ANUSHA SELVAMANi
Malaysia is popular for its plethora of food options, and it is normal for Singaporeans to go there to enjoy the tasteful and cheap fare.
Early last year, a nasi lemak dish made by an Indian woman became all the rage in the country.
People queued for hours at Akka Nasi Lemak in Seri Kembangan, a town in Selangor district, and her story went viral on social media.
The very same nasi lemak, according to Ms Sangeetha Manimalar, the brain behind the venture, has garnered a similar following in Singapore shores.
In November, the 34-year-old allowed Singaporean entrepreneur Amos Pushpanathan to start a franchise stall here – and it’s been doing well.
“I am grateful for the support my customers have given me, and I am happy that people in Singapore are loving my nasi lemak,” she told tabla!
Mr Amos, 34, who is also in the alcohol business, said it took him nearly six months to convince Ms Sangeetha to grant him permission.
“Often, my business partners and I would deliver alcohol to customers in Malaysia late at night, after which we don’t (always) find a good supper place,” he said. “Then I heard about Akka Nasi Lemak, and headed to Selangor to try it.
“I love good food – but I also had business intentions. I ordered all her dishes as I wanted to find out whether Singaporeans would like them or not. And I was impressed.”
Mr Amos said he was hooked to the nasi lemak because “the combination of Indian spices and coconut rice made it really tasty”.
“The chicken is tender, and the pairing with crunchy onions and the flavourful sambal made the experience wholesome,” he said.
“My favourite used to be the Chinese nasi lemak sold in Chong Pang (in Sembawang Road). But Sangeetha’s nasi lemak has beaten it comfortably.”
Mr Amos’ initial pitch to start an Akka Nasi Lemak franchise in Singapore did not find favour with Ms Sangeetha.
“She turned down my offer, and it took me six months of constant cajoling before she finally said okay.”
Ms Sangeetha said she was initially sceptical because she did not know much about the food and beverage scene in Singapore. “Amos convinced me that this expansion will take my brand to greater heights,” she said. “I then finally agreed.”
Since November, people in Singapore have been placing orders for Akka Nasi lemak through local food delivery platforms or picking them up from Smart City Kitchens – a central kitchen facility – in Sembawang.
“The chefs are trained by Sangeetha herself and the dishes are prepared in a central kitchen,” said Mr Amos.
“For customers keen to dine in, there’s good news: We are planning to open a stall by early February, and Sangeetha will be coming to Singapore.”
Ms Sangeetha said her nasi lemak is prepared from a secret recipe passed down from her grandfather and mother-in-law’s mother.
It has the usual white coconut rice or pandan green rice as the base, and a wide range of accompanying dishes such as chicken rendang, chicken sambal, chicken kicap, ikan bilis sambal, sotong sambal, mutton rendang and sambal petai.
There are vegetarian options too, like mee hoon goreng, mee goreng and thosai.
“My nasi lemak stands out because of the sambal paste. It comes in spicy and non-spicy options,” said Ms Sangeetha. “Some customers have even suggested I sell the sambal paste in bottles.”
Housewife S. Rathinam said her daughter introduced her to Akka Nasi Lemak.
“I love the balance of flavours in the dish,” said the 54-year-old. “I really liked the spicy sambal and sweetness in the chicken kicap.”
