KUALA LUMPUR: If there is one cuisine to unite Malaysians, it would have to be nasi lemak.

Knowing that it is a well-loved Malaysian delicacy, local food website Friedchillies.com introduced the I Eat Nasi Lemak festival some years back.

With its first two installments having been a success, this year is their third festival and it was by far the biggest one, recording a number of 40 vendors serving nasi lemak hunters throughout the day.

Founded by Honey Ahmad and Adly Rizal, Friedchillies.com decided to work with charity and startup company the Nasi Lemak Project for their festival this year.

What the Nasi Lemak Project does is that they identify poor urban families and teach them to make a living from selling nasi lemak.

Friedchillies’ public relations head Jiman Nizam said the Nasi Lemak Project teaches the families how to do their accounts, logistics, delivery, as well as how to set up Facebook accounts for their business.

“It’s a noble cause,” he noted.

As for the festival itself, Jiman said they started with a mere 10 vendors during their first year. It then doubled to 20 for the second installment. With 40 vendors this time around, the uniqueness of each nasi lemak was the thing that made the whole festival interesting.

From Penang, there was a vendor serving up a side dish of salmon asam pedas called Nasi Lemak Pendekar Mustar, alluding to the famous character in a movie by the late P. Ramlee, Pendekar Bujang Lapok.

“Because there are 40 vendors, we’ve had to have morning and afternoon shifts,” Jiman added, noting that the ‘madness’ of the afternoon shift was nothing compared to the morning shift.

Held at the TM Convention Centre, the place was packed to the brim upon observation Saturday afternoon.

“People really do go crazy over nasi lemak in Malaysia,” Jiman quipped.

Other vendors present were the famous Village Park restaurant in Damansara Uptown, known for their delicious nasi lemak ayam berempah.

Folks who are familiar with Village Park would know that various public figures have also been known to visit the restaurant, as evident by the pictures put up on the wall at their premises.

Notables like former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Najib Razak both have their pictures on the wall of Village Park, enjoying a meal there.

Meanwhile, from Malacca, there was a vendor called Nasi Lemak Hujung Pasir.

Jiman said while the normal nasi lemak legends were part of the festival, they also try to include small-timers in the business.

Speaking of the big names, Jiman said since they have been in the business for the longest, they can really provide the delicacies as they have the facilities and the staff to do so.

“We also try to include the small-timers, those who we think have good nasi lemak. We want people to be able to enjoy their nasi lemak,” he said.

All in all, it can be said that the event was a huge success in serving up Malaysia’s best loved cuisine, in various forms and names, under one roof.