(CLOSED) OG Lemak – Chef Shen Tan’s Twice-Steamed Nasi Lemak is now at Newton Food Centre

13 years after ditching her corporate suits for a hawker apron, Chef Shen Tan is returning to where her illustrious culinary career began — the hawker centre. At OG Lemak in Newton Food Centre, Shen is serving the familiar flavours of her award-winning Nasi Lemak and signature sambals.

Shen’s nasi lemak is a legend in the local food scene. It all started when she opened Madam Tan’s Nasi Lemak at Maxwell Food Centre in 2008. She then rose in prominence through her eclectic, creative and innovative Mod-Sin dishes at Wok&Barrel and Ujong @ Raffles. She then launched Ownself Make Chef, serving private dinners and cooking sessions.

“I still love cooking and making Nasi Lemak,” Shen shared. Every time I meet Shen, she will always share how much she loves making nasi lemak. Her nasi lemak rice is steamed with onions, ginger, lemongrass and pandan leaves, then soaked in coconut milk, water, salt and fenugreek before being steamed again. This twice-steamed nasi lemak takes 4 hours to cook and the result is a plate packed with flavours and layers.

Whether you’re vegan, or not a fan of pork, OG Lemak has an option for you. Sets at OG Lemak start from $7.90, with a choice of OG Lemak (Crispy Chicken, $7.90), Beef Rendang ($9.90), Chicken Rendang ($9.90) and Vegan ($9.90). A variety of sides are also available, and all items served at OG Lemak are not cooked with pork or lard (which means they do not have Shen’s popular crispy pork belly on the menu).

Each set comes with twice-steamed nasi, fried egg, ikan bilis, cucumber slices, sambal belachan and sambal tumis. For chilli thrill seekers, you have to sample Madam Tan’s spicy Sambal Belachan with its nuclear explosive kick. Shiok!

Nasi Lemak with Rendang Chicken is my favourite. The gravy was deliciously rich and creamy, and the huge chicken thigh was juicy and well-cooked.

The beef rendang is yet another labour of love. The meat is cooked till extremely tender but still retains the fiery kick we crave. And the sauce was so lusciously rich that I asked for extra rice to pair with it.

Some of my friends love their Crispy Chicken set and said the chicken was somewhat similar to prawn paste chicken. Perhaps it was not a good day when I visited, as the skin on my chicken wasn’t crispy and the meat was dry and tough.

The vibrant Vegan Nasi Lemak turned out to be my second favourite. It features sambal goreng, grilled eggplant, tempeh chips, and sambal tau kwa tossed in an appetising spicy and tangy chilli sambal. It was extremely flavourful and completely dairy- and meat-free.

So happy to be able to enjoy Shen’s nasi lemak again. If you are wondering, OG Lemak is named after Shen’s foodie cat, OG Dinks. This stall is created and manned together with the team at Wolf Burgers. For more updates, find them on Instagram @oglemak.