Jumbo $5.50 ayam goreng berempah at Amoy Street Food Centre

“I’m going to Spicy Wife today,” I instructed my colleagues with a chuckle. Their response: “Spicy what?!”

Yes, that’s proper. Spicy Wife. That’s the identify of the newly-opened nasi lemak stall at Amoy Street Food Centre, which began enterprise on 9 Nov 2022. 

Despite being solely 2 months previous, Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak has managed to garner a good fan base due to its gigantic Malaysian-style ayam goreng berempah that’s not solely scrumptious, however wallet-friendly as nicely.

It’s not usually {that a} stall identify evokes chuckles from me, however Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak did the trick. You can discover it on the second flooring of Amoy Street Food Centre, and its manifestly shiny yellow signboard makes the stall not possible to overlook.

It’s additionally positioned proper reverse the well-known Han Kee Fish Soup, which pulls queues so lengthy that it usually snakes out to the primary aisle of the hawker centre.

Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak is single-handedly run by a Malaysian-born hawker, Yeak Hong Yi, who determined to call the stall after the various spices and herbs which might be used within the making of his Malaysian-style nasi lemak, in addition to his spouse, who was supportive of his enterprise.

What’s so particular about his Malaysian-style nasi lemak? The ayam goreng berempah (spiced fried rooster), after all, which is marinated in a single day in a rempah made from 8 elements like lemongrass and cumin seeds.

What I attempted at Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak

I began the ball rolling with Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak’s signature dish: Aromatic Chicken Set Meal (S$5.50), which got here with a big spice-rubbed fried rooster leg, rice, a sunny side-up, ikan bilis, peanuts, and a dollop of housemade sambal.

Just based mostly on first impressions alone, I didn’t know whether or not to be impressed or frightened. While the parts have been so massive that it simply made the Aromatic Chicken Set Meal immediately value its worth level, Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak’s ayam goreng berempah regarded burnt due to its blackened pores and skin, main me to surprise if the meat could be tender or dry.

Thankfully, a fast pry into the meat revealed tender and moist rooster meat. The spices from the marinade permeated the flesh so nicely that each chew was fragrant and scrumptious, and earlier than I knew it, I used to be digging into the enormous ayam goreng berempah as if I hadn’t eaten in days. Too yummy!

The pores and skin of the ayam goreng berempah was beautifully skinny and crisp, and it was after my first chew that I learnt that it wasn’t burnt in any respect— as an alternative, it was Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak’s mix of spices that took on a darkish brown, virtually black color after being deep fried.

I’ve bought to confess, this actually shocked me. The pores and skin was splendidly fragrant, with simply the correct amount of seasoning to create a salty, savoury and roasted mixture of flavours. I might even see remnants of the marinade on the crisp pores and skin in little dots and specks! Not to say, it had simply the correct amount of fats, making each bit of rooster pores and skin positively addictive.

While the rice was cooked completely, its flavours have been lighter than anticipated. I might style a faint creaminess from the coconut milk and pandan leaves, however I needed it had been extra lemak to go together with the flavourful ayam goreng berempah.

The housemade sambal, then again, was delectably deadly, and I cherished each single little bit of it. This is the kind of sambal I get pleasure from essentially the most— it’s candy at first due to the onions, however the biting spice follows shortly, with an addictively fiery kick that carries over to your subsequent chew.

Eventually, I discovered that mixing the sambal into the flippantly perfumed rice made for the very best mixture.

Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak’s nasi lemak units come accompanied by your normal suspects: ikan bilis, pan-roasted peanuts, slices of cucumber, and an egg. These have been respectable additions to the meal and gave every spoonful of nasi lemak loads of spice, crunch and salt, however the star of the plate was undoubtedly the jumbo-sized ayam goreng berempah.

Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak’s menu is kind of small and solely has 4 gadgets. Apart from the Aromatic Chicken Set Meal, I made a decision to attempt the priciest merchandise on its menu as nicely: Mutton Rendang Set Meal (S$6.50).

Interestingly, the mutton rendang got here in bite-sized cubes, versus the everyday massive rectangular blocks.

These have been so scrumptious that I couldn’t cease consuming. Each bite-sized piece of mutton rendang had simply the correct amount of fats and meat, creating satisfying bites that have been gentle and tender. The gravy was very lemak, with loads of coconut cream and spices like cloves and star anise. 

More importantly, I cherished how saucy it was. The gravy was the one component of the dish that mixed all the things collectively, making each spoonful deliciously fragrant. Not to say, the lemak gravy added loads of flavour to the sunshine rice, simply saving it from its demise.

Final ideas

Portion sizes alone already made a plate of nasi lemak from Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak value its worth, however I used to be shocked to study that its flavours have been fairly respectable too. For simply S$5.50, you’re actually getting your cash’s value: a big ayam goreng berempah that’s deliciously spiced, crispy and tender, and a serving dimension that’s beneficiant and will definitely go away you stuffed.

My solely gripe could be its rice, which might positively afford to be extra lemak. But then once more, I solved that drawback simply by both mixing within the housemade sambal or selecting Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak’s rendang dishes as an alternative. Overall, a very respectable place for ayam goreng berempah. Plus, contemplating Spicy Wife Nasi Lemak is barely two months previous, I’d say that its future appears fairly promising!

Expected harm: S$3.50 – S$6.50 per pax

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