When asked what is the national dish of Malaysia, there can be no answer other than nasi lemak. A versatile dish which can be eaten in so many ways, you will be hardpressed to find anyone who doesn’t like it. And every now and then, someone puts their own spin on it.
While a majority of Malaysians do not eat pork, the minority who do love the stuff really love the stuff. And when someone who equally loves nasi lemak and pork brings them together, you get the stuff of dreams.
Going Porking Mad!
And the stuff of dreams is indeed what you can call the food sold at Porking Mad. It is a nasi lemak stall in Petaling Jaya’s Restoran Chuan Lee, located in Section 11. Lately, this humble stall has been getting rave reviews and for good reason.
Meet Chef Denis
Denis Selvanayagam is the cheerful chap manning this two-year-old stall. It is rare to see him without his signature brimmed hat. This chef, with over a decade’s worth of experience, is a big fellow, but he is also big-hearted, so don’t hesitate to approach him.
There is a certain cheekiness in how he presents himself. And to ensure no future controversy, there’s pretty prominent signage on his stall which reads, “100% non-halal”. Surely no one can think pork varuval, pork rendang and babi goreng berempah are halal, right?
No like pork, but like chicken?
Speaking of those dishes, these are Porking Mad’s “holy trinity”, so to speak. If you aren’t at the stall to try these, why are you here at all? That said, he also has chicken dishes, with fried chicken, chicken rendang and eggs being regular offerings.
Aside from the “Holy Trinity” and the chicken dishes, Denis also offers customers unique pork dishes from time to time. These include his pineapple pork curry, pork ribs curry, pork devil curry and babi kicap pedas.
We actually asked him why he sells pork dishes, when that’s normally a Chinese hawker’s domain. He just proudly said, “I like to eat babi.” He then went on about how Malaysia has so many delicious curries and gravies that work perfectly with pork.
The verdict
With the backstory out of the way, what do you need to know about the nasi lemak? While you can choose to have your nasi lemak with either varuval, rendang or babi goreng, you can also have all three, albeit with smaller portions of each, for the same price of RM12.
The price seems reasonable enough, with the generous portions. But what about the taste? Of the “holy trinity”, our favourite has to be the babi goreng berempah. The pork is marinated overnight and it really shows with its flavour and super crispy exterior.
That’s not to say the pork varuval isn’t worth a mention. This one is apparently a dish close to Denis’ heart, its recipe passed to him by his mum. Fiery flavours and deliciously succulent meat? You got it here, boss.
Last but certainly not least is the pork rendang. This one packs a bit of a punch without overpowering the taste buds. There’s also a noticeable sweetness to the rendang, courtesy of the brown sugar Denis uses in his cooking.
Fluffy rice, refillable sambal
Pork dishes are great and all, but it’s the coconut milk rice which makes or breaks the nasi lemak. And Denis’ nasi lemak stands unbroken, with perfectly soft and fluffy rice. Add to that the delicious sambal, which is refillable, by the way!
Worth your time?
Overall, if you love a good nasi lemak or are addicted to pork, Porking Mad is certainly worth a visit and your money. Since you can have a little bit of everything, it will be easier to figure out which you like best. Or maybe, you could just like everything equally.
Porking Mad @ Chuan Lee Restaurant
Address: 5, Jalan Bukit 11/2, PJS 11, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening Hours: 8 am – 1 pm daily
Contact: 017-2083103
Halal Status: Non-halal
You should also check out: Check out this Korean spot in Sri Petaling where you only need to pay RM30 for freeflow pork BBQ
