PETALING JAYA, July 17 — It's not every day you hear of nasi lemak being served with pork so my friends and I were incredibly keen to try Porking Mad's nasi lemak located at Chuan Lee Restaurant.
One friend even made the effort to drive all the way from Cheras to Petaling Jaya through the morning peak traffic.
Sadly her efforts, which involved being stuck one hour plus in traffic, were in vain as the coffee shop had taken an unannounced two-day break.
After stalking the coffee shop, I finally got to try the food at the one-month old stall opened by Denis, who used to be a chef at various restaurants and even the Le Meridien hotel.
He started Porking Mad back in 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, where he offered various pork dishes for sale.
This included Ceylonese pork varuval, babi goreng berempah, pork rendang and even Korean inspired pork ribs.
Previously, it was strictly a part time gig but this year, he decided to make it full time. He started out with a stall in Puchong but the take-up was slow, hence he relocated to Chuan Lee Restaurant in June this year.
It was an ideal match as the coffee shop doesn't have a nasi lemak vendor anymore. Patrons of this popular place, usually those who visit the nearby hospital, will order the pork noodles, char kway teow and yong tau foo here.
You can get nasi lemak with a choice of pork rendang, babi goreng berempah or pork varuval. This is priced at RM12. If you're not into pork, there's also nasi lemak with rendang ayam for RM10.
If you prefer just the nasi lemak, it's RM4.50.
At the stall, I tried their best selling pork varuval and a mix of the babi goreng berempah. It's a generous portion of meat given with my nasi lemak.
You won't find the pork varuval too spicy though. Maybe it's been tweaked to suit the patrons here. The meat is cut in chunky pieces, making it incredibly filling for breakfast.
On paper, the babi goreng berempah sounds interesting since it's meant to be a version of ayam goreng berempah but this lacked the punchy herbs to make it a toothsome accompaniment with the nasi lemak.
It's still nice to crunch on since I won't say no to deep fried pork.
I decided to try the other dishes at home, namely the pork rendang and the chicken variant.
I preferred the pork rendang since it's got a mildly spicy and creamier taste with the gravy that coats each piece of pork. The portions were generous too, filling up a quarter of my plate.
For the rendang ayam, the gravy was tasty and the meat was tender but I wished the taste was infused more into the chicken.
What I liked was the nasi lemak on its own. Usually places that serve pork with nasi lemak tend to serve plain white rice or rice with just a little coconut milk, since it targets the Chinese crowds. Hence I was happy that this rice was incredibly fragrant with the scent of kaffir lime leaves with a light touch of coconut milk to give it a slight richness.
Even the sambal was good, not too spicy but fragrant and well cooked. They don't give you much of this though and you probably won't miss it too since there's a mini mountain of pork served with your nasi lemak.
You get a choice of hard boiled egg or fried egg with your nasi lemak. If you love oozy yolks, go for the fried egg for that golden rich liquid mixed with the fragrant rice.
I can imagine this nasi lemak to be perfect for a takeaway lunch especially when you're slogging in the office, since the meat will keep your stomach filled and happy until dinner time.
If you wish to order just the pork dishes, occasionally they will open up bulk orders, so keep in touch with them via their social media for announcements.
Porking Mad Nasi Lemak Stall, Chuan Lee Restaurant, 5, Jalan Bukit 11/2, Section 11, Petaling Jaya. Open: 8am to 2pm or until food finishes. Days off not fixed. Instagram: @porkingmad Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048608636596 Whatsapp contact: +6017-2083103.
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