PETALING JAYA, Aug 14 — For the past 15 years, Pandian A/L Muthusamy, 55, has been feeding the SS3 neighbourhood with his simple yet wholesome Indian fare. Many people flock here to get their Indian food fix.

He is assisted by his eldest daughter, Jeyanthee, 28, who started to work at the place in 2009. Located inside a food court, where his business spans a total of four stalls, it’s a spot that has a nice neighbourhood vibe with many regulars dropping by for a quick bite or to pack their meals to enjoy at home.

Indian snacks are placed in trays that can be easily picked (left). There will be about 25 vegetarian dishes to select from the various trays (right)
Indian snacks are placed in trays that can be easily picked (left). There will be about 25 vegetarian dishes to select from the various trays (right)

Pandian picked up his cooking skills by helping out his mother in Seremban. Later he assisted his father in the running of their provision shop. When he was 30 years old, he moved to PJ upon a friend’s recommendation to help manage the cafeteria in the Panasonic factory at Sungai Way.

Later, he went across the road to Western Digital’s factory where he worked for five years. Prior to opening his own place, he also cooked at Kelab Golf Negara Subang and Royal Selangor Club at their Bukit Kiara branch.

You can’t go wrong eating here; everything is tasty. In the morning, up to 11am, there’s a spread of breakfast goodies. Choose from among items like vadai and idly at the counter. You can also order thosai, roti canai, chapati and puri. These items will be made fresh on their griddle and served with a selection of chutneys, curry and dhal.

Pandian Muthusamy with his daughter Jeyanthee run the stall together
Pandian Muthusamy with his daughter Jeyanthee run the stall together

Every thing looks appealing that it’s hard to choose (left). On Tuesday and Friday, you can enjoy the flavourful vegetarian biryani served with kurma curry (right)
Every thing looks appealing that it’s hard to choose (left). On Tuesday and Friday, you can enjoy the flavourful vegetarian biryani served with kurma curry (right)

The lunch dishes start to slowly “emerge” from the kitchen from 11am onwards. There’s a large selection of vegetarian fare, about 25 dishes to keep those who seek these type of items incredibly happy. For the non-vegetarian items, there’ll be about 12 dishes with chicken, mutton and fish. Take your pick from a selection of ikan tenggiri, kerisik, bawal or kembung. The spread usually has at least three types of fish for their customers. There’s also fried chicken.

If you spy the golden crispy fried bitter gourd, grab a big spoonful of it. It’s so popular, you will see many patrons scooping mountains of the crunchy delight onto their plates. A whole tray of these is gone in minutes. Luckily the kitchen will fry up a new batch for customers. This version isn’t coated with curry powder so it’s not slightly blackened and remains golden brown from a light dusting of flour.

According to Pandian, other crowd favourites include the beetroot cooked with coconut and the carrot with yoghurt and onions. He changes up about four to five dishes every day to give regulars something different to enjoy. However, some items remain evergreen like their spinach, brinjal, tofu, lady fingers and of course, those cannot-stop-eating fried bitter gourd chips.

From 11am onwards, freshly cooked food is brought out in batches by the workers
From 11am onwards, freshly cooked food is brought out in batches by the workers

Don’t miss out on the fragrant biryani rice as it is cooked by Pandian himself. On Tuesday and Friday, it’s vegetarian biryani served with a creamy vegetable kurma curry. For Saturday and Sunday, you can get mutton and chicken biryani. There are about six cooks in the kitchen and each one of them specialises in specific dishes.

The lunch crowd starts to swell from around noon. Most of their regulars are take-away customers, packing their favourite items in plastic bags. The stall’s fame has spread far and wide, as some even come from KL to enjoy the food here.

What also draws most of their customers is the reasonable prices that Pandian charges. You can get a vegetarian meal for RM5 to RM6. If you opt for chicken or fish, it’s RM8 while the mutton is RM9. The meals come with a small cup of rasam and pappadums. There is also free water that you can help yourself to. On Friday, payasam is given free to customers and it is a real luscious treat with cashew nuts, raisins, sago pearls and vermicelli.

We bet you can’t stop eating this absolutely addictive fried bitter gourd straight from the oven (left). If you prefer a light meal, try the rava thosai for lunch with dhal (right)
We bet you can’t stop eating this absolutely addictive fried bitter gourd straight from the oven (left). If you prefer a light meal, try the rava thosai for lunch with dhal (right)

When asked why he charges such reasonable prices, Pandian tells us, “I keep the prices reasonable as I want to make my customers happy then they will come back.” Every thing has his touch as he keeps a watchful eye on the trays and calculates the prices for every customer. Pandian also takes it upon himself to personally shop for the raw ingredients like vegetables, meat and fish from Pasar Borong Selayang to keep the prices low. The stall also offers catering services.

Stalls No: 3, 4, 5 and 6, Wawasan Selera, No. 5, Jalan SS3/33, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-78776587.

Open daily: 6am to 4pm.