R.A Nasi Lemak

If we have to choose a national dish, nasi lemak would be a worthy contender. It's the most familiar and widely enjoyed dish in Malaysia. In KL, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to nasi lemak. One of our all-time-favourite NL haunt is R.A Nasi Lemak.

Paru goreng at R.A is what makes me come here over and over again. Theirs is the dry version where cow lungs are deep fried with ginger and shallots until crispy. To tenderize the lung, they boil it whole for a few minutes before cutting it into thin slices and then frying it. The texture of the lungs is like beef jerky, crisp on the outside and a little chewy when you take a bite. If you're a paru fan, be prepared to come early because these dream-worthy lungs would be one of the first things to run out every day.

Sambal sotong is also popular here. The squid is covered with thick sambal while the texture is springy with plenty of bite. 

Even eaten plain, the nasi lemak here is pretty good. Rice is cooked almost al-dente so it's not clumpy and dense. It falls into individual grains making them the perfect transporter for the chilli sambal. The rice is flavoured with just a hint of coconut milk, which makes it light enough to enjoy on a workday morning. 

The sambal is not overly sweet and has just enough heat. So, if you love chillies, this could be a bit mild for your liking.

You can find R.A Nasi Lemak at Raja Abdullah ( hence the R.A in their name ), near the Dang Wangi police station. A cook named Haji Gedek created most of the popular dishes here and the recipes have remained unchanged since he started selling nasi lemak more than 25 years ago.

Although Haji Gedek is no longer around, his legacy lives on through his grandchildren, Puan Roslin and Encik Fendi. Now, they're the ones handling the business. The business has prospered and nasi lemak fans still flock here every day to get their nasi lemak fix. With so many fans, it's no wonder that R.A goes through 5-6 barrels of rice daily.

Another plus point for R.A are their prices. Even though it's located smack in the middle of the city, the prices have remained low. For 'nasi lemak biasa' you only need to pay RM1.50 and even with lauk, a plate of nasi lemak would usually only cost about RM3.50. This makes breakfast here tastes even more tastier! 

For lung aficionados who don't mind waking up early to sample the best paru goreng in KL, I urge you to try the ones sold at R.A. Even if you're not an early-riser, you'll have to try it at least once. I won't be surprised if the paru goreng here would actually motivate you to wake a little bit earlier than usual because they're just so totally worth it. 


Address:
15A Jalan Raja Abdullah, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur. 
(Roadside stall behind Dang Wangi train station)