Ganesh Moorthy is the proud owner of ‘Burger Ji Legend’, a burger stall in Puchong. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)
PUCHONG: Roadside burgers are a ubiquitous part of Malaysian street food culture, offering locals a cheap but tasty meal.
Wherever you are right now, there is likely a burger stall waiting to open come nightfall, serving customers for hours afterwards.
If you chat with these hawkers, you may find that some of them have rather interesting tales to tell.
This is certainly the case for a humble burger stall located in Puchong, which has sent the tongues of local foodies wagging.
With a little stand for the staff to cook, plastic tables and chairs for customers to dine and a generator to keep the lights on, Burger Ji Legend resembles the myriad of burger stalls out there.
However, this stall, located on an offshoot of the ever-busy Jalan Puchong, is worth a visit for both the food as well as the man cooking it.
Ganesh’s stall is located on an offshoot of Jalan Puchong. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)
It can be hard to get hold of Ganesh Moorthy, given that there rarely is a lull between orders for his burgers.
The 32-year-old hawker runs the stall together with his wife, Anneseletta, and despite the hard work, flipping burgers at his very own stall is still a dream come true for him.
“It was 2018 when I first started my burger business,” Ganesh told FMT Lifestyle. “And before that, I was delivering McDonald’s for nine years!”
Working for the global fast-food chain had its benefits, as Ganesh learnt a thing or two about making fast food.
Hence, once he left his old job, he began to experiment making burgers at home. “I cooked burgers for myself, tasted them and with my wife’s support, began planning to open my own stall.”
‘Burger Ji Legend’ is a family business, with his wife Anneseletta often helping him prepare the burgers. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)
While most ordinary burger stalls offer around five standard burger options, Ganesh’s many novel inventions have become bestsellers among his regular customers.
“My bestseller has to be the Korean burger,” he said, pointing out a black bun burger, oozing with a spicy red sauce with bits of kimchi within.
There is also the classic crispy chicken burger, a great introduction to the rest of Ganesh’s menu. That inevitable crunch as you bite into the burger is truly a treat.
For folks who love something with a sour twist, Ganesh recommended his uruga burger, which features the beloved pickle. “It’s an Indian favourite,” he explained.
Malaysians are masochists when it comes to spice, and spice is everywhere in Ganesh’s cili padi burger, which lives up to its fiery name.
Among Ganesh’s bestsellers is the spicy Korean burger, with bits of kimchi within. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)
Approach this particular offering with caution, lest you like a seared tongue. And if you can’t take the heat, the stall does sell masala tea to calm your palate.
A recent addition to the menu, the “burger daun pisang” might resemble a nasi lemak packet from afar as the entire burger is wrapped in a banana leaf.
This particular burger has a “fresh” taste, most likely due to the natural flavours of the banana leaf that infuses the bun and patty.
Like most other burger stalls, Ganesh’s is pork-free, with Malaysians of all stripes happy to stop by and grab a bite.
Despite the hard work of running a burger stall, Ganesh is happy to have a business to call his own. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)
According to Ganesh, these strange but tasty burgers were largely the products of hours of brainstorming in his kitchen.
Life as a burger hawker is not easy, he said, with the need to maintain food quality, to handle staff and to keep customers happy at all times.
Still, his belief of giving his customers the best has paid off, with many of his customers being regulars who come back for more of the good stuff.
With a second stall set up in Taman OUG and a third on its way to Kuala Lumpur, Ganesh has no regrets. “For nine years, I was working for others. Now, I am working for myself.”
Source Link: freemalaysiatoday