If we had tongues like geckos, and could lash them out at a great distance in any direction, chances are, the tip would hit a Nasi Lemak packet. The sexy pinup girl of Malaysian cuisine (and a gastronomic icon which other envious local dishes look up to), Nasi Lemak is now as commonplace as the Whoredashians, thanks to an unquenchable demand for the breakfast favourite, and it’s uncomplicated, throw-together-while-blindfolded preparation method. Tastes, textures and presentations are becoming a tad homogeneous – and this is driving fussy foodies like me to undertake Bedouin journeys to relatively isolated, out-of-the-way dining establishments whenever I itch for distinctive, high-quality Nasi Lemak offerings. One of the eateries I make epic pilgrimages to is Mila + Madi Corner at Bandar Baru Selayang’s Medan Selera MPS.
Standing out in absolutely no way from the many other stalls in the MPS food court, Mila + Madi Corner is nevertheless a culinary rock star, clung to by raving crowds of gastronomic groupies. The unassuming stall serves a trim menu comprising noodle soup, noodle curry, Lontong and Laksa; as well as quaint variations of beloved beverages such as Kopi Jantan and Air Bandung. But it’s Mila + Madi Corner’s ‘frontman’ signature dish of Nasi Lemak which has made the stall a showstopper, and prompts hysterical, weeping gourmands to toss their panties at it.
The food
Mila + Madi Corner’s Nasi Lemak is accompanied by the traditional entourage of fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber slices, fried egg and sambal – but diners have the luxury of selecting a main side dish from the following: Sambal Sotong, Sambal Kerang, Ayam Masak Merah, fried chicken, Sotong Goreng Kunyit and Sambal Paru. After consulting my horoscope and scrutinizing the cloud formations over the area, I decided to go with the Sambal Sotong. My dish looked amazing, smelled amazing, and COST amazing, at a riotous, bargain-basement RM3.50.
I began by ‘making an incursion’ into the rice, which was remarkably fragrant, large-grained and fluffy. With the first spoonful, I was electrocuted by culinary perfection – the rice was virtually succulent and turgid with flavourful coconut milk, and the texture was almost tender meat-like. Together with its perfume-like pandan aroma, the rice did a number on me, and I considered whacking it plain. It was by far the best Nasi Lemak I had ever tasted – and as a battle-scarred foodie, I don’t blurt such superlatives all that often. Rating: 10/10.
I ambushed the sambal next, and my palate was instantly enveloped by a bold, full-bodied, kampong-style hot relish which satisfactorily set fire to my taste buds. THIS was what all sambal should aspire to be. Rating: 9.5/10.
My bomb-blast sambal maneuver was followed by a concerted siege of the prima donna of the dish – the ferocious-looking, Haka-dancing Sambal Sotong. Unsurprisingly, the cuttlefish slices had been superbly prepared, and were firm, tender and wonderfully piquant. The same couldn’t be said of its sambal, however, which lacked fire power and did little damage to my charred, masochistic palate. Rating: 8.5/10.
Mila + Madi Corner
Stall No. 20, Medan Selera MPS, Persiaran 2,
Bandar Baru Selayang, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor
Hours: 6.30am to 2pm
*Based on an article published by militant foodie, omnipresent shutter bug, indefatigable traveler and bionic blogger, Venoth Nathan, in Venoth’s Culinary Adventure. Images are courtesy of http://venoth.blogspot.my/.