Dear readers, there are truly so many wonders in this life that are yet to be discovered. The other 80% of the ocean, Rihanna’s new album, and Forbes World Record-breaking spiciest nasi lemak in the world at Five Sisters Nasi Lemak.
In all honesty, I’ve been dreading this imminent visit to New Lucky Restaurant in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling for approximately a month and a half. Being blessed with a high spice tolerance but the weakest stomach in the entire history of mankind is not a good combo, unless you’re a masochist. After popping a charcoal tablet and getting a little pep talk from my colleague (“It’s time to tap back into your Malay roots, Iman!”), however, I was ready to take on the challenge.
Reflected from its name, this nasi lemak stall located inside a coffee shop is operated by sisters of five. During our visit, there were only three — handling the onslaught of orders with so much focus that I felt like a jerk for intruding with my camera flashes.
One of the sisters, Devi, explained that this idea was born from their dislike of sweet nasi lemak sambal. Did they really need to take it as far as sourcing Carolina Reapers, Ghost Peppers, and Teja chillies to craft their special sambal with a total cumulative heat value of over 41 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU)? Maybe not. But how can you not be impressed by that?
The nasi lemak came in three levels of spice — Regular (non-spicy), Hot & Spicy, and the World’s Spiciest Nasi Lemak. In order to try the 3rd level, you’d have to order in advance. They also stated that they exclusively use super extra long grain pusa (cream) basmathi rice, and only whole-leg chicken. These justify their price points.
Oh, and did I tell you that I had to sign a consent form (albeit a funny one) in order to eat the spiciest nasi lemak? At that point, I was already accepting wherever the universe was taking me.
What I tried at Five Sisters Nasi Lemak
Let’s cut to the chase. The plate of World’s Spiciest Nasi Lemak Basmathi Ayam Berempah (RM29.90) was served to my table piping hot. At a first glance, it looked like an unassuming yet delicious plate of very normal nasi lemak ayam goreng. I guess it was time to find out.
While usually I’d sample the sambal on its own first, I had to admit I was scared to do that on that day. Taking just a teeny-tiny bit of sambal, I mixed it with my rice and took a bite. I wish I had time to really process what was going on, because the spice hit me right away like a freight train.
The closest equivalent I could think of was Maggi Pedas Giler in Ayam Bakar flavour. The numbing heat (and pain) was quick to come, and just as quick in leaving. I honestly couldn’t fathom much of the taste notes of the sambal, other than nerve-awakening spiciness and a tinge of sourness.
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I was becoming more confident, as I took another bite. And another. Then, the smokiness of the chillies, which was almost close to bitterness — hit me like a stray rail flinging from the previous freight train. I had to take a break for a moment, as I was starting to feel it in my sternum. Even my colleague’s juicy mid-meal gossip couldn’t distract me from the terror I was facing.
Before I go on and on about this monstrous sambal, let’s talk about the magnificent rice! The basmathi grains were nicely separated without being dry, and were bursting with the aroma of santan and ginger. It was seasoned to perfection, and was already so good on its own.
The ayam goreng berempah was the part that I was looking forward to the most — and I was not disappointed! The spices reminded me of murukku and KFC at the same time, and the chicken was tender to the bone with crispy edges that I couldn’t stop munching on. 10/10, no notes.
I also had to point out the fresh and sweet cucumber slices which were a nice reprieve from my struggle with the sambal. I just wish they had added more on my plate.
We also sampled the Regular Nasi Lemak Basmathi Ayam Berempah (RM14.90) afterwards, which was a bad decision on my part — my taste buds were already demolished by the 3rd level sambal.
So, as reported by my colleague, the flavours of the sambal were more prominent here than the Carolina Reaper sambal. However, it was still notably spicy! I laughed a bit, as Devi had told us earlier that even children could eat this regular sambal. Either me and Erida need to grow up and build a better spice tolerance, or this is an elaborate plan by the five sisters to eradicate all kids visiting (jokes!).
Final thoughts
Curiously enough, while I did suffer a little, the sambal was not… as spicy as I thought. Only my tongue was fighting on the front line, and maybe a little sniffles here and there, but my eyes and nose were not crying a river. I had certainly tried other food spicier than Five Sisters Nasi Lemak’s spiciest nasi lemak in the world.
While the chicken and rice were excellent, I was quite disappointed with the sambal, overall. The dominant flavours were mainly spiciness and sourness, which was less than pleasant. I wish it had more nuance in the taste profiles, despite the numbing heat.
I’d also like to add that I took on this challenge without a sip of water. Dear ancestors, are you proud of me? (I actually accidentally left my water bottle at home and regretted everything.)
Expected damage: RM14.90 – RM29.90 per pax
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The post Five Sisters Nasi Lemak: Taking on Forbes’ World’s Spiciest Nasi Lemak — Carolina Reaper & Ghost Pepper sambal so hot you’ll need to sign a form appeared first on SETHLUI.com.