healthy lunch delivery Kuala Lumpur

Executive Chef, Shamsul Kamar Bin Hashim, Dah Makan

What do you do and how did you get into the industry? 

I got started in the food industry when I was in high school studying mechanical engineering, a field completely unrelated to what I do now. The hostel that I lived in had a canteen that was run by aunties who gave me the chance to help out on the weekends, cooking and preparing food items in exchange for some extra pocket money. It was there I had the chance to start cooking.

What’s the best/ worst part of your job? 

The best part of my job is definitely working with a great group of passionate people and cooking great food for others to enjoy. The worst part is sometimes not being able to spend time with my friends and family when work gets a bit busy.

What’s your favorite meal/ drink in Dah Makan?

My favourite meal that we make at Dah Makan is the Peri Peri Chicken, slow roasted chicken leg with a side of tomato basmati rice, grilled corn on the cob and house-made coleslaw. It’s absolutely delicious!

Share with us an interesting story from behind the scenes.

When Vladimir Putin (the current president of Russia) was visiting Malaysia in 2003, he was due to stay at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, our whole kitchen staff was running around for a month trying to think of what kind of Russian food we can cook for his visit. People always forget that chefs are the ones who have to try the food before serving it to Kings or President, there’s always lots of pressure. So you can imagine our surprise when the second he stepped into the hotel, he asked for a plate of Nasi Lemak, I could not have been prouder of our national dish!

The perfect day off would be…

… a Sunday after a busy week of work, sometimes all you need is to spend some quality time with the family.

A day in the life of a chef is…

…tiring, never the same and always full of challenges to make sure customers are always satisfied and delighted.

What do you do for fun?

I’m a big fan of watching movies in my spare time. One of my favourites is Kung Fu Panda which my daughters also adore.

What’s something you’d like guests to know about Dah Makan?

Dah Makan is probably the only food delivery service in all of South East Asia that is able to provide a high standard of food prepared by hotel-trained kitchen crew at a very affordable price point. We want to make healthy eating exciting and accessible to everyone! ‘No’ is a very strange concept for us, we’re a highly eager-to-please team who go above and beyond to ensure that our customers get what they want.

What are your favourite foods?

My favorite dish by far is the lamb kabsah at the Saba restaurant in Cyberjaya and of course teh tarik is always a favourite especially in Taqwa restaurant and last but not least, of course, I love anything my wife cooks.

What’s your view on the Malaysian street food scene?

Malaysian street food has a lot of variety, we have so many foods unique to this country that cannot be found anywhere else on the globe.

What’s in store for you in the upcoming months?

We’re definitely planning on coming up with newer menu ideas to shake things up.  We want to continuously innovate and show people that healthy and nutritious food doesn’t have to be boring so stay tuned for healthy local cuisine and guilt-free versions of comfort foods!

Check out Dah Makan here.

2 Comments

  1. Interesting read.

  2. I do know of quite a few going into the food business and other things of interest, totally unrelated to what they graduated in.

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