PETALING JAYA, Oct 18 — The blessed Festival of Lights will soon be upon us and it will be a time of reflection, celebration and feasting.
Some of us will be savouring delights such as mutton varuval, crab curry and ghee rice at home.
For the rest of us, we have to look elsewhere; either finding an Indian restaurant that remains open during Diwali or ordering online. I know where I trust to get my fix of idly and mango fish curry — Kadei by Manchula in Taman Megah, PJ.
Kadei by Manchula is run by Suresh Gnanasekaran and his mother, fondly known as "Auntie Manchula” by family, friends and regular customers and the namesake of the restaurant.
This year the shop, which serves South Indian cuisine "spiced the Malaysian way”, is introducing a special Diwali Catering Menu.
Suresh explains, "So, for this Diwali, we decided to let our customers choose their favourite combos from a list of our best selling catering dishes from the past two years.
"We also realised from catering during previous years that everyone has their own preferences when it comes to the variety or mix of dishes they want to order.”
The Kadei team came up with their final catering menu by picking the top five sellers in each category.
For instance, the most ordered vegetable dishes included the potato podimas (boiled spuds that are dry-fried with dried chillies, mustard seeds, urad dhal and black pepper), lusciously soft brinjal sambal, pumpkin kuttu, cucumber and pineapple salad, and stir-fried okra.
For the meat and seafood dishes, the catering menu features the same dishes that will be available in the restaurant throughout the Diwali period.
Feast on mutton masala and mutton varuval, kheema (minced mutton), bone marrow kurma, chicken fried with onions and dried chillies, mango fish curry (fresh ikan tenggiri cooked with young green mangoes), prawn sambal and more.
Suresh shares, "We could not afford to have too many variations for this category because like all others in the F&B (food and beverage) trade, we are crippled by a shortage of manpower. Offering too many choices would put a lot of stress on the kitchen which has been recently operating with a skeleton crew.”
Other categories in the menu include Tiffin (flatbread style options such as chapati, paratha and apam), Rice (including biryani and ghee basmati rice), Curries (including vegetable kurma and spinach dhal and Sides (egg sambal, fish cutlets and fried cauliflower).
Suresh says, "When developing our menu, we also made sure that the dishes we chose will not be a financial burden to our customers. Pricing was of utmost importance because we understand that times are not great at the moment.”
To adapt to the tightening of customers’ purse strings, Kadei has opted not to offer items such as crabs, tiger prawns and a few other dishes that currently cost more due to the prices of raw ingredients.
"The majority of people are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic,” Suresh notes. "And we are also expecting much more challenging times ahead.”
As our country shifted from the pandemic to endemic phase in recent months, business at Kadei has slowly picked up though the restaurant hasn’t escaped the massive shortage of manpower crippling the local F&B industry.
Suresh shares, "Dealing with a volatile staffing situation poses a variety of issues such as inconsistency, excessive working hours, and mental health issues. Operational hours are affected because of the high turnover of staff in the industry currently.”
It has been a bittersweet time as some eateries continue thriving and others do not. Suresh reflects: "Many friends in the industry did not survive the two-year down time and had to cease operations. So we are blessed and thankful to all our patrons that supported us through the pandemic.”
It has not all been doom and gloom. Suresh feels he has grown as a business owner after enduring difficult times. He says, "Luckily I’ve had very supportive partners and customers that stuck by us, and convinced me to be patient and to believe in myself and the brand.”
On a brighter note, Kadei has seen a full house of customers on weekends. Suresh says, "Nothing gets my adrenaline going like a shop full of hungry beautiful people waiting to be fed.
"It’s great being able to meet and build relationships with a whole lot of people whom we previously only had interactions with over WhatsApp or other delivery platforms.”
He even sees the spate of new banana leaf rice restaurants popping up after the pandemic as something to celebrate: "I’ve always maintained that competition is always good. It keeps us on our toes to be our best.”
Naturally, everyone has their own festive favourites during the blessed celebration. For Suresh, his personal Diwali combo comprises ghee rice, bone marrow kurma, mutton varuval, brinjal sambal, cucumber pineapple salad and their restaurant’s signature fried chicken.
He enthuses: "Our ghee rice is made with fluffy basmati rice flavoured with cinnamon, star anise, lots of raisins, cashews and topped with a healthy serving of 100 per cent pure ghee. Then there is our ‘K.F.C.’ or Kadei Fried Chicken that comes with yummy crispy fried onions with every portion.”
Mutton plays a big part in Kadei’s offerings, so it’s hardly surprising that Suresh has not one, but two mutton dishes, in his must-have Diwali feast.
He explains, "Our bone marrow kurma is basically ‘Gear Box’ kambing that has been cooked in our special kurma curry with ground almonds and buah pala (nutmeg) for its rich flavour and texture. Another is our mutton varuval, made from cubed New Zealand mutton. Words can’t explain how I feel about this dish — must order and try yourself!”
This year, as always, Suresh and his mother will spend their Diwali at Kadei as the restaurant is open throughout the holiday. He shares, "It is our biggest wish for as many of you to come and join us at the shop for a great meal and to join in our festivities.”
To further the reveries, Kadei will be serving a few extra side dishes with their banana leaf rice sets throughout the Diwali weekend such as crab rasam, semolina-based kesari or payasam, and their new tempeh sambal.
Suresh adds, "These come with our banana leaf rice sets with no additional charges. Also, stand a chance to win some meal vouchers and a surprise Diwali ang pow!”
Now if that isn’t a reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is. As Suresh puts it best: "A blessed Diwali for all who are celebrating, and may this Festival of Lights burn off all your problems and light up your life.”
Kadei by Manchula
No. 28, Jalan SS 24/13, Taman Megah, PJ
Open Tue-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat-Sun & public holidays 8am-9pm, Mon closed
Note: Open on Diwali (October 24). Last call for Diwali catering orders is Friday, October 21 at 10pm.
Tel: 012-535 2413
