rempah udang filling, but also daging and ayam. Retro is so old, it’s bold, and gold. So stylish are these, it’s not unbecoming to have a few sticking out of your Gucci bag. RM1-RM2 each at the Pulut Panggang Retro stall.
AT THE KELANA JAYA RAMADAN BAZAAR with SHARMILA NAIR
Jalan SS6/1, Kelana Jaya
Open 4pm-8pm
Nasi Ambeng is a good choice for those who can’t make up their mind. Get everything!
Nasi Everything & The Kitchen Sink aka Nasi Ambeng
Confused by the wide variety of food on offer? Keep calm and have the Nasi Ambeng. The Spesial version even has noodles thrown in. Nasi Ambeng comes from the Javanese who settled in Malaysia, mostly in Johor, Selangor and Perak. Similar to rijsttafel, it’s a sumptuous and scrumptious all-in-one platter: rice, a choice of chicken dish (ayam goreng berempah or ayam kicap), rendang daging, fried noodles, stir-fried beans and ulam. RM10 at the Nasi Ambeng Warisan stall.
Confused by the wide variety of food on offer? Keep calm and have the Nasi Ambeng. The Spesial version even has noodles thrown in. Nasi Ambeng comes from the Javanese who settled in Malaysia, mostly in Johor, Selangor and Perak. Similar to rijsttafel, it’s a sumptuous and scrumptious all-in-one platter: rice, a choice of chicken dish (ayam goreng berempah or ayam kicap), rendang daging, fried noodles, stir-fried beans and ulam. RM10 at the Nasi Ambeng Warisan stall.
Not your usual roti john.
Crunchy Fried Canai-wich (Roti Goreng)
Looks like an oversized springroll, but it’s a sandwich with crunch. The bun is stuffed with chicken or beef filling, before being wrapped in a thin layer of roti canai dough and deep fried until crisp. It’s an original Malaysian canai-sandwich hybrid – just missing a catchy name. It’s actually quite yummy – once you’ve tried it, you will seek it out again. RM2.50 each at the only Roti Goreng stall.
Looks like an oversized springroll, but it’s a sandwich with crunch. The bun is stuffed with chicken or beef filling, before being wrapped in a thin layer of roti canai dough and deep fried until crisp. It’s an original Malaysian canai-sandwich hybrid – just missing a catchy name. It’s actually quite yummy – once you’ve tried it, you will seek it out again. RM2.50 each at the only Roti Goreng stall.
Fruit of the sea: Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak.
Whole chickens cooked in a planter: Ayam Tempayan.
Durian fish?
The stall owner claims that this is the best grilled Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak you’ll have in your life – and judging by the way folks crowd around his stall, he may be right. The patin fish is slathered with a thick paste of tempoyak (fermented durian condiment) on both sides before being grilled to perfection. Ask for siakap if cat fish is not your thing. RM12 for half a fish, to RM25.
The stall owner claims that this is the best grilled Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak you’ll have in your life – and judging by the way folks crowd around his stall, he may be right. The patin fish is slathered with a thick paste of tempoyak (fermented durian condiment) on both sides before being grilled to perfection. Ask for siakap if cat fish is not your thing. RM12 for half a fish, to RM25.
Genius Ayam Tempayan
What started as a way to cook during camping trips turned out to be a money maker for a bunch of friends. Whole chickens are marinated in a secret sauce and left in the fridge overnight before being cooked in the gigantic clay pot – originally used for storing water or as a planter – for about 45 minutes. Hot coals placed at the bottom of the pot creates hot, dry heat similar to an oven and the high earthenware wall keeps the heat in – essentially a tandoor oven. RM20 for a whole chicken.
What started as a way to cook during camping trips turned out to be a money maker for a bunch of friends. Whole chickens are marinated in a secret sauce and left in the fridge overnight before being cooked in the gigantic clay pot – originally used for storing water or as a planter – for about 45 minutes. Hot coals placed at the bottom of the pot creates hot, dry heat similar to an oven and the high earthenware wall keeps the heat in – essentially a tandoor oven. RM20 for a whole chicken.
Have one, or all seven flavours of fried mushrooms.
