PRATA KHANA

Tea Tarik to end the night

It had been an enjoyable night for all
Syukur, Nani and Cuai waiting for their prata

Yati with her son Yusuf. He can draw planes well.

Two brothers - Ridzwan and Yusuf

Prata had brought a Johorian to Jalan Kayu

Thanks for the prata Yati and the fish head curry. Burp...

The fish head curry we had

Ariff- our newly-wed cousin

The empty plates polished clean by the men

Ratna, Razif and Arif

Can I insert a $1.00 coin in you, mum? I want a piggy ride.

These fellows can also take your prata order!

Relaxing after some fish-head curry

The fluffy prata with curry

FRET OVER PRATA

Cousin Nani and Hubby Syukur had driven across the causeway from Kuala Lumpur for the new year. It's time for another meet-up and more food to spoil my diet plans and pile the extra kilos all at the wrong places. We opted for Jalan Kayu for some prata, mutton and fish head curry and easy parking that week-day night.

During the prata hey days of Jalan Kayu, this wheat flour pancake look-alike was sold at many stalls lining the road, shaded by mighty Angsana trees. Weary SAF soldiers in dusty boots (from the nearby Seletar Camp) and those salivating for some good prata from all over Singapore would throng this area day and night for a visit to their favourite stall. There was never a time the stalls, though many of them would vie for hungry 'Prataners' had any empty seats. In fact it was mandatory for you to queue for a vacant seat and like any true blood 'Prataners', actually would not mind waiting though the stomach could be rumbling with hunger and head fuming like Mount Bromo for an eruption any moment just drooling over the prata.

You had to try out the many pratas available before you could proclaim your top fave stall. Everyone had their favourite prata stall and would head for it automatically with tongue wagging for the mutton or fish curry. The Jalan Kayu prata was the epitome of all pratas sold in Singapore and everyone wanted to claim a stake at having eaten the one and only Jalan Kayu prata. I had been disappointed several times because the pratas or the mutton curry were sold out when I reached there around 7pm.

The prata sold at that time was never bigger than my palm, yet it was crispy, fluffy and would shred easily with a light tug on the cooked dough. It cost forty cents for a plain piece and was considered expensive back then. I preferred eating the prata with my hands than using the metal spoon and fork. Letting the curry soak, sponge and slosh the prata before putting the soggy piece into my cavernous mouth was simply heaven. It's what Colonel Sanders would say 'finger-licking good' or may be "palm-licking syiok" if he had had tasted the elliptical-shaped prata dipped in the mutton gravy or fish curry.

Your hands would smell of the strong curry gravy even after a good wash. Just avoid burping in front of your boss or go for a date after your prata rendezvous, especially when you had reported late for duty or did not exercise punctuality for your appointment. People would have known you have tucked in a few pieces of the pratas even a kilometre away when you let out the wind.

The mutton curry was another legend to write about. It was aromatic, spicy and thick. The cube mutton pieces was tender and moist. It had been cooked to absorb the combination of the myriad of grounded spices used to produce a flavourful rich taste of the best curry gravy around this part of Singapore. Your nostrils could flare and fan out like the tail on an excited male Thai fighting fish when the stall owner slid open his pot cover to scoop the dish. This high-blood pressure causing mutton meat cost $4.00 a plate. High-blood pressure causing or not, snakes of queue reminding you of a dragon dance performance on Chinese New Year would form along the road every evening. This was a common scene along Jalan Kayu daily before the introduction of the present million dollar Toto winning queues at 7-11 outlets.

Nowadays, you can find two to three shops selling prata as opposed to about a dozen during the 80's. The old prata kings of Jalan Kayu had long hung their pots and aprons due to the development of the surrounding area. You have newer owners now and more varieties of prata to spoil your palate. The relaxing no-stress environment has been given a make-over. No longer are there road side stalls where you just grab a stool to enjoy your prata with a glass of sarabat tea mixed with a falling Angsana tree leaf and shout your order at the top of your voice to the dhoti-clad mama prata. Your prata now is served in air-conditioned room with order taken by waiters who scribble your list in writing which they alone could understand.

Give me back the good old Jalan Kayu road-side days of prata stalls any time, my friend.

Bai, teh halia satu, prata kosong dua. Kuah kasi lebih. Masuk buku
(Uncle, give me one glass of ginger tea and two plain prata. Extra gravy. Add into my account book)