IT’S hard to believe that it’s been 16 years since Rumah Ku started in an old bungalow along Jalan Universiti and I was one of the early diners there. I remember it for its good food, especially its Indian dishes, and cosy, homey ambience. 
 
The restaurant is now known as Rumah Ku: The Spice Pantry, relocated to Jaya One, Petaling Jaya, in 2014.

Our recent delivery lunch from Rumah Ku brought some pleasant surprises. My palate still tingles from the mutton Porial, meat that’s been slow-cooked in a blend of 13 spices till it’s dry.
 
“It’s my mum’s ‘wonder powder’ as it takes away the gamey smell of mutton and all the gravy is absorbed into the meat,” said Rumah Ku’s owner, Sunita Mahesan.
 
The knobs of boneless mutton were tender, and you could taste the spices in every fibre of the meat. It was also not oily and so delicious. Mutton Porial (RM22) is also known as Mutton Varuval in South India.

We were intrigued by the Indonesian clay pot prawns (RM28) which had lemongrass, cili padi and Indian curry leaves in it. This curry also had a spicy boost from Rumah Ku’s own chilli blend, with its smooth, sweet creaminess coming from evaporated milk, not coconut.

The zingy chilli hotness sat well with us, and we loved the aromatic curry hugging the prawns. It tasted so good with rice.
 
Why Indonesian clay pot prawns? “It’s so called because we developed the recipe with an Indonesian travelling chef,” said Sunita.

Tuna cutlets (RM13, for five) hit the spot too, with the right balance of fish and potato, spices, onion and chilli.

I bit through the crusty covering into a soft centre textured with mashed potato and flaky tuna, the aroma of spices and the heat of chilli coming through. It was so yummy that one was not enough: thankfully there were five in a serving.

Rumah Ku also has on its menu Chinese and other Malaysian favourites such as Portuguese fish, Kam Hiong fish, green chicken rendang, yam basket with chicken, Marmite chicken, good fortune vegetables with lotus root and towfoo sumbat.

We had the Portuguese fish (RM28), slices of red snapper dipped in batter and deep-fried, then drizzled with a thick, creamy sauce with mayonnaise and a little chilli in it. It’s what the Chinese call the “Lai Yow” style of cooking, usually done with crabs and prawns.

Our vegetable dish was French beans and carrot fried with garlic (RM12). This was done well as the vegetables stayed crunchy and sweet. A hint of sesame oil was a nice touch to them.
 
We finished lunch with sago gula Melaka (RM5.90), which we liked for that touch of salt in the lightly sweet dessert, and the lovely aroma of gula Melaka in it.
 
This weekend, Rumah Ku has an ayam golek set (RM75), with ayam golek (half chicken), nasi tomato, four angled bean kerabu, young papaya salad and sago gula Melaka. Check out its Catering Set Menus on https://www.facebook.com/rumahkurestaurant/
 
Rumah Ku is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 9pm. Call 016 236 1073, 012 3131 073 for takeaways. It’s located at D61-P2 Block D, Jaya One, Jalan 13/6, Petaling Jaya. – July 31, 2021.

* 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.