…or wok, to be exact…
Nasi is rice in Malay and kak is older sister or a term we use to address a lady a little older than ourselves and I do not know if the name means the rice from older sister’s wok or Kak Wok is the name of a certain lady who started this thing but nasi kak wok is something new that I have just come across quite recently at the Ramadhan bazaar here and I quickly bought a packet to try.
Unfortunately, it failed to impress me – I did not think it was anything exceptional, not something that I would be looking forward to having again.ย This is a Kelantanese dish, so I’ve been told, and from that state in the country, based on the sample that I had, I would very much prefer theirย nasi kerabuย a whole lot more.
Then, out of the blue, this stall…
…appeared here in Bandong at the junction of Lane 3 (2.314651, 111.824698)…
…and the main road. I would see it every morning on my way home from my parents’ house and finally, the other day, I decided to stop and buy some home to try and see if this one was any better.
The guy said he is from Kelantan but he did not seem all that keen to answer any personal questions so I did not probe any further. The last one we had around here selling his very nice roti canai and murtabak was an ustaz (religious teacher) from Penang and his wife was a teacher at a secondary school here…and as he was teaching in the afternoon, he was doing that little bit extra in the early part of the morning – usually sold out by around 8.00 a.m. – to supplement their family income. They have moved back to their own home state already though so I do not get to enjoy what he used to sell anymore.
I did ask what this nasi kak wok is actually and he said that what is special about it is actually the kuah (gravy)…
…which may look like curry but is not anything like curry as we know it, be it Malay, nyonya or Indian. Yes, I would say that it did taste quite different and it seemed to have the taste and fragrance of many different kinds of herbs and spices combined.
For RM4.00 only, you would get plain rice wrapped in waxed paper (and I would give the guy my double thumbs up for not using those banned-in-Sibu polystyrene containers) with a whole lot of fried chicken…
…some cut cucumber…
…and this very nice sambal…
…to go with it…
This is a new batch of the fried chicken…
…and I did notice here and also in the tray that there were some chicken gizzard and liver mixed together with the meat. I don’t mind the latter but no, I do not eat the former and thankfully, I did not get any in my packet but there was one in the one my missus had so we just threw it away. I wish the guy would put them separately and people could request for them if they are thus inclined and people like us would have the option to do without those.
The guy was nice enough to pack the kuah (gravy) separately instead of pouring it all over the rice lest it would become soft and soggy and end up not all that palatable as a result. When we got home, we opened up the packet…
…and added the kuah…and ate. Yes, it was nice and RM4.00 is inexpensive for so much rice and so much chicken – my missus could not manage to eat all of hers and no prize for guessing who finished everything for her. I would say that it sure looked a lot nicer and very much more substantial than what Phong Hong had for RM8.90 at some place in Damansara Uptown.
Having said that, will I be having it again? Well, I would say maybe, sometimes, when I feel like it or when I am looking for something different for a change but I would not say it is anything like for instance, the nice nasi kerabu here that we keep going back again and again for more.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Chicken gizzards, like all organs of elimination have to be cleaned thoroughly.
I love food from the East Coast; a touch of sweetness but spicy.
For RM4, it seemed like a decent portion. Cheaper than cooking it yourself.
Yes, they do have some nice stuff at the East Coast, a bit of Thai influence, somewhat exotic. Never been there but I do hope I could visit someday and get to eat all their specialties there. Yes, gizzards sure need a lot of cleaning and yes, RM4 is very reasonable.
I’m just like you… I like to know the story behind the people cooking. I might ask too many questions sometimes ๐
You too? My girl always wonders why I can just talk to people like I’ve known them all my life. That’s what I enjoy – the interaction, the human factor – something you can’t get when you do everything online, pay bills, buy things and what not and yes, I do quite a lot of that these days. Convenient but there’s a price to pay for that.
I’m quite different – prefer to have minimum human interaction. Online purchase suits me perfectly!
You’re like my girl then. She does not talk much (though she does within her own circle of friends) but she does enjoy tagging along with me and loves to hear me chit-chat with people.
Fried chicken…cucumber…rice! Yum! ๐
It was o.k. – just fried chicken…and raw cucumber. The gravy was all right but I loved the chili dip, very nice.
The kuah looks fiery red. I don’t like chicken gizzard. Your packet of rice with fried chix, cucumber & sambal looks good though.
Chicken gizzards, like all organs of elimination have to be cleaned thoroughly.
I love food from the East Coast; a touch of sweetness but spicy.
For RM4, it seemed like a decent portion. Cheaper than cooking it yourself.
Oh? Duplicate comment. There was an identical one at 4.40 a.m. Never mind! The more, the merrier! ๐
We have kelantanese outlets in the klang valley that do nasi kak wok too, and yup, they’re basically what you had here. Personally I guess I’m like you – I don’t mind having it, but I’m not a super-fan. The gravy tends to be a bit watery for my liking, and while it’s interesting to have those bite-sized pieces of chicken all chopped up, it can get a bit boney at times eating them ๐ I think I prefer nasi kerabu and nasi dagang when it comes to east coast rice platters ๐
Yes, very watery – so it was like eating rice with soup. I would prefer some rich thick gravy like curry. Besides, the herbal taste may not go down too well with some people – generally, closer to Indian curry…and I do prefer some Indian curry to this actually. Fried chicken is…fried chicken, so I don’t think this is anything all that special. I wouldn’t mind a whole lot more of the nice sambal instead of the special kuah.
Me too! I’d go for nasi kerabu anytime, a good one, that is…but I am not into nasi dagang as I am not particularly a fan of the fish curry especially when they use ikan tongkol – the texture of the fish is like wood. ๐ฆ
They should have separate the chicken gizzard and liver…
Exactly!
Kpg Bandong, Lane 3. That’s where my grandparent house. Everything so new to me. Must feel like a stranger when I come back here.
Itulah kitak ya, lawa gilak dah kinek tik, buang batu. ๐ ๐ ๐
I never went back for more hah..hah.. If at RM4.00, I don’t mind ๐
Yes, the price is right – considering that the nasi kerabu is around RM6 upwards and the ayam penyet is usually around RM8. The RM4 would be the main draw.
I love having something different too, like those which I haven’t had every single day. But that looks good. and the gravy makes me think of the Korean hot sauce. ๐ like red bean paste (just more liquidy)
Variety is the spice of life, or the Chinese say, the direct translation, if we eat meat every day, we will get bored too – on some days, we would want to eat vegetables. I know that Korean hot sauce – we have a tub in the fridge, my missus uses it to make kim chi.