Nur Fah: Malay cuisine in Sembawang

Malay cuisine may not be as well developed as the Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian or Indian and Thai, but it certainly is a cornerstone in this part of the world. Definitive cooking in the traditional Malay style is often rather generic, but once in a while, a gem appears. This might be one of them.

This is a rather large meal...ahem...taken as a mid-day break on a 80km bicycle ride...so I guess it justifies the calories.

Where do I begin...ok, with the very large chicken drumsticks

I guess it might be because the Muslim rules require that meat be completely cooked, but I have always found the Malay meats tend to be a bit overcooked. I rather enjoy a toothy, chewy piece of meat as the next man, but tender is better, IMHO. This huge drumstick...looked like it might have come from a goose, but its chicken...was rather tender. True it was totally cooked to the bone...no blood or rare meat within, but it was tender. Coupled with the crisp batter. Nice.

The Telur Kichap (egg with sauce) is a mainstay in this style of cuisine

Nicely done. Nice crisp edges, almost luxurious, smothering sauce, with a kick provided by the chilli.

I usually have a pegedil or two...

Pegedil is a potato cutlet, often with mutton mixed into the potato, with spices and pan fried to a crisp. This was rather ok.

Though, when doused with the sambal belachan

Yowza! The chilli lifts the pegedil to another plane. Gone is the blandness and replaced with a rather exquisite body tampered with the uplifting chilli and lime. I think the sambal belachan is rather good. Side note: There is a recent Stomp article (citizen reporting) that the stall charges 30 cents for additional sambal. I am not sure if I was charged for the rather large serving we were given. But I guess its par for the course.

Another staple is sambal goreng

Tempeh (a fermented bean stick, sliced, fragrant, and very nutritious) with long beans and sambal. Nice.

The sayur lodeh is a standard offering in Malay cuisine too...

Good for its savoury, rich gravy. And the vegetables help balance the meat and protein.

Overall, a nice stall to visit. I wouldn't drive or go all the way to Sembawang to satisfy a Malay meal craving, but if I am in the area, this stall would beckon me.

Nur Fah Muslim Corner
1036 Sembawang Road