'Nasi ambeng', 'nasi kicap' and a great 'asam pedas' await at Dapor Cik Oli in Damansara Utama
PETALING JAYA, Jan 19 — A popular dish of Javanese origin, nasi ambeng is perhaps best described as anything but small.
Many variations of this massive plate exist, and they differ according to region.
In Malaysia, it is popular in Johor and Selangor, having been designated a "heritage” dish a little over a year ago in the latter state.
In both states, mi goreng is a common addition, complementing many components — including but not limited to rice, ayam kicap, serunding kelapa, bergedil, rempeyek and sambal goreng.
Even when you’re not eating it at a kenduri, it is usually a bountiful affair — a true one-plate-meal.
The simple interior at Dapor Cik Oli.
Look out for the white sign by the front.
It’s close to noon on a Wednesday when I find myself at the ground level of a shop lot in Damansara Utama.
This is Dapor Cik Oli, which opened in mid-2023 and is billed as a homey, comfort food joint serving popular Malay dishes as well as several Johor specialities.
In addition to nasi ambeng, one can find anything from nasi kicap to lontong kuah lodeh, mee bandung Muar to laksa Johor and pisang goreng, served with sambal kicap, Johor style.
Lontong Kuah Lodeh can make for a meal all on its own.
Now, turning our attention back to the Nasi Ambeng Warisan (RM24).
The rather generous portion here comes with rice, a pile of mee goreng, chunks of ayam kicap and a medley of green beans, carrots and cabbage in what resembled sayur lodeh kering.
It’s topped with a spicy, bright orange pile of kerisik kelapa, ikan masin and a delightfully spicy sambal.
The chicken is coated in a beautifully rich, sticky and sweet kicap that’s a match made in heaven for the sambal, which packs plenty of punch.
A spoonful of everything at once is difficult to manage but ticks all the necessary boxes in terms of sweet, savoury and spicy, making for an incredibly satisfying meal.
For something less filling but no less delicious, the Nasi Kicap Oli (RM18.90 for daging) is the answer.
Nasi Kicap Oli with 'daging' is one of my favourite things here, if only for the 'sambal gesek power'.
I opted for the beef version, which I ended up preferring to the chicken.
The slices of beef are cooked all the way through, similar to daging bakar, but are thin enough to remain tender, toothsome vessels for the kicap.
To cut through the sweetness is a healthy helping of what the menu describes as sambal gesek power.
Gesek, which means swipe or rub, refers to the method of producing the paste in a wide, shallow mortar and pestle specifically designed to rub and break down the chillis through friction. It’s a marked difference from the conventional mortar and pestle, batu lesung, or a milling stone, batu giling, yielding a rougher texture without being lumpy.
This was my favourite part of the dish. It held plenty of heat and caused me to sweat and sniffle in ways which I enjoyed more than I should.
A portion of Asam Pedas Pari that comes on the side.
Nasi Asam Pedas Pari (RM18.50) comes with telur dadar and sambal gesek. in addition to the titular stingray, which comes soaked in a superb kuah. It’s thick, packed with just the right amount of sour and spicy, and the flesh comes off the bone incredibly easily.
Another highlight here is the Lontong Kuah Lodeh (RM14.50), which is creamy and mellow but given an emphatic boost by a dollop of kuah kacang on the side. There is the slightest hint of heat that just about keeps this from being a totally one-note dish, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Dapor Cik Oli
84, Jalan SS 21/62, Damansara Utama (Uptown), Petaling Jaya.
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 7.30am-6.30pm
Tel: 016-357 9798
Instagram:@daporcikoli
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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