curry

BETWEEN THE TAJ AND THE KING; WE CHOSE THE TAJ

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Morning came, then, afternoon, then early evening. We, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and I, the Hatted Writer, ques sera, sera-ed at Amcorp Shopping Mall.

Interesting (or at least, we thought it interesting) fun facts at the mall. We parked our car, in the basement, this time at a different location, not too far from where we used to park the last couple of weekends we were here. This time round, we parked nearer to a different lift (elevator, for some), what seems like the one used by most people. However (not in replacement for the word “but” this time), the lifts to the carpark from the first floor, did not seem to get me back to the carpark.

The basement carpark is divided by multiple walls, why, I don’t know; so much so that when you think you’ve got on to the same lift you came up with, and it turns up wrong; then you will need to hunt for your vehicle. When you do get to your vehicle, you will find out that there was a wall in between your vehicle and where you were at, when looking for your vehicle. These walls simply make no sense. So, take multiple pictures and create a trail, so that you can “connect the dots back to your vehicle” from where you are. This works for any circumstance.

The Batik Influencer was busy with her JEANNIE’S OWN label Batik Capes, talked to many new people, shared batik’s beauty with everyone and made many new friends.

The Hatted Writer made many new friends, too. I started being more assertive as to the aim of having my book published within six months from now (that is an estimated deadline). I am putting the manuscript together. It does look like it is going to take more than just “soon” to have the manuscript ready. I am happy It is moving in the right direction.

More details on our outing at Amcorp Shopping Mall is on the cards. Today, seemed to have sapped all the energy out of us that we were eager to pack and be on our way home.

It was nearing 6.00pm. Jeannie this morning suggested that we try out a new Korean restaurant in Puchong. “We can take a Grab there and then, back home after that, instead of you having to drive.” I liked the idea of not having to drive and was game for it. But now, that we are at the hour for dinner, we were not up to travelling too far from home just for dinner. We were more for a quick bite and chill the rest of the evening.

I was willing to settle for Burger King or local Indian cuisine at the Taj, which was a few doors away from Burger King. Our requirement was that the restaurant had to be air-conditioned. I was more inclined towards the Taj, as we had dinner at the Scottish restaurant yesterday. Jeannie was ok for the Taj, too.

Surprisingly, we managed to slot our car in a parking lot which became empty a few moments before us. Otherwise, we would have been doing the wild, wild west “wagon circle” (sort of) until we find a car park slot available.

Passing the food counter, the Indian style fried chicken, and egg omelet looked tempting. I told Jeannie we will order these two side dishes. I proceed to get a table in the aircon (local for air-conditioned) dining area. Harmann, the waitress; came to take my order. I ordered two roti canai and a Limau Ais (Iced Lime water) drink. I asked her how she was doing, she said “fine”. Jeannie came to the table, carrying her food order which was a rice set, with a couple of different vegetables and a little bowl of what was chicken curry gravy.

I took some pictures of the food (below) and got Harmann to take some pictures of Jeannie and I. I tried to persuade Harmann to include herself in the pictures, but she declined. I took a couple of shots of her, but she told me she didn’t want pictures of her taken, so I deleted them. Most likely she is shy. You can always go to the Taj Curry House in SS12, Subang Jaya, to meet her. She is a sweet looking lady. You can’t miss her, as she is the only female employee there (I think).😀

Jeannie’s rice set (above) and my roti canai with fish curry and dahl(the yellow gravy and beans).

Our meal came pretty fast. This is an example of what fast food should be in terms of time. One of the things we soon noticed was the room was quite warm. The air-conditioning was on. However, we think they lowered the temperature to 24ºC to counter the rising cost of electricity.

On the rice plate (on top), notice the egg omelet and the potato cutlet. The photo seems slightly blurry. I was trying out the “food” option on my Samsung S23 ultra.

The food today was pretty standard, a bit towards salty. The fried chicken, egg omelet and vegetables went well with the roti canai. Jeannie’s meal of long grain rice – cooked with some Indian spices, was good to eat on its own; according to Jeannie. She’s in the food business, she should know.

