Going Places January 2015

East Feast On the East Coast, nasi dagang is a ubiquitous dish of rice cooked with coconut milk and spices, eaten with local tuna curry Text Tan Lee Kuen Photo Iskandar Sadon Props and Styling Mimi Ezura Esa

CAPITAL NASI DAGANG

A Kelantan original, the proprietors of Capital Nasi Dagang uprooted their operations to Petaling Jaya in 2013, bringing with them the secrets of their popular nasi dagang. The Kelantanese version uses beras nasi dagang that’s twice steamed with coconut milk and spices, resulting in wonderfully fragrant and slightly sweet rice, typical of the style. It’s accompanied by a winning gulai ikan tongkol, a fish curry made with local tuna. For the whole package, go for the Ultimate Nasi Dagang, which incorporates a bit of all their side dishes, including a fork-tender beef rendang.

WARUNG TERENGGANU

This bare-basics stall serves an excellent Terengganustyle nasi dagang. It differs from its Kelantanese counterpart in its use of white glutinous rice, here perfectly cooked to a pearly shine. The fish curry is laden with spices; you’ll be awed by the amount of bird’s eye chillies swimming in it, and the fish fillets are sweet and chunky. Open only on weekend mornings, the stall attracts a sizeable but manageable crowd to this hawker centre. You’ll know the stall by its signage advertising Terengganu fare and large metal pots of curries.

NASI DAGANG ANAK EAST COAST

New kid on the dining block Anak East Coast, which means Child of the East Coast, offers exceptional tastes from Kelantan and Terengganu. The restaurant, housed in a converted bungalow, is comfortable and homely. The nasi dagang, which comes with sides of kerabu salad and a salted egg, uses the glutinous beras nasi dagang, typical of the Kelantanese style, perfumed with fenugreek seeds and coconut milk, and a winsome fish curry, simmered to a rich concoction of coconut milk and spices.