Nasi Lemak Ikan Sembilang & Lepat Pisang

Nasi Lemak Ikan Sembilang in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan is a humble but popular shop among the small town locals and even passing cyclists. It is known for their nasi lemak, paired with the unique sambal ikan sembilang (catfish) that I’ve never seen elsewhere.

For dining in, the staff will hand you a plate of nasi lemak with the sambal of your choice, but the other dishes are self-service: you simply choose what’s displayed on the table and scoop them up into your plate. I chose the Sambal Ikan Sembilang and added hati ayam masak kicap (soy sauce chicken liver), fried egg, begedil (mashed potato fritter) and some cucumber slices, paired with a glass of hot coffee. The total cost was RM9.50.

Nasi Lemak Ikan Sembilang Lenggeng Sambal Ikan Sembilang

The nasi lemak and the dishes are decent but the sambal ikan sembilang stands out as their specialty. The chili sambal is not that spicy but has a strong kick of fragrant from ‘pecah minyak’, or the emulsified oil from frying the chilies and garlics. The catfish pieces looked like they came from small fish. The fish are fried till crispy before being mixed with the sambal.

Nasi Lemak Ikan Sembilang Lenggeng Lepat Pisang

Other than nasi lemak, they also serve a variety of traditional kuih-muih (Malay snacks and desserts). One particular Malaysian dessert I came here for was the Lepat Pisang. Lepat Pisang is a steamed dessert wrapped with banana leaf. It’s made from mashed bananas, stuffed with shredded coconut sweetened with palm sugar.