PUCHONG, July 6 — Mention Kelantan, and nasi kerabu and nasi dagang almost always follow in the same breath.
But there is another lesser-known dish that is every bit as delicious and deserving of attention, and one I’ve long counted as a favourite since first trying it: nasi Kak Wok.
The origins of this dish can be traced back to the late Mek Wook Hassan, better known as “Kak Wook”, who is credited with creating this variation of nasi berlauk in Kota Baru about 45 years ago.
Nasi berlauk, the Kelantanese take on nasi campur, typically features lauk such as gulai ikan tongkol, gulai ayam or ayam goreng kunyit.
Nasi Kak Wok pairs white rice with a mellow, creamy gulai dalca ayam, often made without lentils but with aubergine, long beans and assorted parts of a whole chicken.
It is not uncommon to find offal or the more adventurous bits of bird inside.
It’s impossible to miss the restaurant. — Ethan Lau
The rice is topped with bite-sized pieces of ayam goreng kunyit, the small size being one of the dish’s defining traits, along with a salty, fiery sambal belacan.
Another hallmark of nasi Kak Wok is the brown paper parcel it is always packed in, whether you are dining in or taking away.
It’s meant to be ideal takeaway food, and as such, can last a couple of hours before being eaten.
My search for nasi Kak Wok in the Klang Valley has taken me from one end of Shah Alam to the other, through Wangsa Maju, and now to Puchong.
Restoran Warong Wok has a wide spread of other Kelantanese specialities too. — Ethan Lau
Restoran Warong Wok is hard to miss, occupying two corner shop lots in a commercial block in Bandar Puchong Jaya.
What you are more likely to notice, though, is the constant stream of motorbikes coming and going out front, riders circling and waiting to pick up delivery orders, especially at lunchtime when the rush seems never-ending.
There were plenty of seats inside, but one look at the towering stack of takeaway boxes and you know this is the office lunch go-to for many in the area.
The wide selection of Kelantanese dishes ranges from nasi kerabu tumis to simple nasi kukus and nasi berlauk, with everything from ikan keli sambal to ayam percik and even lemak bakar.
But I am here for the main event, and so is everyone else. Nasi Kak Wok.
Each order gets a healthy ladle of creamy ‘gulai dalca ayam’. — Ethan Lau
At RM10, it is on the pricier side for nasi Kak Wok. But you do get a mammoth portion of rice, large, hefty chunks of turmeric fried chicken, ladlefuls of gulai dalca ayam (mine came with bits of chicken neck) and a generous splatter of dark red sambal belacan.
Fluffy white rice, stained and soaked in the creamy, mild gulai, provides a base of simple deliciousness.
The sambal belacan is saltier than most, incredibly spicy, and adds a layer of punch, a jolt of life to the party.
The ‘sambal belacan’ here is saltier than most, and that’s a good thing. — Ethan Lau
Pause to wipe the inevitable sweat from your face and eyes.
Go back in with bites of well-fried chicken, crisp on the outside, still moist inside (even with bigger pieces), and the taste of turmeric that lingers on your fingers.
Occasionally, take a bite of fresh cucumber to reset the palate. Rinse and repeat. What’s not to like?
Man, I love nasi Kak Wok. After all this time, it still hits like the first bite.
A short note on the sambal belacan. The fact that it is saltier than most varieties I have come across actually works in its favour.
It becomes the main source of savouriness in the dish, since neither the gulai nor the fried chicken have much of it.
And because salt helps temper the heat of chilli, the contrast makes it easier, even for the slightly spice-challenged among us, to keep going back for more. Which is basically a certainty.
Restoran Warong Wok
1-2, Jalan Kenari 12A,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
Puchong, Selangor.
Open daily, 8am-9pm
Tel: 018-201 5800
Facebook: Warung Wok Puchong
Instagram: @warungwokmy
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
