The
origin of nasi kandar, an Indian Muslim dish, can be traced
to the very streets of colonial Malaysia. Here, amidst the
proud houses and bustle of life, a lone figure would trek
through the dusty streets, bearing baskets of food and rice
hanging from a yoke across his shoulder. Tantalising aromas
of fragrant curries, vegetables, fried fish, beef and chicken
would precede his arrival as he went from house to house,
hawking his fare.
Hence the name, ‘nasi kandar’, came from how this
popular dish was delivered - nasi (Malay for rice) and kandar
(Malay for yoke).
Later, as towns grew and the pace of life changed, the traditional
nasi kandar hawker would put down his yoke and set up a hawker
stall to cater to the popular Malaysian pastime of streetside
dining. Today, Pelita Nasi Kandar still uses the same age-old
recipes enjoyed by generations before to deliver traditional
mouth-watering dishes that are part of Malaysia’s unique
heritage. |
