Here is a restaurant that sells Pakistani food that I used to go frequently for my lunch at my previous company. Since it was a former company I worked for for three years, I often had a lot of local Malay Muslim meals in the courtyard of a nearby mosque for lunch. But at least once a week, I had to eat my favorite tandoori chicken and naan to make the week go well. I love tandoori chicken crazily, especially, the tandoori chicken made at this Pakistani restaurant is completely different from the tandoori chicken I eat at other typical mamak style restaurants.
In addition, the naan baked in a huge clay oven is also very light and delicious. This Pakistani restaurant is located in Section 14 of Petaling Jaya District. If I turn around the local mosque from the company and walk about 10 minutes down the alley, I easily find a bustling place where Jaya One Shopping Mall, Jaya 33 Mall, two story Macdonald, domino’s, all kind of convenience stores, local banks, bakeries, lots of small restaurants, clinic and pharmacies, money changer shops, and a digital mall etc can be seen.
Surprisingly, a very old looking two-story wet market(Pasar Besar in Malay) is located right behind the digital mall, and if I go down to the basement in the shabby web market building, there is a very large local food court. As the name suggests, you can taste all kinds of local food. i.e. nasi lemak, nasi campur, satay, mi goreng, nasi goreng, various soups, Chinese food, Thai food, Indonesian food, Western food, vegetarian food, Indian curry item, local sweet dessert(kuehs), fried food, sliced fruit, and many drink corners are all gathered here.
The wet market in this building usually opens at 6am in the morning, and the food court sells breakfast at 8am, but it gets busiest at lunchtime. And usually around 3 to 4 pm, both the market and the food court close.
Aside from Pakistani food at this food court, I have had Malaysian nasi campur(mixed rice) and Indonesian Padang food a few times. And I’ve bought satay on the way home a few times.
After my first time eating delicious tandoori chicken and naan at this Pakistani restaurant, I always enjoy the feeling of eating tandoori chicken food here at least once a week. I could go with my co-workers or alone, and I had to go once a week.
It is a small restaurant run by about five Pakistani families and friends, but it is very crowded especially at lunchtime, so all five people are busy.
On a pillar right in front of the restaurant, on a white piece of paper, the names and prices of about ten kinds of menus are affixed. But I always go and eat the same food, so I don’t check different menu items. What is certain is that tandoori chicken, biryani chicken and biryani mutton are the main dishes here, and the other menus are variations of the naan. For example, plain naan, garlic naan, cheese naan, chicken cheese naan etc.
When I go there for lunch, I try to reach before 12 noon if possible. Otherwise, it will be too crowded with lunch customers and I may have to wait in line or sit at a table far away. The tandoori chicken seasoning sauce here is really delicious and special. Anyone who eats tandoori chicken made by blending with fresh red chillies and various spices and seasonings will know how fresh and organic it is. And even with the naked eye, the color of the red sauce on the Tandoori Chicken here is uneven, which is one of the reasons.
Whether it’s chicken legs or breasts, the quantity is larger than those sold elsewhere. And at first glance, it looks really delicious even before baking. On a table in front of the restaurant, three pieces of one size chicken are skewered on large, long iron skewers. And more than 100 of those long skewers are stacked on top of each other, reminiscent of a delicious pyramid.
I usually pick my own breast piece, and they gladly take my pick out of the iron skewers and put it inside a giant tandoori oven. And I order one plain naan to go with chicken. One of Pakistan’s staff is a caring-looking senior with a long beard, white as snow in winter, and he always manages the tandoori oven himself. He’s so quick with his hands that he sticks the plain naan I ordered on the inside wall of the very hot tandoori oven furnace in a matter of seconds. I smile and put my thumb up to them.
Whenever I go there, I always tell them that the food is so delicious that I hope I will definitely travel to Pakistan someday and have a few conversations. In fact, they said they came from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
After sitting down and waiting for about 15 minutes, a deliciously charred tandoori chicken on a typical stainless round tray is cut into about five small pieces. And on the other tray, plain naan, lentil sauce, mint chutney, and a chickpea curry called “chana” are always served together. They know I love chickpea curry(Chana masala) so much that they even kindly bring me another plate for that.
It’s not just a bowl of chickpeas. When Korean women come here alone and often eat Pakistani food so deliciously, the Pakistani people were amazed at first. I am so grateful for their kind hearts and warm feelings ever since.
I shared a table with the Malay woman sitting next to me, so we exchanged greetings while eating each other’s food. When I propose to take a picture together, she happily nods and smiles.
The tandoori chicken is really juicy, tender and smokey. The taste of the homemade tandoori sauce fills my mouth with a deep flavor. The plain naan also eaten together is moderately crispy on the edges and soft on the inside. The naan isn’t very big, but it’s good for just one piece of chicken, chickpea curry and mint chutney.
I use my hands to eat these delicious Pakistani tandoori chicken and naan while sucking my fingers. They know that I really enjoy eating the foods here. As an evidence for that, I completely clear up all the chickpeas, curries and chutneys besides tandoori chicken and naan, so the Pakistani staff smiles at me, and put their thumbs up. In return, I give them a thumbs up and respond with a smile too. ????
All of these hearty and delicious meals are surprisingly affordable. Tandoori chicken is RM7 and plain naan is RM2. No other curry or mint chutney is charged separately. Actually the chickpea curry(Kacang kuda) served in a separate plate is actually a menu item that costs RM2. I tried to pay an extra RM2, but they won’t accept
For RM9 (about $2 USD) of top quality food in such a large portion, what other food can make me feel that satisfied and happy!?!
Also the Biryani Mutton here is also really good. One time my co-worker ordered it and I tried it too. The aroma and taste is rich and fragrant because the meat juices are evenly distributed in the biryani basmati rice.
When you visit Malaysia, check out here to experience delicious and affordable Pakistani food. ????
Restaurant: Chacha Naan & Biryani
Address: Stall MR19, Medan Selera, Seksyen 14 Petaling Jaya, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Below are photos of a local mamak restaurant I used to go before Covid. And I had Indian Dosa, daal, curry sauce and coconut chutney as always.
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The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
-Steve Jobs