After waxing on about Malay-style roti canai last week, I immediately missed Indian-style paratha. It’s just the ultimate texture fest. Crispy, chewy, fluffy, stretchy – think of the adjective and that’s it. So what better to appease my roti canai pangs than to head over to Melur? Located at SS19, it is conveniently halfway between my house and my college.
I dropped by recently after handing in a paper to reward myself with a curry fix. I grabbed a seat at one of the outer tables in chilly after-morning-rain weather and placed my usual order: two roti canai (garing, of course) and a glass of iced Milo. One of my favourite things about Melur is that they serve roti canai throughout the day, instead of just mornings and evenings like many mamak restaurants do.
Glistening, my rotis arrived. The healthy crunch I heard when I tore into it is addictive. It’s like dried leaves on your driveway; you just cannot resist stepping on them to hear the sound. The taste is superb. I can honestly eat just their roti canai without gravy and it’s still good, like a stretchy flaky pie crust. I dipped it into the curry nonetheless and sighed a little. Life cannot get better than this. That is, until I dipped some into the dhal. Now, there are precious few things I don’t particularly enjoy. Dhal is one of them (it’s a texture thing). But the dhal here is thick and almost creamy, with a not-too-subtle hint of spice. I lapped it up hungrily. In no time, only crumbs are left on my tray, which I continue picking at.
"The taste is superb!"
If you want, they also have prepacked frozen roti canai at RM8.50 for a pack of 20, so you can have some Melur goodness at home. My family’s tried it before and we all approve heartily; preparing it according to directions will give you paratha that’s pretty close to the freshly canai-ed version in-store. They’ve also ventured into making frozen capati and frozen roti jala for around RM7.50 for packs of 10 and 12, respectively. I am a little curious about their capati and make a note to try it in the future. However, I’m completely sidetracked by their roti jala. It’s something that I rarely find in an eatery in the first place. Their version includes chicken curry frozen inside each roll of roti jala. Apparently one can just zap it in the microwave and you get roti jala instantly doused with gravy. Ingenious!
As I peer behind the counter while I’m paying my bill, I see a sign advertising for new employees. Interestingly, ‘pembuat roti canai’, or roti canai maker, was top of the list with the highest remuneration of RM1,500 a month. With room and board provided for, this is a pretty sweet deal for anyone wanting to get into the mamak business. As I leave the premises I can’t help but entertain the thought of being a roti canai maker. After all, that would mean free Melur roti canai all day every day... right?
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All available to reheat at home!
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Foodster's Verdict
Roti Canai @ Melur Jaya
Taste
Address:
Restoran Nasi Kandar Sri Melur Jaya, No. 26, Jalan SS19/6, 47500 Subang Jaya Tel:
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