Support Local: PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen (Marikina City)
Nasi Lemak
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected billions of lives across the globe. Many have lost their lives or their livelihood. While I’m also having difficulties, I’m still blessed that I still have a job. With whatever little spare money I have, I give it away to bless others who are less fortunate than me. But I thought, “How else can I be a blessing to people? And now that quarantine is easing up more and more, how can I spur economic activity in my own little way?”
As a foodie, I’m really rooting for the food industry to bounce back. So how can I help my beloved industry? I decided to do this “blessing-the-food-industry” project/series called Support Local (I know it’s generic, but it’s what I’m encouraging people to do). The game plan is to order from my favorite food spots (and order a lot of food, one-time or staggered), feature them in my blog, and promote them to my friends. I will also be focusing on small and medium enterprises owned (or partly-owned, at least) by local entrepreneurs rather than food chains run by big corporations.
So far, I have featured Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (THK), Khao Khai Thai Chicken House, and Señor Pollo. Today, I’m featuring another local food spot. But first…
How Can You Help?
To make this project work, I will need your help. If you want to support this simple endeavor, you can help me S.P.O.T.:
Share. As simple as sharing my article or other related entries, we can spread the word.
Promote. Nothing beats a personal recommendation of the food spots to your friends. But this is best done when you have an experience of the food itself (don’t forget to share your experience and photos in social media; this will give the food spots extra mileage). If you haven’t tasted the food yet, then the next letter is for you.
Order. This is the most important of all, as we intend to help the food establishments. If you have extra money or the means, order from the food spots (and order as much as you can).
Tip. The staff are making risks to provide for their families by preparing amazing food. To help and appreciate them, I give a generous tip. So if you have the means, I encourage you to do the same. If you will have your food delivered, tip the driver or rider as well.
Let’s now talk about the food spot featured today.
The Food Spot: PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen
I’m supposed to be on a trip to Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali) and Singapore now. Obviously, the pandemic disrupted international travel. For the first time since 2017, I’m going to miss my annual vacation in the Lion City (and Malaysia). This is making me miss the food in the Malay peninsula.
Fortunately, my favorite Malaysian eatery in Marikina City—PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen—reopened. I say reopened because I believe they closed their dine-in operations before the pandemic. When I learned that they’re back for pick-ups, I’ve been ordering food from them. (I recently learned that they closed their dine-in operations in Marikina because they opened a branch in Makati. But I didn’t know there was a Makati branch and I’m from Makati! Waah!)
PappaRam, to my knowledge, is the only food spot that serves authentic Malaysian (and Singaporean) food in the Metro. Its head chef, Ramzu Nasri, came from Kuala Lumpur so you know that the food is as authentic as it can be. His wife, Marian, a Filipina, helps in managing the business.
The Food
Unlike Thai cuisine, Malaysian cuisine may be unfamiliar to Filipinos. So I’ll give you a background of every dish (let this article be food for the brain as well). Here’s what I ordered from them:
Cantonese Hor Fun
This dish is has Chinese influences, as the Chinese is one of the main ethnicities making up the Malaysian population (the other are Indian and Malay, with the latter obviously the majority). It’s also known as Wat Tan Hor Fun, which translates to “silky/smooth eggs” hor fun.
Cantonese Hor Fun (P250)
PappaRam’s version reflects that. The hor fun (flat rice noodles) are nicely chewy and made silky smooth because of the sweet and savory egg gravy. The mustard greens give a nice crunch and there are strips of chicken in the gravy. It also comes with prawns but I couldn’t comment because I didn’t eat it due to allergy. LOL.
Char Kway Teow
Originating from Penang, a state in Malaysia and the home of the country’s “food capital”—George Town, Char Kway Teow (CKT) is a dish made of stir-fried kway teow or kuey teow (another kind of flat rice noodles) and mixed with bean sprouts, eggs, fish cake, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), prawns, and blood cockles, a kind of shellfish that’s available in Malaysia. When cooked right in a wok that produces wok hei (smoky aroma), the dish will have an incredible smokiness to it. It’s probably the distinguishing mark of a good CKT.
CKT recipes vary per region and even culture. The Penang style uses duck eggs and is less sweet, while the Singapore style uses chicken eggs, is sweeter, and even mixes yellow egg noodles. While CKT generally uses pork (like the Chinese sausage) and lard, there are halal versions that Muslims can eat. (To the uninitiated, halal refers to dietary restrictions prescribed by the Quran for Muslims.)
PappaRam’s version is smoky (a sign of good CKT!), slightly sweet (so I assume it’s Penang style), and spicy. The noodles are chewy or should I say delightfully gummy. The bean sprouts give a nice subtle crunch and the egg some creaminess.
Char Kway Teow (P250)
With PappaRam being a halal eatery, their CKT doesn’t contain pork but rather uses chicken and in generous amounts! I think almost every bite I had has one.
Mee Goreng Mamak
The term mamak refers to Indian Muslims (although I found out that the term can be used derogatorily). A mamak stall refers to an Indian Muslim-owned open air food spot that typically serve roti (flatbread) and teh tarik (pulled tea). But some have rice dishes and stir-fried noodles in their menu, in which Mee Goreng (literally fried noodles) is an example.
PappaRam’s is a typical mee goreng. The noodles are chewy, which I love. The flavor is smoky, spicy, and slightly sweet. The veggies give a nice crunch, while the fried egg adds creaminess because of its runny yolk. There are tofu and potatoes, too!
