Going meatless? Try Puchong’s MyEfy Muslim Vegetarian Foods for delicious ‘nasi kandar’ or ‘nasi tomato’

© Provided by Malay Mail
Get your meatless fix with this ‘nasi kandar’ cleverly crafted from mock meat. — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi

PUCHONG, Jan 3 — With the new year, everyone is rebooting their diets. One friend has signed up for Veganuary. Another is talking about water fasting. 

It’s a good time to eat clean after all the year-end treats. And of course, it’s a much needed break before the feasting starts again with Chinese New Year.

You can opt for a meatless meal now and then. Maybe just once a week, if you’re not inclined to go all out.

I discovered MyEfy Muslim Vegetarian Foods via a friend who is vegetarian and had raved about their vegetarian “nasi kandar.”  As the dishes are on a weekly rotation, I had to wait for some time to get a taste of their famous “nasi kandar.” 

The place is run by Effiza Ab Rahman or Kak Effi who cooks up local dishes like “nasi lemak” or “asam pedas” using mock meats. It’s also vegan friendly as the food is prepared without any egg, ghee, onions and garlic. She uses coconut milk for the curries hence it’s dairy free. As she is a strict vegetarian too, all the items cooked by her are meat free.

© Provided by Malay Mail
Every week, there’s a different dish offered to satisfy your cravings like this delicious ‘nasi tomato’.

The “nasi kandar” was worth the long wait. You get plain rice paired with vegetarian “mutton” masak hitam, vegetarian “chicken” curry and stir fried cabbage cooked in spices. It’s RM17 for the set.

The highlight is the vegetarian “mutton” masak hitam. The thick, dark sauce is packed with spices that will have you finishing up your rice in no time. Even the texture of the mock meat that is made from mushrooms closely resembles the slightly rough bite of mutton. As Kak Effi says, you can definitely eat this “meat” even if you have health issues.

Mix the thick sauce with the vegetarian “chicken” curry that has a milder taste of spices. You get a piece of mock meat cut to resemble a chicken drumstick. Even the meat when you bite into it, tastes like chicken as it has a similar softer texture. This mock meat is fashioned from soybean to resemble chicken.

When I assembled my meal and showed it to my friends, most of them thought I was having an actual nasi kandar meal with meat.

I also tried the “nasi tomato” for RM18. This set came with basmati rice, vegetarian “mutton” kurma, vegetarian “chicken” masak merah and pickles.

© Provided by Malay Mail
Your meal package has rice packed in a brown parcel and the dishes in separate packets.

The light fluffy rice grains were packed with flavour from the use of spices and a mix of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. I liked the mild taste of the “mutton” kurma that paired well with the flavourful masak merah “chicken.” On the side you have lightly pickled cabbage, cucumber and tomato that helped cut through the richness of the meal.

Even though the sets are designed for a single person, it’s substantial enough for two meals if you’re a small eater.

Keep an eye out for other dishes like her “nasi ambeng”, “nasi padang” and so forth. Orders are opened every week. It’s available every weekend for lunch. She will send the week’s menu via WhatsApp or you can check their Facebook page for updates. Just place the order a day before. You can pick up the food from her shop or get it delivered via a third party delivery company.

There’s also a variety of eggless baked products like cakes and breads from Kak Effi’s bakery too. Some may be available by pre-order so just check with her first.

MyEfy Muslim Vegetarian Foods, GM-6A, Jalan Putra Perdana 5d/1, Taman Putra Perdana, Puchong. Tel:+6012-6238640. Facebook: @MyEfy

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