Cendawan ‘Freaking Crunchy’ Goreng
You can almost hear the collective crunch from people munching these oyster mushroom fritters when you walk around the pasar – everyone seems to have a bag in their hands. The idea may be tempura, but the batter is original Malaysian “gorengan” style using a crispy brown batter. And there’s more! Choose from seven flavours: original, spicy, black pepper, BBQ, curry, chicken and cheese. RM2 each from Cendawan Goreng 7 Rasa.
You can almost hear the collective crunch from people munching these oyster mushroom fritters when you walk around the pasar – everyone seems to have a bag in their hands. The idea may be tempura, but the batter is original Malaysian “gorengan” style using a crispy brown batter. And there’s more! Choose from seven flavours: original, spicy, black pepper, BBQ, curry, chicken and cheese. RM2 each from Cendawan Goreng 7 Rasa.
ELSEWHERE with LOUISA LIM
King of Murtabak
Murtabak vendors dot the Ramadan bazaars, but none is as famous or as massive as Raja Murtabak. Spanning four stalls at the TTDI bazaar, Raja Murtabak is named after the family who owns it, although its literal translation – the King of Murtabak – is just as apt, judging from the number of hungry patrons who queue up in front of their stall every evening. The 35-year-old owner Raja Zakaria Raja Hamid oversees the business, which boasts three of Malaysia’s prime ministers – including Tun Mahathir Mohamad – among its clientele. The secret to its success? The crumbly bits of ground meat, marinated in 15 different herbs and spices, Malay-style. Squished among oozing cheese and fluffy roti, it’s heaven in a bite. Ask for the “special” – double of everything – if you’re feeling particularly wanton. Find it at the Raja Murtabak stall at the Taman Tun Ramadan Bazaar on Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, PJ.
Murtabak vendors dot the Ramadan bazaars, but none is as famous or as massive as Raja Murtabak. Spanning four stalls at the TTDI bazaar, Raja Murtabak is named after the family who owns it, although its literal translation – the King of Murtabak – is just as apt, judging from the number of hungry patrons who queue up in front of their stall every evening. The 35-year-old owner Raja Zakaria Raja Hamid oversees the business, which boasts three of Malaysia’s prime ministers – including Tun Mahathir Mohamad – among its clientele. The secret to its success? The crumbly bits of ground meat, marinated in 15 different herbs and spices, Malay-style. Squished among oozing cheese and fluffy roti, it’s heaven in a bite. Ask for the “special” – double of everything – if you’re feeling particularly wanton. Find it at the Raja Murtabak stall at the Taman Tun Ramadan Bazaar on Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, PJ.
Raja Murtabak rules at the Taman Tun Ramadan bazaar in Kuala Lumpur.
Marvellous Nasi Daging Goreng Kunyit at the Bangsar Ramadan bazaar.
Marvelous Nasi Daging Goreng Kunyit
There’s something about Marvelous’ nasi daging goreng that makes it – well, quite marvellous. We reckon it’s the juicy morsels of meat fried in kunyit and served atop a generous helping of white rice, along with crunchy strips of carrots, long beans and onions. Drizzled with Marvelous’ secret sauce and sambal, this magnificent one-dish meal is a perfectly orchestrated culinary symphony. Take your pick from beef, chicken or squid – and don’t be shy because you’ll never go wrong. It’s all cooked fresh before your eyes from a wok of a stationary truck. For extra firepower, be sure to ask for extra sambal. Find it at the Bangsar Ramadan Bazaar on Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru.
There’s something about Marvelous’ nasi daging goreng that makes it – well, quite marvellous. We reckon it’s the juicy morsels of meat fried in kunyit and served atop a generous helping of white rice, along with crunchy strips of carrots, long beans and onions. Drizzled with Marvelous’ secret sauce and sambal, this magnificent one-dish meal is a perfectly orchestrated culinary symphony. Take your pick from beef, chicken or squid – and don’t be shy because you’ll never go wrong. It’s all cooked fresh before your eyes from a wok of a stationary truck. For extra firepower, be sure to ask for extra sambal. Find it at the Bangsar Ramadan Bazaar on Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru.