Mee Goreng Mamak (P250)
It also comes with an Ayam Goreng Berempah (Malay-style fried chicken), which is crispy, juicy, and tender. More importantly, it’s flavored with Malay spices such as ginger, lemongrass, and turmeric, among many others. If you love the Malay style of fried chicken, you can order ala carte, which is good for 2-3 persons.
Nasi Goreng Special
Literally “fried rice”, Nasi Goreng is considered the national dish of Indonesia but is also available in nearby states including Malaysia and Singapore. It typically has meat and veggies. But what makes it distinct from other fried rice versions is that it’s sweetened with Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce).
Nasi Goreng Special (P250)
PappaRam’s version is slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and “lemak-y”. I saw egg, garlic, and pechay (bok choy) mixed in. It comes with ayam goreng, Chicken Satay (skewer), and fried egg. The satay is tender and flavorful (I can taste turmeric), covered with a crunchy and slightly spicy peanut sauce.
Nasi Lemak
Nasi Lemak is considered Malaysia’s national dish!
Literally “fat rice”, nasi lemak is a dish consisting of boiled or fried egg, cucumber, ikan bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, sambal (chili sauce or paste), and of course the nasi or rice, which is cooked in santan (coconut milk). It’s usually paired with a viand, in which ayam goreng is the most popular. Can you imagine the world of flavors and textures?
PappaRam’s rice has a perfect coconut flavor. The sambal is rightly sweet, stay-in-the-mouth spicy, and has anchovies in it, giving it an umami. All the other elements add additional textures to the dish.
Nasi Lemak (P290)
Aside from ayam goreng, PappaRam’s nasi lemak comes with Beef Rendang or coconut beef stew, which is amazing! It’s rich and flavorful, with a pronounced coconut flavor. The chunks of beef are also generous and super tender. If you liked the rendang, you can also get an ala carte version, good for 2-3 persons.
By the way, you can check Kuala Lumpur nasi lemak crawl here.
Roti
Roti (sometimes called Roti Canai/Prata) is an Indian-inspired flatbread that is stretched and slapped until paper thin, then fried over a griddle. It comes with a dip (curry or dal) and sometimes has a filling (usually cheese, egg, and even a banana). It’s a breakfast staple but can be eaten at any time of the day (we usually ate roti canai at almost midnight!). When prepared correctly, it will be crisp outside and doughy inside.
I tried PappaRam’s regular (the canai one) and pisang (banana). It comes with a curry dip and it’s addictive! It’s also nice when paired with Teh Tarik (pulled tea), a frothy milk tea.
Left: Roti Pisang (P120); Right: Roti Canai (P110)
Weekend Special: Nasi Biryani with Ayam Masak Merah
In some weekends, PappaRam offers weekend specials. One one weekend, they offered Nasi Biryani (Biryani Rice).
Biryani (also spelled briyani) is a dish made of fragrant rice and usually served with a protein, typically chicken and mutton. It originated from the South Asia region and is a common dish among Indian Muslims. It made it’s way to the Malay Peninsula, where it is locally called nasi biryani. As you would expect of any Indian food, it’s flavored with many spices, making it one of my favorite South Asian dishes!
For me, biryani is all about the rice. PappaRam’s uses long grain rice and is fluffy and flavorful, I believe there are wilted curry leaves in it. It’s also topped with cilantro and mint leaves, giving a refreshing taste. I tasted some “lemak-y” flavor; maybe there’s coconut cream/milk mixed in.
Nasi Biryani with Ayam Masak Merah (P250)
The biryani comes with a viand, Ayam Masak Merah. Literally “chicken cooked red”, it’s chicken stewed in spices and tomato sauce. I can taste the Malay flavors in PappaRam’s version. It’s also sweet and spicy, reminding me of sweet and sour fish/pork.
There’s also a pickled pineapple on the side, which gives nice acidity to the entire dish.
Dessert: Kuih Ketayap
Kuih is a collective term for sweet rice cakes. Think of it as Malaysia’s answer to our Kakanin.
Kuih Ketayap are rolled crepes filled with sweetened grated coconut. The crepe is colored green because of pandan (screwpine) juice, while the filling is usually sweetened with gula melaka (palm sugar). I’m just not sure what PappaRam used to sweetened theirs.
Kuih Ketayap (P110)
I love PappaRam’s version because it’s rightly sweet. The crepe is delightfully chewy and the filling has a burst of juice, reminding me of another popular kuih, the Ondeh-Ondeh. Actually, this dessert is addictive. Get it far from me!
I hope that my article made you crave. If it did, then order from PappaRam soon! That’s the goal of this project/series! Let’s support them and other local food spots in this time of crisis!
But Wait!
Lately, I’ve been exploring business ventures on the side. Since I wanted to do a business related to my passion on food and at the same time help the food industry, I did, in Millenial and Gen Z language (LOL), a collab. And with no other than PappaRam!
So we partnered to bring Malaysian street food to your home. If you want to check delivery dates and order, kindly visit my Facebook page here!
PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen
Address: 45 J.P. Rizal St., Calumpang, Marikina City
Operating Hours: Daily, 11AM-6PM
Note (as of August 24): They only do takeaways. Delivery fees are shouldered by the customer.
Other entries in the Support Local series: Tanveer Halal Kitchenette (Mandaluyong City) | Khao Khai Thai Chicken House (Makati City) | Señor Pollo (Multiple Locations)