COCONUTS HOT SPOT — It was a chance encounter – I stumbled upon this stall in a kopitiam in SS2 recently.
While nasi lemak is mainly scented with pandan leaves, this particular stall’s rice used more lemongrass. The delicious aroma of the lemongrass-and-coconut-scented rice when I passed by the stall was irresistible.
At that point, a plate of the fragrant rice was served to the table next to mine and I certainly liked what I saw!
When I stopped by the stall, I was delighted to see they had sambal kerang (cockles sambal) and I wasted no time in ordering a plate of their nasi lemak with that and beef rendang as well.
The cockles were of a decent size and cooked in a mouth-watering thick sambal.
Service was pretty fast and before long, a plate of nasi lemak serai wangi topped with bright red sambal, beef rendang and my favourite sambal kerang was served.
The cubes of beef rendang were tender with a sublime spice mix and the unmistakable aroma of kerisik and turmeric leaves (daun kunyit). The kerang tasted just as good as it looked with a spunky sambal that’s nicely balanced with sufficient chilli heat and spicy sweetness from shallots and belacan.
The fried ikan bilis (anchovies) and peanuts were fresh and crunchy, too and that added up the points for me. There’s the requisite hard-boiled and fried eggs, of course.
There are a few other dishes like chicken rendang and sambal sotong. I believe they fry chicken on the spot too as I spotted a stove and wok by the side – I’ll have to go back again to check that out. Sambal kerang and fried chicken is a combination that’s too good to resist.
So, Nasi Lemak Serai Wangi is worth checking out the next time you are in the SS2 area, even if you are not a fan of cockles.
Nasi Lemak Serai Wangi
Sun Hing Long Coffeeshop
65 Jalan SS2/64
47300 Petaling Jaya
