Metro

Tuesday March 25, 2008

Malay fare to tempt foreigners

By SALINA KHALID

The Maya Brasserie,
Hotel Maya Kuala Lumpur,
138 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2711 8866 ext 258.
Business Hours: 6.30pm - 10pm daily (dinner).

salina@thestar.com.my

MOST tourists enjoy the local fare when in Malaysia. To meet this demand, chef Hasbullah Sabani from Hotel Maya Kuala Lumpur has come up with a spread of Malay cuisine for its patrons.

Wide range: Chef Hasbullah (right) and junior sous chef Zairul Effendi Mohd Nor showing off some of the spread at The Maya Brasserie buffet line.
Customers dining at the Maya Brasserie can enjoy a variety of Malay dishes from the buffet line or from the a la carte menu.

“We should be proud of our local dishes and I want our foreign guests to enjoy them as well,” said Chef Hasbullah or Pak Lah as he is fondly known among the hotel's kitchen staff.

The promotion, which started on March 10, is only available for dinner.

Healthy: Kerabu, ulam and sambal are part of the buffet offerings.
One of the dishes offered is grilled red snapper with yellow acar for those who prefer a healthy meal.

“It is a combination of nyonya, Pahang and Perak recipe and there is no oil used in the dish. Yet it is full of flavour,” he said.

For the dish, grilled red snapper is added to the yellow acar.

The acar is prepared by boiling all the ingredients including the spices and vegetables like carrots and cucumber. He also adds jeruk kelubi to give the acar its sour and sweet taste, which also goes well with the grilled fish.

Another dish that is highly recommended by the chef is the pucuk keledek masak lemak udang.

“Not many people, including the locals have tasted the pucuk keledek (sweet potato shoots) but it is actually quite common in the kampung. It tastes a bit like kangkung.

Rich fare: The Beryani Lamb Shank.
“I have also included chunks of sweet potato together with the prawns for the masak lemak,” he said.

To suit the international tastebuds, the chef has toned down the spiciness of the masak lemak. However, those who prefer it to be spicy could request for it.

There is also Beryani Lamb Shank, which goes well with normal rice as well.

For the dish, the Johor-born chef uses quality lamb shank as it has less fat and is tender.

“We have to braise the meat for about an hour to make it juicy and tender. I use the traditional Beryani Johor recipe,'' he said.

There are also a variety of ulam, sambal and traditional Malay desserts at the buffet spread to choose from.

As an alternative, customers can also go for the international buffet line.

Located on the main entrance level, The Maya Brasserie can accommodate about 150 people.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Star Metro on Facebook Star Metro on Twitter