Nasi kandar brings joy near campus

Crispy fried chicken is usually served fresh and hot at Salman Nasi Kandar.

IF YOU were born with a Penangite’s appetite and truly enjoy a plate of flavourful nasi

kandar, Salman Nasi Kandar is the place to go.

Located a mere six-minute drive away from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and three minutes from the UKM KTM commuter station in Bangi, Salman Nasi Kandar is a hot lunch spot, especially among students.

After some posts and reviews on Salman’s tasty nasi kandar went viral on social media recently, it is almost impossible not to spot a daily long queue in front of the stall.

Salman Nasi Kandar owner Fatin Suhaila Faridudin, 29, said she started the business four years ago right in front of the commuter station and moved to the current spot a year after.

“My husband is a huge nasi kandar fan and we have tried most of the famous ones in Penang and Kedah.

“After a few trials and errors, we came up with our own perfected recipe.

(Left) Nasi kandar special is served with a piece of fried chicken, green chillies, ladies’ fingers, a hard-boiled egg, cabbage and salted egg.(Far Left) The queue at Salman Nasi Kandar builds up from 12.30pm.

“Our mixed gravy or kuah campur is a mixture of five different gravies. Every scoop from each gravy has been measured accordingly for the best taste,” said Fatin.

According to her, the stall welcomes the largest crowds from Mondays to Thursdays, peaking around 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

Even with seven helpers assisting them, Fatin said they still experience the occasional hiccups, especially when big crowds turned up simultaneously.

“We are still getting used to the crowd, so we are doing our best to serve our customers with joy and make sure they are not in the queue for too long,” said Fatin.

A group of friends from UKM, Ahmad Rafaeil Sailful Bahri, 21, Muhammad Syukri Mazli, 21, and Amirul Naim Basri, 20, are huge fans of Salman Nasi Kandar.

“This is the third time we are here. The food is tasty, affordable and totally worth every ringgit spent.

The queue at salman nasi Kandar builds up from 12.30pm. 

“This time around, I ordered the nasi kandar with fried chicken, cabbage and an egg. It cost me a reasonable RM8,” said Ahmad Rafaeil.

The three of them discovered this gem when they were driving around the area.

“We saw a long queue when we were passing by and decided to give it a go; we all fell in love with the food,” said Muhammad Syukri.

Penang-born Amirul said Salman Nasi Kandar’s food is “Penang-approved”.

Another customer, also from UKM, Syahmi Abdul Sani, 22, said everything on his plate was delicious, from the fried chicken to the flavourful gravy drenching the yellow bed of rice.

Syahmi and his friends were seen emptying their plates within minutes of settling into their seats.

“We came to know about this place from a Facebook post and thought of giving it a try as it is fairly near to our university and we have no regrets,” said Syahmi.

A Section 7 Bandar Baru Bangi resident who has dined at the stall three times, leshatol Akmal, 50, said he likes to order the special set which comes with rice, cabbage, green chillies, ladies’ fingers, hard boiled egg, salted egg and fried chicken which totals up to only RM10.

“My children and I love the nasi kandar here. The rice is soft, the chicken is huge and the gravy is unbelievably delicious,” said Ieshatol.

Salman Nasi Kandar is open every day except Friday from 12.30pm to 8pm. For details, call 013-380 5567 (Fatin).