$1 Nasi Lemak, A Rare Find in Singapore.
$1.
Yes. This is how much it costs for a packet of nasi lemak from Kedai Makan Muhajirin. 🤯
Good selection of dishes.
Wonderful to find a dish that is so affordable these days! 😄
I learned about them years ago from my late mother. She came home one morning, very excited, telling us she’d found something great for breakfast. It was understandable why she was so happy.
Selection for nasi padang.
During that time, our family was struggling financially, and every bit of savings helped. And you can count on mothers to find means and ways to bring that bit of joy to the family in times of struggles. 😊 Since then, I’ve patronised them quite frequently to support what they’re doing to keep food affordable for the community.
Busy queue.
It’s been years since, and I’ve moved out of the neighbourhood. I learned quite recently from my ex-neighbours that they’ve moved from their former location. Feeling a little nostalgic, I went looking for them one morning and found them just a stone’s throw away from their original site.
Busy at all times.
The queue is still as long, with people from all walks of life —- White and blue-collar workers, housewives, elderly folks and fellow vendors who are operating shops nearby. All of them patiently formed a steady, but a moving line that streamed out onto the coffeeshop’s corridors.
There was another line for their other dishes like the mee rebus, lontong etc. But the main attraction is still the nasi lemak.
Nasi lemak essential. Belacan.
When you order the nasi lemak to go, it is packed right in front of you. A piece of brown packing paper is pulled out in a swift orderly fashion, placed on top of the table. A serving of rice is then cupped onto the packing paper, followed by a generous slather of belacan plopped on top of it. Then with a quick flurry of movements, the other ingredients, ikan bilis and/or fish, a piece of egg, and a slice of cucumber are all thrown onto the mix.
The packing action is equally impressive. The whole process, like a quick short demonstration of their experience and skills, although not intended, was like a show meant to impress.
Simplicity rocks!
Back home, I unravelled the packet, which was still warm. The aromatic scents immediately went through my olfactory senses, drawing memories of days past when we sat around the kitchen table digging happily into these little packets of treats. Life was much different then.
Flavourful and tasty!
The package seemed to have functioned to not only keep the rice warm but drew out even more of the aromatic flavours. I started the way we had all done so in the past, by mixing everything together. This coats the ingredients with the equally fragrant, savoury, sweet belacan. After the thorough mixing, we will then eagerly shove a spoonful of the beautiful combination into our mouths! 🤤
Give it a good mix!
The flavours play themselves out really well. The beautiful aromas of the rice are enhanced by the light sweetness and tastes of their belacan. The simple egg adds to this meal’s character, with the cucumber bringing a splash of freshness to it all. The ikan bilis adds that bit of salty, tangy quality along with that beautiful crunchy texture. Oh, so delicious! 😋
I remembered how we would always enjoy these packets of cheer in the mornings. Even when I started working, it would often be part of my breakfast. It’s economical, delicious and filling, keeping me satiated till my lunch break.
Taste-wise, I think this is one of the better nasi lemak around, albeit its simple form. Even my late mother, who had to keep her diet simple as she aged, would at times crave for this little pack of flavour.
Affordable, delicious nasi lemak!
With everyone so spoiled for choices of nasi lemak, many might disagree with me. I agree that there are many tasty options, and I would encourage people to try them out.
However, I believe that unbeknownst to even Kedai Makan Muhajirin themselves, the community have been impacted positively in many ways by what they’ve done. Just like how their affordable little packet of nasi lemak has brought that bit of cheer to our family at a time where we needed it most.
I hope that this little gem in Toa Payoh will continue to do what they do for many years, and generations to come.
📍 Address – 𝗕𝗹𝗸 𝟮𝟬, 𝗧𝗼𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗵 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝟳, #𝟬𝟭-𝟳𝟱𝟴, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟯𝟭𝟬𝟬𝟮𝟬
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