Garlic and plain naan
After finding the most amazingly gorgeous saree (which I wore to my brother’s wedding last week) in Klang, mum agreed to take a break from her usual wantan mee/curry laksa preference to sample some authentic punjabi cuisine in Klang’s Little India.
Chapati
Aside from chapatis and naans, and despite growing up on a healthy dose of indian food, mum and I are pretty clueless about punjabi food. It helps that we both don’t look Indian (thus preventing the potential barrage of questions ranging from “Aiyoh, what kind of Indian are you?” [insert look of disgust] to “Are you sure your name is Tangechi?”), so we happily asked them a million questions and even managed to taste some of their amazing masalas (spices) from their kitchen. I must say that the proprietors were extremely accommodating, offering us a taste of some of their specialties like the mutton curry which was quite unlike the southern Indian version, carrying a certain richness that wasn’t overly…uhmmm….pedas? (spicy).
Yoghurt flavoured with masala and coriander leaves
The naan at Chaat Masala has a beautiful fluffy texture. Mum loved her chapati too which was perfectly cooked, light and dry. Incidentally, chapati, an unleavened flat bread, is only fattening if one eats it with ghee; otherwise, these thin breads eaten with dhal and vegetables are healthy options to our usual rice and noodle staples.
Pakora, samosa and other savoury tea-time goodies
We tried several different curries and vegetables, and the most obvious thing that struck us was the multitude of spices (garam masala and chaat masala) that made these dishes really special. Chaat masala, a pungent and salty spice mix, is used in a number of the punjabi dishes. The proprietors proudly told us they bring in the spices from India. Incidentally, there seems to be a certain pride in getting ingredients from India. I noticed that last Monday when we dined at our friends’ place, and they had cooked a yummy north Indian dish called Rogan Josh which contained spices from India. Just curious, Malaysia don’t have meh?
Ladhoo
Despite their sweetness, I am always partial to Indian sweets. After all, what better antidote to spicy curries than a dose of sugary milky sweetness? All the sweets are made in-house by their secretly-stashed away Indian cook. Also available is kulfi (indian ice-cream?) which I found a little too crystallised, unlike the usual creamy kulfi I am accustomed to. The palkova (milk sweetmeats) are lovely, though.
Not to be confused with the vegetarian restaurant by the same name in Brickfields (sans an ‘a’), Chaat Masala serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and is in no way related to that restaurant in Brickfields. The restaurant opens daily and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Restoran Chaat Masala
No. A35, Jalan Dato Hamzah (Off Jln Tengku Kelana),
41000 Klang, Selangor.
Tel: Mr Sarjit – 016 617 9613 / Mr Sonu – 016 350 2248
cool chapati ! like it
Beautiful pics! I live for samosas (but with sweet chutney on the side of course) and flatbreads. I still haven’t tasted that perfect naan and chapati, though 🙂
so this is Punjab food then?
more or less same as Indian food right?
the spices flown from India all the way … sure collect extra air, dust, and erm, flavour?!
then can jual mahal bit i guess.
I’m rather curious about ‘Rogan Josh’ if only because Vertigo (DC Comics) published a graphic novel with that title some years back. I believe the book was rather trippy. 😉
Oh my….. how I wish I could try those yummy authentic Punjabi food!!!
Oh, Punjabi cuisine is excellent. You know, many people tend to think that it’s all about the ghee and the smell of it but really, there is just so much more than that! Just the desserts (lurve almond kulfi!!!) will have you mesmerised. And I realise that their curries are less spicier but delicious still.
Oh, and you must introduce me to your friend, Josh Rogan! I am sooo gonna eat it up! Had it in London before (yupe, yupe, i know what you are gonna say: Malaysia dont have meh??) but London was cold mah, so eat spicy stuff lor.
The garlic naan looks good…topped with so much garlic.
Over in Pg, we could order the single piece or a basket of mix naan comprising of garlic, plain, chives and cheese.
i oredi made plans to have vegetarian lunch at the temple with LFB if not i think i’d go out and have capati just bcoz of your piccies!
KNizam: Thank you! Tastes good too. 🙂
Manggy: Ah, a good reason to visit these parts of the world, eh? Almost as good as India (I think!). 😀
J2Kfm: Actually, before I tried it, I also thought it was similar to southern Indian food, but I eventually realised that the food tasted quite different due to the different spices used. For instance, we don’t use chaat masala in our cooking compared to the northern indian stuff.
LFB: Ah, it’s an amazing dish…so tasty that one can easily get orgasmic over it. Vertigo had a graphic novel called Rogan Josh?? Was it about the dish or a person??
