We
first got introduced to banana leaves when taking a cooking class in Siem Reap,
Cambodia. Douglas and I used the leaf to form a bowl for a soup-like entrée on
our menu. The leaves are not typically served in restaurants to be eaten;
rather, they are more widely used for wrapping and serving food. South Indian
cuisine is traditionally served on a banana leaf. It is one of the most
eco-friendly disposable food serving systems available.
There
were several Indian Banana Leaf restaurants to choose from in Kuala Lumpur. I
selected the one that received rave reviews and recommendations from my good
friend TripAdvisor. We ate at Sri Nirwana Maju, located at Jalen Telawi 3 in
Bangsar Village, about 20 minutes outside the city. The taxi dropped us off just
before 9pm and there was a long line formed outside of the door that curved
down the sidewalk. We thought we were in for a lengthy wait, but the staff
moved expeditiously to get customers seated. The waiter took our order while
standing in line to further quicken the process. The menu options were limited
as the late evening approached. It took us a few minutes to understand our choices
and how to put the banana leaf dish together. Thankfully, the waiter was very
patient with us despite the large crowd that waited. We were escorted to our
table shortly thereafter.
Instead
of a plate, a large banana leaf was placed on the table. The server then placed
a large serving of rice on each of our leaves – yellow for me and white for
Douglas – followed by a heaping spoonful of veggies. We were asked if we wanted
any condiments to go along with the meal. The condiments included some types of
pickles, a reddish item that I could not identify, and a selection of sauces. I
opted to skip the first two and just go for the sauces since I love my messy
food. I went for the less spicy ones which were still fiery to my palate. The
meats we ordered were brought out separately on a plate. We were instructed to
slide the condiments onto the leaves. When all was served almost every item was
on the leaf. Next would come the extremely messy part…banana leaf meals are
eaten by hand – sauce covered rice and all! While this is proper banana leaf
etiquette, I had to break tradition and use a fork and spoon.
The
Indian banana leaf was superb. I have a hard time choosing between this and the
Jalan Alor street food as my favorite dish in KL, but they are both at the top
of the list! Overall, our Malaysian food experience was excellent. I can only
hope to find an authentic Malay and/or South Indian restaurant in the States
that can prepare such fantastic dishes.
 |
| The exotic presentation took some getting used to, but it was highly enjoyable in the end. Yum! |
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