Curry: the national dish of Britain.
Yes, you read that correctly. Despite not being of British heritage, we have embraced Indian cuisine like no other and, indeed, above our own specialities. I am no exception. I LOVE Indian food. It is one of the reasons I have loved being in Malaysia, a country which embraces three wonderfully delicious cuisines: Malay, Chinese and Indian.
So when I heard that there was an Indian restaurant in Melaka which supposedly sold the tastiest tandoori chicken in the state, I had to try it out for myself.
Step up Pak Putra, a street side restaurant which is always so buzzing with activity that the restaurant has rows of plastic tables and chairs lined outside on the road to accommodate the number of people who eat here every night. Do not be put off by the exterior or the cheap plastic menus – this place is a real find.
A generous plate of tandoori chicken will set you back RM7 (just over $2) but to eat it without a naan bread would be sacrilege. Plain naan breads start from RM2 ($0.60), but I opted for a cheese naan at RM2.50. What a great decision that was – the cheese was literally oozing out every time I ripped a piece of the bread off. The breads also always come with a small dish of lentil dhal.
We also ordered the spinach with potatoes and the spicy tawa vegetables (just to make ourselves feel better for the over-indulgence). Trust me when I say that although this doesn’t look much, it tastes absolutely delicious. Just trust me.
We asked for breast meat for the chicken, as I’m not a big fan of meat on the bone. Although some pieces did still come on the bone, it did not affect the meal for me, as the meat was juicy and tender and the tandoori seasoning had just the right level of spice and warmth. Combined with the dipping sauce (which reminded me a lot of a green Mexican salsa).
I have now eaten at this restaurant three times and want to go at least once more. It’s that good.
If you follow in our foodsteps:
- Pak Putra is located on Jalan Laksamana, close to the 7-Eleven store
- The restaurant is only open form 6pm – 1am Tuesday to Sunday
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