Selba: It’s really delicious and I’m glad I got the opportunity to try it. 🙂
HairyBerry: You’re right, there’s so much we don’t know about Punjabi food. And yes, it’s more than just ghee! I didn’t know you were a fan of Rogan Josh too. Okay lar….one day I’ll cook it, k? 😀 Cunt believe you had it in London but not in Malaysia. Add this to our list please!
cklam: Yeah, the garlic naan was delicious, but mum preferred the plain naan coz it was light and fluffy and a good foil for the curries. I hafta agree with her. Sometimes all the added flavours takes the attention away from the curries. Oh, it’s good that you can have a variety basket in Pg. Can get a li’l bit of everything, eh?
yin: Hehe….vegetarian at the temple is also nice la. Enjoy your lunch with LFB today!
Ghee Whiz hairy berry.. but isn’t it all about the ghee? 😛
lemongrass.. “Incidentally, chapati, an unleavened flat bread, is only fattening if one eats it with ghee…”
ciki says.. must have ghee..must have ghee!
XOXO, ghee addict
Ciki darling, when you’re just 80lbs, it’s okay to like ghee all the time. *grin*
XOXO, secret ghee addict
I aspire to be able to tell the difference between spices that have traversed oceans and the homegrown ones. Is there a course one can sign up for?? One which involves eating lots and lots of Punjabi food?
55oml jar of faith: Good point. There should be a course. I like your suggestion about eating lots and lots of Punjabi food! Best way of sampling anything!
hmmm… a trip to Klang has to be planned… love the curries! yummy.. hope it’ll worth the effort
I don’t know much about Punjabi food too..in fact, i didn’t know there are slight differences from Indian food. As for the spice, my Indian colleague also told me spices from India much nicer. Yalor hor…can’t get it here meh? Come, let’s start a business by importing spices over?
Chapati and naan North Indian style is my favorite.
thule aka leo: Loads of good indian food in Klang. Enjoy!
Precious Sista: I guess the spices are just different, and sometimes, it’s nice to try something different for a change. 🙂 Spice importing business sounds like a great idea!
Chin: Wonderful! My parents eat chapati almost daily, but I reserve it as a special treat. 🙂
hhmmm.. north indian, punjabi and pakistani food same ahh? cos Pakeeza in sEct 14 PJ is quite good..
The garlics on the naan is too much, I scare garlic actually, hehe 😛
thenomadGourmand: Well, there are certainly similarities and these north indian cuisines. I’ve never tried Pakeeza. Thanks for the recommendation!
mimid3vils: Yeah, no kissing after that! hahaha.
We would surely love to be pampered by authentic Indian /Punjabi ( ladies ) and can spend one day ( plus nights ) listening to their hot saucy delights…if only we are lucky enough.
But also we shall love to be dazzled by a sweet local but dun look like one , for who knows she could well be the next unimaginable utopia and the one to end it all…
BSG: Ah, flattery will get you everywhere.
that street is murder..BIG traffic…
gives a good reason to get murdered now…hahaha
Joe, yeah, the traffic is horrendous, what with all the traffic diversions in Klang these days. Thankfully, I know some jalan pintas oso.
FBB, hahahha, talk about handing it to you on a silver platter. Arghhh….brain’s going soft. As for the full frontal, YOU WISH!!!!!
eh, thamby, i dunno about your mother, but “It helps that we both don’t look Indian”???? eh, deii, what tokk you la woman.
also, as gorgeous as those pictures are of bread wraps, WE DEMAND TO SEE A FULL FRONTAL OF YOU IN A SAREEE.
omigod, pakeeza!!! i havent been there in YEARS!!! its still there? thankyew thankyew for reminding me, nomadgourmand!
fbb: haha.. Pakeeza. yup its still there w prices that r reasonable, surprisingly for such an ambiance. Err.. my Pazeeka pics n post still in draft.. hmmm..mayb atr round there might spur me to post it up ;p
AWOL: sorry 4hijackin ur comment site to reply to FBB!
Yes, spices from India taste different. Indian food here seems miles better than Indian food in Msia – northern, southern, err.. eastern and western.. 😀 Even their naan and chapatti are different. You gotta come and try it. And the vegetarian restaurants have such a fantastic variety of vege, beans, lentils and pulses dishes. Excellent paneer dishes too!
Hello,
Nice indian food. First time seeing Ladho.
http://www.foodpromotions.blogspot.com
Just heard the restaurant has closed down and no longer in operations. Missed the opportunity to have some good punjabi food!