AirAsia Malaysia (AK) Inflight Hot Meal Review 2: Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak

As I open the second entry of this meal review, let me just say Malaysians as a whole love to eat. We live to eat rather than eat to live. Nothing separates us from good food and it's what we identify ourselves in. So naturally, regardless of which spectrum of the multi cultural melting pot you fall upon, we all have this one favorite Malaysian dish. And AirAsia being a Malaysian-born airline is more than obligated to offer nasi lemak on their inflight menus. Now I haven't tried the nasi lemak offered by Malaysia Airlines but hey, you can never go wrong with nasi lemak especially when you're the country's flag carrier.

To be honest I haven't always been a nasi lemak fan. The strong aroma of the santan puts me off and the lingering smell usually indicates somewhere i wouldn't want to be. However I find the aroma of the accompanying freshly cooked sambal much more appetizing. And ever since that one fateful day where I forced myself to have a portion of nasi lemak, I have been an easy convert ever since.

So this is what you get when you pre-book your meals online. Nice little black microwaveable container with the meal wrapping. No illustrations of what you might get inside and of course, ingredients and allergen information.

'Santan', the latest incarnation of the AirAsia inflight meal branding

Tear open the packaging sticky wrap and voila! A nice visual treat awaits you. And when you heat this up in the microwave, the smell is really strong and you can already smell that signature nasi lemak smell so opening this was just releasing everything out into the open. Also, I've noticed whenever I fly with AirAsia and the cabin crew start heating up the meals in the oven, the nasi lemak smell is always the dominant one and the easiest to identify. Seems like it's a hot item!

Ingredients/condiments wise, everything you might find in a good helping of nasi lemak is present. We've got some nice sambal, chicken rendang, half a hard boiled egg and the customary ikan bilis & kacang. I wished they given more kacang though because they stay crunchy and crispy forever! But overall it's pretty much exactly the same as what you will find on the product illustration.

Starting off with the rice, it is properly cooked nasi santan. It has a nice rich coconut milk taste with just the right amount of greasiness without being nauseating. I find overly nasi lemak with a strong santan taste a tad nauseating. 

The spicy stars of the show, nicely portioned on one side really does add a kick to the dish. The sambal is everything you might expect from a good nasi lemak. It is sweet and savory and it sure packs a punch! Foreigners having this might find themselves constantly reaching for water. But for Malaysians, tak pedas pun!

The accompanying chicken rendang does not fare too bad on its own. I was actually expecting beef rendang probably because I'd choose that over chicken rendang anyday but this was a good accompaniment for the sambal. It really is not spicy. It's a tad salty and the flavors gravitate more towards a kari ayam flavor. But as I've said, it can hold its own. It's a good chunk of chicken there but it wasn't as tender as expected.

Now for people who don't take spicy food well and just happens to be someone who doesn't like to waste food, I find eating the sambal together with the rendang dulls the spice. That way, it's easier to finish off everything.

Final thoughts?

Nasi lemak being a Malaysian staple for basically any hour of the day needs no introduction. Having it onboard can either be a feast for locals traveling home from abroad or a final taste of home before they set foot on a foreign land. Malaysians being a picky bunch with regards to food need not worry. AirAsia's nasi lemak has got you covered. I think it will be well worth the RM15 paid. Or you can prebook it before your flight online for only RM10 and get a complimetary beverage with it!

Overall verdict: 4.5/5