Considered a Malay/nyonya dish, Nasi Ulam when done right, contains something like 15 different herbs and spices. I hardly cook this as it’s so labour-intensive. So it was a pleasant surprise to find the Fried Nasi Ulam, topped with a crispy fried chicken, plus salted egg and fish keropok at Dapurku in Shah Alam, chock full of ingredients. I would definitely go back for this, and also, the Mee Siam, a simple dish but often not well executed as sellers don’t bother to cook with the right mix of sambal. Here, it was flavourful and had that right spice kick to the vermicelli – so delish! 

We also tried the Vegetarian Laksa – creamy and rich, and came with fu chook, eggplant, tofu puffs and egg, including sambal which provided the right heat! The Nyonya Salad – watermelon, pineapple and lettuce – comes with Nyonya dressing with cincalok. 

I was there for the book launch of Soroptimist International Shah Alam’s cookbook entitled Simply Cook-Lah, with recipes contributed by club members. The heritage recipes are precious; many are dishes that have been forgotten such as Terung Lawa, Boiled Prawn Sambal and Chicken Varuval. Published to raise funds for charity, Simply Cook-Lah is priced at RM55 each (RM50 each for 6 books and above). Proceeds will go to club projects and community aid. Available at Dapurku,VC-G-05 Jalan Setia Murni, U13/51, Setia Alam, Shah Alam. 

You can also DM @si_shahalam on Instagram or WhatsApp 016-2808908 for the book.