SIMPLY COOK-LAH! RECIPE BOOK LAUNCH

 
Recipes contributed by members of Soroptimist International Shah Alam (SISA) Chapter and their close associates were compiled and published into a book by SISA recently.

 
Titled Simply Cook-lah!, the recipe book was launched at Dapurku Café in Setia Alam. While waiting for the launch ceremony to start, we took the opportunity to sample some of the popular items found in the Dapurku menu.

 
Notable dishses include Nasi Ulam Goreng with fried chicken, fish crackers and salted egg, and sambal, and a piquantly spiced Mee Siam with shredded omelette. 

The Curry Laksa is another crowd-pleaser; the rich coconut milk and spiced broth a nice canvas to capture the myriad of textures found in the noodle dish. Standing in contrast is a refreshing Nyonya Salad with Watermelon on a bed of lettuce with a mild cincalok-infused dressing.

 
The event turned out to be an afternoon of good food, a reunion of old friends and the making of new friends. After a short speech by Fadzilah Yasin, President of SISA 2025/2026 (pix below), a simple unveiling ceremony showcased Simply Cook-lah! to invited guests.

 
It was a timely milestone to mark SISA's 30th Anniversary which had the ladies gathered cutting a cake to celebrate the occasion. A mini buffet featuring the specialities found in the book was laid out, effectively bringing the contents to life. Guests had a first-hand taste of the actual recipes such as Savoury Taufufa, Sourdough Cucur Udang, Terung Lawa and Pajeri Nenas Slough.

 
According to Fadzilah, Simply Cook-lah! comprised a collection of SISA members’ favourite recipes; each with its own story to tell. “Simply Cook-lah is also a celebration of heritage, friendship and the bringing of people together.”
 
Priced at RM55 per book, all proceeds from the cookbook sale will go towards SISA projects, CSR initiatives and community aid.
 
For more information on the recipe book, contact DapurKu Cafe, hp: 011-3311-3305. Address: VC G 5, Jalan Setia Murni, U13/51, 40170 Setia Alam, Selangor.

NICE RICE AND MORE AT SPICED PUMPKIN CAFÉ

Nasi Maqlubah, Nasi Mandy and Lontong Kering are the ‘must eat’ dishes at Spiced Pumpkin Café.

Derived from the word maqlu which means upside down in Arabic, café owner Mas Zuhairin Zubir explains the maqlubah rice recipe came from her ex-business partner’s husband of Palestinian descent. 

 

According to Mas, “Our Nasi Maqlubah has to be pre-ordered as it takes time to prepare. Firstly, onion and garlic are sautéed with 14 herbs and spices such as nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon stick among others to flavour the rice. Then we layer vegetables and protein (lamb or chicken) onto the rice. The whole pot is cooked over an open fire. Once ready, the pot is upended onto a plate – that’s why it’s known as ‘upside down’ rice.”

 

For the lamb version, the meat is roasted before it’s added to the rice whilst the chicken is spice-marinated. The original version uses cauliflower but to suit local tastebuds, eggplant, potatoes and carrots are used instead. Raisins, peanuts and almonds are included as well.  

Aside from mixed salad, Nasi Maqlubah also comes with house hot sauce (concocted with chilli, salt, sugar and pepper) and ‘daqqus’ (a mixture of lemon juice, Chinese celery stalks, mint and pepper) for those who like extra heat and piquancy. A mini pot of Maqlubah Lamb (enough for 3-4 persons) is priced at RM95 while a mini pot of Maqlubah Chicken costs RM65.

Formerly a trainer for the housekeeping department at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Mas first ventured into the food business by serving mostly healthy salads, soup and sandwiches out of a rented kitchen in an old bungalow, for patrons of a yoga studio in the same premise.

 

Then she ran a small café at SACC Mall’s indoor kids’ playground before partnering with another home-based caterer to open Spiced Pumpkin Café in 2016.

 

Now she is the sole proprietor after her business partner opted out due to unforeseen circumstances. “I’ve maintained her husband’s Middle Eastern recipes such as Nasi Maqlubah and Nasi Mandy but I’ve also added some Malay specialities into the menu.”

 

Mas says Spiced Pumpkin’s Nasi Arab Mandy Chicken (RM21) stands out from the competition as she infused the rice with charcoal smoke before serving. Tinged with the aroma and colour of saffron, the fluffy long grain rice has an enticing, subtly sweet smokiness to it. We enjoyed every mouthful accompanied by the tender, lightly spiced chicken.

 

The other show-stealer has to be Lontong Kering Rendang Daging (RM14.50). Mas explains it’s a Johorean way of serving lontong, with cubes of nasi impit stir-fried with her signature serunding kelapa (fried and spiced coconut floss), sambal tumis, peanut sauce, fried shallots and hardboiled egg halves.

 

Eaten together, the dish is akin to a flavoursome party in one’s mouth. Other variations of it include dendeng paru (dry curried beef lungs) and beef, chicken or fish serunding.

Signature light bites such as Pita Nachos Cheese (RM16.50) and Tres Quesos PJBB (RM17.90) are also available to tease the tastebuds of peckish diners. Here, pita bread is cut into triangular pieces then fried until crisp to resemble nachos.

The former comes laden with the house special sauce, melted cheese, hot sauce and chilli flakes. Cheese lovers can relish the latter as the nibbles are topped with three types of melted cheese, beef bacon bits and chopped jalapeño.

 

To please the younger set, Creamy Pumpkin with Pasta and Beef Bacon (RM17.00), and Spaghetti with Butter Salmon in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce (RM28.90) are among the crowd-pleasing selection featured here. All the sauces are made on-premise by Mas so her extra efforts help to dial up the appeal of her pasta offerings.

Having gone viral on social media, kunafa – a popular Middle Eastern treat made from finely spun phyllo threads drenched with syrup and crushed pistachios – proves to be a compelling dessert at this outpost.

 

Mas levels up her Kunafa with Tres Leches (RM16.50): mozzarella and cream, orange blossom syrup, dried rose petals and crushed pistachios. The whole ensemble is creamy, mildly sweet and nutty; with pleasing whiffs of orange blossom and rose.

She also bestows similar treatment to Kuih Lopes with Tres Leches and Ice Cream (RM9.50). Coated in coconut flakes, the wedge of pandan-infused glutinous rice pairs marvellously with gula Melaka, cream and vanilla ice cream. Ditto for the Sago Pudding with Tres Leche and Gula Melaka (RM7.50).

 

Somehow, we couldn’t wrap our head around the South American-inspired Tres Leches Cake (RM15). Dry sponge cake is traditionally soaked in cream, milk and fruits, but Mas improvises hers slightly by immersing the sponge cake into milk prior to serving. Topped with canned fruit, this dessert fails to hit the spot for us.

For reservations at Spiced Pumpkin Café, call hp no:019 2728317. Address: Lot 291, Kompleks KPPMS, 2, Jalan RU 3/9a, Shah Alam, Selangor. Business hours: Mon-Thurs 12 pm –7 pm, Sat 12 pm – 930 pm. Closed on Sun.