A worker at the food truck preparing nasi briyani for the lunchtime crowd in Section 14, Petaling Jaya.
THE Section 14 neighbourhood is known as a bustling commercial area with easy access to a variety of food options.
If you find yourself in the area in the late morning around 10am or at lunchtime, head towards Jalan 14/19, the street that has Pos Malaysia and Maybank facing each other. You will find food trucks parked there to serve working-class customers.
Just follow the aroma of spicy fried chicken wafting from the Cita Rasa Pantai Timur food truck which sells nasi kerabu and nasi briyani, the best-sellers here for a takeaway lunch.
As I live nearby, this has become my favourite go-to place to get my nasi kerabu fix.
Nasi kerabu with ayam goreng berempah and salted egg and (below) nasi briyani with ayam masak merah and cucumber pineapple kerabu from the Cita Rasa Pantai Timur food truck in Section 14, Petaling Jaya.
The food here is praiseworthy because it is fresh every day and relatively cheap.
The rice dishes are wrapped in waxed brown paper so you don’t have to worry about pesky plastic or polystyrene takeaway boxes polluting the environment.
Nasi kerabu, with its ubiquitous blue-hued rice derived from the petals of the butterfly pea flower, is commonly eaten in Kelantan and Terengganu.
Also known as nasi ulam, it is a hearty dish mainly because of the variety of herbs and vegetables that make up the kerabu (salad).
At Cita Rasa Pantai Timur, the kerabu has cabbage, long beans, bunga kantan (torch ginger), daun selom (water celery), and daun serai kayu (Indonesian bay leaf) to go with the essentials of tangy chilli sambal, spicy tumis gravy, roasted grated coconut and fish flakes, and of course, budu (fermented anchovy sauce).
The ayam goreng berempah is a must-have to go with the nasi kerabu (RM7), and customers can add on other items like salted egg, fried egg and keropok (fish crackers.
As for the fragrant nasi briyani, it comes with ayam masak merah and cucumber pineapple kerabu (RM7). This is a satisfying and filling choice for lunch.
Food truck owner Mohd Naza Mahmud said the family recipe for the spicy fried chicken and sambal sauce had been handed down for generations.
He also serves nasi kukus and nasi lemak priced at RM7 each at the food truck.
Mohd Naza said his customers love the nasi lemak because of its sambal that also comes with the spicy chicken.
The Cita Rasa Pantai Timur food truck opens from 9.30am to 3pm from Monday to Friday. It is just a two-minute walk from Jaya Shopping Centre where ample parking is available.
