By GEETHA KRISHNAN
Photos by M. AZHAR ARIF

A CROWDED restaurant bears testimony to the quality of food offered. 

Add pleasant and amiable service to this and you have a winning formula that ensures a long line of repeat customers.  

Spongy lentil cakes: Tairu vadai or vadai soaked in yoghurt at Khush.

Such is the daily scenario at Khush Vegetarian, a nondescript restaurant tucked away in Cyberjaya’s Century Square. Save for black lettering on the glass doors, Khush draws no other attention to itself. 

The year-old restaurant is especially popular with Indian expatriates working in Malaysia’s own Silicon Valley. The mishmash of dialects, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Urdu and Gujerati, creates a din during lunch, Khush’s busiest time of the day. 

Malaysians too count among the numbers. 

Variety: Swrn Kaur (right) and her niece Sunita Kaur laying out the lunch buffet.

Owner and former nurse Swrn Kaur started Khush after successfully running an outlet at the Multi Media University. 

“Vegetarian food was hard to come by when my eldest son was studying there. I used to bring home-cooked meals for him and his friends so when the idea to operate at the varsity was proposed, I readily accepted,” said Swrn whose name is pronounced as Srn. 

“Cooking has always been my passion and I believe in home-cooked meals. As for business acumen, I learnt some valuable tips from my parents who used to sell Indian sweetmeats.” 

She has help now at the kitchen in Khush but when the restaurant first opened, Swrn tirelessly cooked all the meals herself. Now she is at the restaurant daily to ensure it runs smoothly and divides her time between Khush and the outlet at MMU. 

Khush serves a wide variety of tasty North and South Indian dishes plus Malaysian food, buffet-style. 

The enticing spread for lunch often includes freshly made Indian breads like naans, parathas and chappatis while the accompaniments mainly include a variety of grains, lentils and legumes. 

Regular offerings at the buffet table include Kala Tadka (using black chickpeas), Aloo Paneer (cottage cheese with potatoes), Dhall Tadka (dry-style dhall) and Channa (horse gram curry).  

Legume: This is part of the dishes served at Khush Vegetarian.

Specials like Masala Beans and Pulli Satam (tamarind broth) are available on certain days. 

“We offer variety because Khush has many regulars. There should be five to six main curries with an equal number of side dishes and the vegetables are usually stir-fried just before lunch to appeal to the health-conscious,” said Swrn, whose husband and three children are vegetarians.  

“For breakfast, we have nasi lemak, roti canai, paratha and savouries. For tea, there are vadais and pakoras.” 

A hearty meal can be washed down with steaming mugs of Mysore Coffee or Masala Tea, all for under RM10 per diner.