We soon finished our dinner (we were hungry), and made our way home, looking forward to a chill-out, relaxing, evening. Not quite the way we envisioned it to be: Jeannie is getting another of her JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape creations ready for tomorrow; and I, I’m working on this essay. This is our way of chilling out. Haha🤔😂

Picture taken by Harmann. Though I was holding the S-Pen, Harman took this shot. Our total meal cost is US$6.50.

NOTES:
1. At night, or when threatened during the day, the wagons would stop moving. The drivers then would line up all the carriages in a circle. This was a way of protecting the settlers from attack. They would keep their cattle and other animals within the circle.

DINNER: RICE, CAPATI AND BIG GREEN LEAVES

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Oh! Today! It was another day in paradise…

It was traffic as usual on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya. 3 cities next to each other. When you see the sea of traffic as far as the eye can see, you know you aren’t going anywhere much in the next hour or two.

We should think how Blessed and fortunate we are to be caught in such traffic jams like this. Can you imagine places without traffic jams? It means no cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, etc. Not seeing these vehicles in the streets means people are less fortunate, or are struggling.

Looking out the front door of the restaurant.

We decided to go to our now, usual hangout, Star Bhavan, for dinner. When we reached there, we saw that it was closed, with a notice on the door, “Closed for 1 day”. This is the first time in months since we started patronizing this restaurant; that it closed. We though that it was ok for them to close for the day, as they had worked hard since their opening. They deserved the break.

The large green leaves sort of creates a very cosy, enclosed “within a garden”, environment.

We walked over to the restaurant nearby, a few doors away. It was the first visit there for both Jeannie and I. First impression is, that you are sitting in the verandah, surrounded by big leafy plants. The cafe was not air-con (local for air-conditioned), which made the feeling of sitting in the verandah more real.

I would assume those three cone-shaped packets are packets of nasi lemak. You can’t go wrong with selling nasi lemak (1) anywhere in Malaysia.

It is preferred that customers serve (the local term is “scoop”. Example: “Why don’t you scoop some more curry or vegerables?”) themselves from the wide variety of dishes available. These include vegetables, mutton, and fish, to name a few.

Canai Cafe.

Jeannie chose a rice set on banana leaf for her meal. She chose several different types of vegetables to go with the rice. She flooded (literally) her meal with curry. She was ready to enjoy her meal. And she did.

Her rice, vegetables and curry looked so simple, yet good. She enjoyed her dinner, though it was a bit salty for her. She left half of the meal to tapau / pack back / “to go” (2) so that she could have it for lunch the next day.

Meat-less meal. Jeannie’s rice-on banana leaf, with various types of vegetables.

I had two plain capati (3) that came with a curry and dhal (4) condiments. Jeannie says that eating capati is healthy as it is made without oil. While capati may not look appertizing to some, it is a full meal. The curry and dhal was nice, a mix of spicyness from the curry and a not so spicy form from the dhal, which is also a curry. Capati is popular in Indian restaurants in Malaysia. However, capati is usually not available throughout the day as the demand for it is lower than say roti canai, for example.

Both Jeannie and I ordered limau ais (iced lime juice) drinks. It is not lime juice that you will get if you went to a premium restaurant. This drink is a bit of lime juice squeezed in a glass of hot water or cold water with ice; and a limau kasturi (5) thrown in for good measure (not just for decoration😁).

My capati, with curry (on the right) and dhal.

We took a slow walk back to our car to work off our just ate, dinner. Distance to the car: less than 100 meters. I have to keep reminding myself to eat a little bit only, not too much; to bring my weight down to the desired goal. I think 🤔 my weighing scales is broken, The reading just keeps going up only.😅

