Customers made a beeline for the booth managed by husband and wife - Suhaidy Shuib and Siti Nurul Aishah Zakaria - both 33, from Hulu Langat, Selangor. - NSTP/T.N.Alagesh
BANGKOK: Nasi lemak, a beloved local delicacy, has emerged as a hot selling item at the "Malaysian Street Food Lover" which is held in conjunction with the 2019 Malaysia Fest at the Central World shopping mall, here.
Customers made a beeline for the booth managed by husband and wife - Suhaidy Shuib and Siti Nurul Aishah Zakaria - both 33, from Hulu Langat, Selangor.
The couple clad in matching light green baju Melayu and baju kurung were busy entertaining customers mostly foreigners by serving the nasi lemak with a variety of side dishes including fried chicken, squid and crayfish(udang karang).
Suhaidy, who also had on a tanjak (traditional Malay headgear) and sampin, said he noticed that the nasi lemak required little promotion as many seem to be accustomed with Malaysia's most celebrated traditional dish.
Featured Videos
"Upon realising that my stall offers nasi lemak, many would walk over and place their orders....there are some new customers who have heard about the dish and were eating it for the first time. The dish seems to be very popular and many are eager to taste it.
"In Malaysia, nasi lemak is already known to be a famous dish and I guess the street festival here to promote Malaysia's delicacies is a timely move to allow the dish to expand its international recognition.. I have previously set up my booth at the MAHA (Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism) exhibition and this is the first time I was chosen to participate in an international event," he said when met at the stall today.
Suhaidy Shuib and his wife Siti Nurul Aishah Zakaria entertaining a customer at their nasi lemak stall at the Malaysian Fest 2019 in Bangkok. - NSTP/ T.N.Alagesh
Suhaidy, a crayfish farmer, said he decided to diversify his business some two years ago and ventured into preparing, and selling nasi lemak.
"Since I operate the farm, I decided to sell nasi lemak and include cray fish as part of the menu. I guess the combination has gone well as customers are excited to try the dish," he said, adding he sold about 180 packets of nasi lemak on the first day (June 20) of the festival.
The dish, a breakfast favourite in Malaysia, consists of rice cooked in pandan and coconut milk, served along with spicy sambal, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs and fried ikan bilis (anchovies).
In March this year, TasteAtlas, a website that categorises the best dishes from around the world, listed nasi lemak as among 100 best traditional dishes in the world.
Meanwhile, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Sallehhuddin Hassan told reporters that the Malaysian street food has been a hit since the event kicked-off yesterday.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today launched the 2019 Malaysia Fest, which features the country's rich heritage through cultural performances, food, handicraft and fashion.
A wide range of flavours from Malaysia’s street food scene are being offered during the four-day food fair including Pahang's famous Murtabak, Terengganu's keropok lekor(sliced crispy fish crackers) and Sarawak laksa.
