Muristek
Phase four takeaway: Get a taste of delicious home style Indian dishes from PJ Old Town's Hema's Kitchen
Create a delicious lunch with 'thosai' accompanied with an assortment of dishes from Hema's Kitchen like mutton curry, chicken 'varuval', wild boar 'varuval', fish curry and 'teh tarik'. – Pictures by Lee Khang Yi
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PETALING JAYA, March 21— Today's find was a surprise discovery when I visited this particular coffee shop to look for State Kuey Teow Thng.
I bumped into my friend Debbie Teoh who was buying dishes from this stall.
It turns out that the stall selling Indian dishes at the restaurant was a place she had been recommending to me many times. They are related to the thosai and teh tarik stall (https://www.malaymail.com/amp/news/eat-drink/2018/05/27/simple-thosai-and-teh-tarik-for-the-soul-in-pj/1635337) at the nearby food court, which Teoh had introduced to me some time back.
That thosai stall is run by Batumalai A/L Palanigoundan and his wife, Malliga. Hema's Kitchen is run by Batumalai's son and his daughter-in-law.
If you're a rice monster, you can also opt for rice from the stall with your choice of dishes selected with 'pappadums'.If you want to enjoy the thosai and dishes together, it's best to take away the items and enjoy it at home. They're the perfect pair especially with their smooth teh tarik.
Think soft, fluffy thosai drizzled with their coconut chutney and these dishes to have the ultimate dining experience. If you're not a fan of thosai or prefer something more substantial, you can also pair the items with rice.
There's an assortment of dishes to select from such as fried chicken, chicken sambal and even quail eggs curry. There's wild boar cooked in curry, rendang or varuval style.
I was recommended by Teoh to try their fish curry, mutton curry and chicken varuval. As I had spotted wild boar varuval, I had also ordered this.
The mutton curry is the type you cannot stop eating with its creamy texture and tender pieces of mutton.The fish curry (RM6) is one I would happily eat all the time. You get fresh ikan bawal cooked perfectly with a firm flesh and a mildly spicy curry with slight tangy flavours. It's cooked with brinjals.
It's hard to choose which one I prefer but the mutton curry (RM8) is the type you cannot stop eating. I keep reaching for the curry as it's seriously addictive. They cut the mutton in smaller pieces but the pay off is each piece is incredibly tender to the bite. You also get diced potatoes in the curry.
For their chicken varuval (RM5), this version is entirely different from the ones found at other places. Firstly the chicken pieces are cut larger in size and still remain juicy and moist. The spices and fried onions are evident but not over-fried which I appreciated.
For the wild boar varuval (RM8), I enjoyed it immensely as the meat was tender. Maybe because it was cut in smaller pieces but the marinade definitely made a stronger presence here.
I had ordered individual dishes but if you prefer picking rice with fish and vegetables, it's RM7.30. For the wild boar with rice and vegetables, it is RM9, while the mutton curry with rice and vegetables is RM10.
The food cooked here has a home style taste with a mild spiciness that makes it easy to eat.In the morning from 7am to 10.30am, they serve breakfast items such as fried noodles with a choice of beehoon, kuey teow or mee. You can also get nasi lemak. From about 10am onwards to 2.30pm, the dishes for lunch will be available. After lunch, they will offer nasi lemak till dinner time.
On Saturdays, they only open from lunch onwards till dinner time.
Hema's Kitchen, Restoran Hong Kee, 13, Jalan 2/27, Section 2, Petaling Jaya. Open: 7am to 9pm (Monday to Friday), 1pm to 9pm (Saturday). Closed on Sunday. Tel:+6012-5154282.