Kenang Rendang Kerang

This Nasi Lemak Rendang Kerang has been making my Southbound trips a little bit more interesting than they mostly are.  Though R&R Nilai is just 15 minutes away from Bangi Exit, I'd seldom passed it unnoticed. Bila nampak je signboard Hentian Nilai, terus lemah longlai letihnya.  Terus nak rehat.  Terus rasa nak luruskan kaki.  Terus nak rawat.  

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And what other rawatan that could possibly work better than a plate of Nasi Lemak Rendang Kerang?  Rendang kerang tau, bukan sambal kerang.  Banyak bezanya di situ.

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The nasi lemak is almost biasa to me.  But the rendang kerang, that's the culprit.
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Truthfully though, I don't know if it's really that green rendang, or is it just me and my memory of it back when I was a child.(Aha, yeah.  Here comes the 'memory' part.)
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Ummi used to make it with nasi impit and she'd sell those at Kedai Salam, a grocery store at Lorong Dua Kampung Jana Baru Kamunting.  We lived there.  I grew up there.  All memories of my childhood began there.
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She'd pack the rendang kerang in plastics and put them together with the rice cubes.  I could still see her packing them in the kitchen of our tiny house, I could still smell the rendang.
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Once in a while now I would make them for Eid.  It's been a dish for celebration.  And now since Ummi's passing, we have not thought of rendang kerang, without ever thinking of her and comparing it to hers. 
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But it's funny though.  No matter how similar the rendang looks and tastes, it will never have that 'it' and I don't even know what IT is!
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I guess we can always cherish the past, reminiscing and imitating it as best as we possibly thought we could. 
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We just can never repeat it.  

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Kan.

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Mensyukuri Cucur Special

Namanya Cucur Special.  Kalau tak silap lah.  (Yeah, this is another case of not remembering what it's called because it just didn't matter at the time).  We were busy ooh-ing and wow-ing this simple-looking everyday snack akan tetapi rasa nya di mulut amat lah tidak sesimple bila mana kita mendengar akan perkataan sebiasa 'cucur'

Anyway, a cucur usually has more flour than everything else kan?  But this one is almost like a Vegetable Tempura with julienned carrots, some long beans, onion rings and prawns dipped in batter, and deep fried.   

Now the better part is that sweet peanut gravy.  Uiiii... Rasanya tiada kata dalam bahasa orang puteh yang mampu menggambarkan akan nikmatnya apabila bersentuh sahaja lidah dengan Cucur Special ini beserta dengan celupan (ada ke?) kuah kacang nya sekali.  Any other restaurants would simply 'serve' a bottle of chili sauce instead.  

Try it.  The serving is big you would wish you could leave the plate clean.  

Then it'll haunt you.

Find this at Danau Golf Club, UKM Bangi.