Chan Home Recipe is a popular economy rice restaurant among those who work in PJ. The place gets really crowded during lunch hour and hundreds of office workers come to get fed. Besides economy rice, a Chinese nasi lemak stall operates at the side and they seem to coexist without any problem.
If you think it’s crazy for me to drive all the way here from Kepong just to have ‘chap fan’, you are not wrong. I was actually here for the nasi lemak which came highly recommended by a close friend.
In fact, he has been pestering me to try it since early this year. According to him, the fried chicken and ikan bilis would be deliciously worth my time. Well, he’s right.
There’s a set price for the number of dishes you pick, which varies according to the meat and vege options. For example, a plate of rice with one meat and one vege is RM6, while the same for an extra vege is RM7. I did the math and found that a piece of meat (no matter it’s chicken curry or fried chicken) is RM4. It’s reasonable I guess.
If you want to have the luxury of choice, do come early preferably before 1pm before the dishes run out. And if you are coming for the fried chicken, do know that they are freshly fried by batch so you might need to wait. Don’t worry it’s just going to be for a while.
Although it’s marketed as nasi lemak, the rice served is actually nasi kunyit by default. I am not sure if the real nasi lemak prepared with coconut milk is available and I didn’t ask either.
That said, I wasn’t really bothered and went with it since I like nasi kunyit anyway. My plate of rice as pictured above consisting of chicken curry, fried chicken, ikan bilis and cabbage cost a total of RM11.
The moment you tear the fried chicken apart, you know you are in for something special. The thin, crispy skin shatters like glass and melts away in your mouth – no kidding! Seasoning is also kept minimum so you’d be tasting the chicken’s fresh and natural flavor more than anything else.
As for the ikan bilis, it’s kind of sweet and savory so that doesn’t sit really well with me. I still prefer the spicy version.
Seeing that the nasi lemak stall at Chuan Lee has ceased operation, this could be a good alternative considering they are only less than 10 minutes away from each other. Soup and Chinese tea are provided FOC as well.
Chinese Nasi Lemak Stall
Restoran Chan Home Recipe (opposite 99 Speedmart)
Jalan 17/10, Seksyen 17, 46400 PJ
Business hours: 11am – 2pm, weekdays only
