SINGAPORE – Yet another local dish has been given a new spin. This time, a stall in Woodlands has given a new take on nasi briyani and roti prata.

Rainbow pratas in hues of green, pink and blue, as well as nasi briyani served with pork, pork cutlet and black chicken are what make up the menu at Banana Leaf Pork Briyani, located in an industrial estate in Woodlands.

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

The stall opened two weeks ago on Sep 9, and response has so far been encouraging, according to the stall’s owners. The new eatery is a jointly owned by two husband-wife couples.

One of the co-owners, Maha Letchimi, 36, said: “Since we opened, we always sell out our pratas before we close.” She estimated that they usually make about 300 to 500 rainbow pratas a day.

“We wanted to be the first in Singapore to try this. People have tried pork without briyani rice and people have tried briyani rice without pork. But nobody has ever known how pork briyani tastes,” said co-owner Maha Letchimi, 36.

Admittedly, there is no culinary value with coloured prata, but the team – comprising Maha and her husband Suresh Anand, 37, and another couple friend Meena and Rengan Balakrishnan, both 43 – thought it would be a novelty to introduce.

The rainbow pratas are available plain, with egg, and with cheese.

“We use food colouring and products that are approved. It’s safe to eat,” Maha explained.

A promotional video published earlier this week has since garnered 208,000 views.

When TODAY visited the stall, retiree Chin Seng Ling, 62, said he attracted by the colourful prata. “All the while you see those normal pratas that are brown in colour. Since it’s (rainbow prata) something new, I just want to try it,” he said, adding that he intends to return with his wife to try the pork briyani.

The rainbow pratas and briyani also piqued the interest of admin assistant Ivy Wu, 24, and her family.

“We found it very interesting because we have never seen colours in prata before, (and) briyani (usually) comes with chicken and it is the first time we see a pork version,” Wu said.

While the novelty might wear off, Wu felt that the stall is worth a second visit as “the briyani pairs well with the pork and it’s not very heavy filling”.

 

The stall is located at 71 Woodlands Industrial Estate Park E9 Wave 9 #01-04, and opens from 7am to 10.30pm daily.