Nasi lemak has to
be one of the world’s great dishes. Like a thali or a degustation or a salad
bar, it is a single thing that contains multiplicity. How they come together is
what matters and as a diner you are looking out for the harmony that happens with
synthesis. Will this curry go with that pickle? Will the amuse bouche be
referred to in the desert? Will I make the right choice of salad dressing given
that I ordered spaghetti carbonara at Sizzler? All of these are major culinary
questions, no easily given over to whimsy, caprice, or solved simply without
reflection. They all matter for eating. But, with nasi lemak that guesswork is
taken out of it, precisely because you know what you are getting – rice (often
made with coconut), egg, ikan bilis (a little crunchy fried fish), peanuts
(sometimes roasted but often boiled and unsalted), cucumber, a chilli sambal,
and a piece of meat (could be grilled chicken, could be lamb, could be chicken
curry). What matters about nasi lemak is how all these pieces work together,
becoming a kind of team, that is greater than any individual player. Eat any of
these items alone and they may be very boring, but when they combine, it is a
truly sublime dish. In my lifetime, I have eaten many nasi lemak, from trips to
see family in Malaysia and Singapore, to short holidays in Indonesia, to
moments when I am missing home flavours in Philadelphia. It is a go to dish for
me, but that does not mean I love every single one I have. On odd occasions, I
have had a bad one, including at Kuala Lumpur airport (which I claim
responsibility for). I have though eaten very good ones, and, overall, it is
one dish that I simply love to bits. My favourite nasi lemak at the moment is
at a little place behind a suburban car yard in Myaree, south east of
Fremantle. You would never know to go there, but Spice Express is in a dynamic
little hub of activity next to a speciality kimchi shop and a wonderful ramen
place. There is a very big Asian supermarket nearby, and, a sense of community.
Spice Express though is where it is at for me, and, not only for their nasi
lemak but also for their vadai, which comes with some truly great sambar. It is
worth a little trip for, if only to surprise yourself with what is out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment