IT’S a tale of two yummy “nasi” at SilaRasa, one named for the owner’s mum and the other her mother-in-law.  We enjoyed both at this homey Malay restaurant run by Peej Abu Bakar at GLO Damansara. 

She’s been in the business since 1996, having had her first outlet in 1 Utama, and moving to a couple of locations before settling at this one.

Nasi lemak Mak Minah (RM15.80) stands out for its fluffy basmati rice cooked in coconut milk and lemongrass and speckled with fenugreek seeds. Sambal tumis ikan bilis, fried ikan bilis, egg and cucumber are the usual side servings and we added ayam masak merah. 

We liked the rice for the light fragrance of fenugreek and lemongrass and couldn’t get enough of the sambal ikan bilis cooked with a lot of onions.

I was expecting an overly sweet and red ayam masak merah but it was finely done, with balanced flavours of chilli, tomato sauce and tomato purée and subtly spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and star anise. The four spices are the “empat sekawan” of Aunty Peej’s (as she is fondly known) cooking. Mak Minah is her mother-in-law.

We get a whiff of spices and ghee in the rich and colourful nasi beriani Mak Milah (RM16.80), with raisins and cashews in it. The rice is named after Peej’s mum. Like the nasi lemak, we chose one main dish – beef rendang with egg – for the rice. Vegetable dalcar and acar rampai are served with the nasi beriani.

Peej is from Batu Pahat, so you can expect laksa Johor (RM15.80) at SilaRasa. Its spaghetti is bathed in a curry thick with fish and fragrant with the four spices and herbs like galangal and lemongrass, with a tangy lift from asam keping.

Tenggiri fish curry (RM14.90) was executed well: a generous fillet sat in a hot and sour curry cooked with tomatoes, eggplant, ladies’ fingers and fresh chillies. It was certainly a curry to entice you to eat more rice. Fenugreek and curry leaves give an Indian touch to this yummy curry.

Other main dishes on the menu are sambal tumis udang (RM2 to RM3 per piece), nasi tomato (on Friday) with the choice of beef or chicken, mee tulang (RM15.90), and Western dishes like shepherd’s pie (RM17.80), quarter chicken pilau rice (RM19.80).

Teh tarik Aunty Peej (RM5.80) is not to be missed at this restaurant. It’s fragrant, creamy and lightly sweet, and served with lovely charcoal-baked kuih bangkit. You can take away a teh tarik and kopi tarik kit (with dry ingredients and a tub of evaporated milk in a covered paper cup).

It was cekodok pisang (RM4.80) for us for dessert. These deep-fried round balls of pisang emas dusted with icing sugar were superb, and we enjoyed bites of pure, moist banana with a little flour to bind it. We also had the tembosa daging (RM2.50), a round curry puff, Johor style, and the agar-agar gula Melaka (RM2.80).

You could also try Peej’s banana & bread pudding with vanilla custard sauce, trifle pudding, trifle pudding and orange cake.

Peej intends to hand over her business to her daughter Oja who is now helping her run the restaurant. “I was 34 when I started, and it’s her time now as she is 34.” The pilau rice and roast chicken are her daughter’s domain, among other dishes at SilaRasa. – March 6, 2021.

* SilaRasa Restaurant is at Lot LG10, GLO Damansara, Jalan Damansara, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, tel 03-7733 2207

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.