Kuala Lumpur - Lunch at the legendary Sate Kajang Haji Samuri

[klyeoh]

Anyone who's been to a Malaysian restaurant anywhere in the world would have probably tasted the Malaysian "sate" (sometimes spelt "satay", and pronounced "SAH-tay") - skewers of marinated, barbecued chicken, beef or mutton, served with a spicy, peanutty dip.

In Malaysia itself, the best sates supposedly come from the small town of Kajang, about 15 miles from Kuala Lumpur. So how did the famous Kajang sate originate? According to local food chroniclers, sate (which is a Javanese dish) was first popularised in Kajang by a Javanese immigrant, Tasmin bin Sakiban, in 1917. He was assisted by his younger brother, Rono bin Sakiban.

There were others who explained that another Javanese immigrant, Wak Jono Darmon (who later took on the Malay name, Haji Mohamad Noor) was the earliest sate seller in Kajang. Haji Mohamad Noor was the father-in-law of Rono bin Sakiban. But it was the Sakiban brothers who were instrumental in making Kajang sate famous.

The Sakiban brothers sold their sates at a Chinese-owned coffeeshop, Kedai Kopi Ban Seng since the 1940s, usually in the evenings and into the late-night, barbecuing and serving their sates under gas-lamps.

Tasmin bin Sakiban passed his business down to his son, Haji Amir whose business, upon the latter's death many years later, was inherited by his son-in-law, Haji Samuri. It was under Haji Samuri's watch that Kajang sate came unto its own - attracting sate connoisseurs from all over Malaysia to Kajang, for a taste of the legendary Kajang Sate.

I first tasted Haji Samuri's sate in the early-80s. It was the *best* sate I'd ever had then. Even today, after having travelled all over Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia - I still thought that Haji Samuri's Kajang sate remained up there amongst the best. But it's grown into a chain these days, and some Malaysians have claimed that Haji Samuri's sates have declined in quality and taste.

Well, I didn't go all the way to Kajang, but decided to try one of its better-known and more accessible outlets in Damansara Uptown in Kuala Lumpur today. Tried the chicken sate, the beef stomach sate, and "ketupat" (compressed, steamed rice cake). They were delicious, and the famous spiced peanut dip (topped with ground chillies cooked in oil) was as rich and tasty as I'd remembered it to be.

Address details
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Sate Kajang Haji Samuri
79 Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Uptown
47400 Petaling Jaya
Tel: [phone]

[BuildingMyBento]

When I'm in SE Asia, I don't get sate for the meat, I get it for the meat to be dipped in the bumbu kacang with a bit of fried onions on the side.

Maybe you can help me remember where I ate in Kajang though- it was not far from the train station, and it was akin to a hawker centre, with a few different sate stalls to choose from. Does Kajang have one famous hawker centre?

[klyeoh]

Sate Kajang Hj Samuri is now a chain and has 3 outets (2 of them are stalls in food centres) in the town of Kajang itself. You could have been at one of the food centres there. See entries #2 and #3 in the list below:
http://satekajang.com.my/cawangan/

There was a discussion at the 800-member Food Critics United (Malaysia) about the recent closures of Hj Samuri's stalls at the Kajang food centres, as well as declining standards of its sates - I guess Malaysian foodies (much like those elsewhere in the world) dislike chains and are suspicious of their ability to ensure consistency. I've no such problem with Hj Samuri's outlet in Damansara Uptown - its sates were some of the best I'd had in years!

[Lau]

man i think malaysian sate maybe one of the best foods in the world. i remember the best one i ever had was in some really small town when i was on my way to the perhentian islands in like 2002, it was also in some coffee shop, had a long line, so i queue'd up and wow was that good

this place looks great