NOTES:
1. Nasi lemak is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered as the national dish.
Nasi Lemak is Bahasa Malaysia for “Fatty/Oily Rice” in English. However its meaning relates along the lines of “creamy rice”. TIME Magazine had described the dish as “supremely delicious”.
2. If you are in a café or restaurant and ask for an item of food to go, you mean that you want to take it away with you and not eat it there.
3. Capati (ಚಪಾತಿ):—[noun] a kind of flat, round, thin cake made of wheat flour, baked on a pan.
Chapati (alternatively spelled chapathi; pronounced as IAST: capātī, capāṭī, cāpāṭi), also known as roti, rooti, rotee rotli, rotta, safati, shabaati, phulka (in Marathi), chapo (in East Africa), sada roti (in the Caribbean), poli, and roshi (in the Maldives), is an unleavened flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. wikipedia
4. Dhall or Dal is made with far less spices than most Indian curries! This recipe calls for a simple combination of cumin, garam masala and turmeric. Garam masala is a spice mix found in supermarkets nowadays – it’s like a more potent curry powder. ambitiouskitchen.com
5. Limau kasturi is Bahasa Malaysia for calamansi. Calamansi, also known as calamondin, Philippine lime, or Philippine lemon, is a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines. It is native to the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, as well as parts of southern China and Taiwan. Calamansi is ubiquitous in traditional Philippine cuisine. Wikipedia

AT THE TAJ

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Whenever we are on our way back from either K.L. or P.J. (1), going towards Subang Jaya, the Federal Highway, heading towards Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang (2) is usually choked with traffic, causing traffic jams which could last for an hour or more. It usually takes us about 40 minutes to an hour just to get to Subang Jaya from P.J., which is only 10km away.

The traffic jam – a permanent feature on this route most times of the day, or night, is no escaping. I heard the news over the radio recently that over 800,000 new motor vehicles were registered last year. Our city roads and highways were not built to cater for the every increasing number of vehicles each year.

So, what do most Malaysians do in traffic jam situations like these? You guessed it – Food! Malaysians love to eat. You think? Restaurants are springing up everywhere. Though prices continue to escalate, restaurants continue to thrive. If more restaurants operate along highways, they give highway and road users more choice of food. They provide a service which is greatly appreciated.

Jeannie and I decided to make a slight, that is a very slight detour and head to The Taj Curry House located in SS12, Subang Jaya. They are across Subang Jaya Medical Centre and the Dorsett Grand Hotel. We usually come here just to break journey from what may be 1 to 2 hours in the car because of traffic jams.

The Taj Curry House is nice and comfortable. One gets to appreciate the air-conditioning especially on very hot and humid days like today. They serve Indian cuisine. The quality of food served here has been consistently good. I wondered if the sweet-looking, “diva-like” waitress would recognise me in this new look, with me wearing my newly acquired Panama hat. Can it be considered a “disguise”?

She did, not immediately. “Is that you, Carlos, the electric guitar player? You shaved your moustache”, she asked. I said, “No, it’s me, Alan, the writer”. “Ooohhh!”, she replied. Why “diva-like”? You will have to meet me and I will tell you. She’s a shy, but nice waitress.

As it was said, the food here was good as usual. The service here is fast. Jeannie ordered one roti canai (3), I ordered two roti canai(s). We also ordered “Limau ais” (though I always say, “Ais Limau”), which is iced lime juice.

With our roti canai which was served on a tray with 3 multi sections, came the usual dhall, fish curry and sambal condiments. Jeannie ordered fried chicken as an additional dish. The fish curry was extra nice today. We enjoyed our meal.

The idea of break journey from long trips or long times spent in the car (even though the distances could be short) is a good idea. Places like The Taj Curry House offers good food at reasonable prices, in a comfortable, relaxing environment. It is one of Jeannie’s and my favourite go-to places when we come into Subang Jaya.

As for me with my Panama hat on, I did have a fair share of glances and looks towards me. Who knows, maybe when we come here the next time, there will be others wearing hats, too.

On a different note, I wonder why people wear dark glasses (shades) inside buildings, even when some of these buildings are poorly lit. I have come to an assumption:
1. They are hiding a black eye.
2. They have rings around their eyes.
3. They don’t have beautiful eyes. (Mine are brown, and they are beautiful😉😁)

Having fun

NOTES:
1. K. L. or Kuala Lumpur is a city in Malaysia.
 P. J. or Petaling Jaya, is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
2. Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang are cities in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
3. Roti canai or roti prata, also known as roti chanai, roti chennai and roti cane, is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia.