Sunday October 25, 2009
Low-budget Middle Eastern fare
Blogger masak-masak, who loves Arab food, discovers a worthwhile find in Shah Alam.
BEING a foodie has its own rewards and can be truly fulfilling, enthuses blogger masak-masak.
As she describes in her blog, one of the best things in being a foodie is that people tend to share great tips with her on where to eat all the time.
“Recently, Splashie Boy’s family shared this amazing find in Shah Alam - a place that sold Middle Eastern food right smack in the Malay suburbia. Being a great fan of Middle Eastern cuisine, we enthusiastically tracked this place down from their vague descriptions. We’re awfully glad we made the effort though, as the food was superb and, best of all, very reasonably priced.”
Although the place does not look like much - just a simple lot in a food court - and the food does not look too impressive either, the taste will knock your tastebuds out, masak-masak raves.
“It’s like hitting a jackpot in a slot machine. Ting! Ting! Ting! Our tastebuds went on overload with the food.
Spicy and tangy: The aromatic lamb aukdah “We absolutely loved the fragrant lamb aukdah or shredded lamb fried with potatoes, tomatoes and onions (RM9 with bread). Even the simple looking chicken kabsah or boiled chicken with spices (RM10 for a set with briyani rice) comes with meat that is so tender and tasty you’ll have no trouble finishing the huge portions.”
What made the food even more special was the spicy and tangy sauce, made with tomatoes, garlic and bird’s eye chillies, she adds.
“(It is) an addictive concoction that I kept eating non-stop.”
She says the stall owners also have another outlet in Bangi and that they opened the Shah Alam outlet to cater to the huge Arab student population in nearby Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara (UiTM). True enough, she muses, when she was eating a late lunch at the stall, there was a group of Arabic students eating there.
The addictive sauce made with tomatoes, garlic and bird’s eye chillies. Masak-masak gives the place a thumbs up for its reasonable prices and enormous portions.
As it mainly caters to students, it offers the best deals in the area.
“Most of the items range from RM3 to RM17, are usually sets served with either rice or bread, and consist of liver, omelette, roast chicken, chicken and lamb kabsah, chicken and lamb aukdah, hummus and foal (a type of red bean dip). The most expensive item on the menu is lamb hanith (RM17 with rice) - fork tender and delicious lamb with spices, cooked in a foil packet.”
Only the hummus is wanting, she says, describing it as “pretty decent but not as smooth as in other places.”
If you love Middle Eastern food, this place is worth a try, she recommends.
“It is totally worth a drive to Shah Alam. The lady who served us claims she worked in the Middle East for 25 years; hence, she learnt to make such excellent dishes at such reasonable prices.”
The place has a halal certification and the Shah Alam outlet is open from 11am to 11pm daily. The stall is located within a food court right next to Unisel.
To get there from the Federal Highway, turn left when you see Kampung Jawa. At the traffic light, take a right turn and go straight until you see signboards for Unisel. Take a right turn after Unisel’s entrance and go straight up; you will pass a Shell Station on your right. Make a U-turn at the first right turn and after the Shell station, make a left turn. You will see the food court at the back of Unisel.
Blog URL: http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/
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