McDonald’s new Nasi Lemak burger – so sedap everyone’s talking about it but one food expert says otherwise

Going by the reactions on social media, if there’s one meal you ought to have this week, it is McDonald’s newly launched Nasi Lemak burger.

As Singapore’s National Day nears, the fast food giant has launched a special menu and it is inspired by local favourites such as nasi lemak, bandung and chendol.

The menu, launched on Thursday (13 July) in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival 2017, is only available for a limited time.

Popular breakfast meal

Commonly eaten for breakfast in Singapore and Malaysia, a traditional Nasi Lemak dish comes with fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is typically served with fried egg, cucumber, ikan bilis (anchovies) and sambal chilli which is the crucial portion of the dish.

The burger version of Nasi Lemak from McDonald’s (S$5.95 a la carte or from $7.80 in an Extra Value Meal) consists of coconut-flavoured chicken thigh patty coated with cornflakes, fried egg, caramelised onions, cucumber slices topped off with sweet and spicy sambal and is served between semolina buns.

So Sedap

Netizens are absolutely digging it.

Where’s the nasi (rice)?

Prominent local food expert KF Seetoh has weighed in on the burger. He said at “minimum” a nasi lemak burger should have “crunchy ikan billis, crispy fish patty, fried egg, kacang (peanuts), cucumber and sambal sandwiched between two browned, otah coconut rice buns.”

He also added that it used to be sold off a food truck at Gluttons Bay located at Raffles Avenue next to Esplanade Mall.

And he has asked for votes if this version should make a comeback during National Day.

Images via qiuuing, timtimtokyo, bhmr, ss.wl / Instagram.