Chefs Reminisce Mothers' Old Ramadhan Favourites

Recently I got the luxury to taste the Ramadhan spread of lovely dinner at Atrium Cafe, Pyramid Tower Hotel, Sunway Pyramid. There were appetisers such as Pecal(assorted vegetables with spicy peanut sauce), Solok Lada(stuffed chilli with fish paste and coconut gravy), Kerabu Mannga(young mango salad with crushed peanuts), Pergedil Daging(Deep fried minced beef ball with egg) and Ulam-Ulam Melayu(Malay Salad). The soup served was Soto Ayam(clear chicken broth with rice cake, peanuts, spring onion and fried glass noodle)and also next was the roasted whole lamb with mild surabaya sauce plus Roti Jala(malaysian net-like Crepe served with chicken curry). There were also a spread of main dishes such as Udang Galah Goreng Brechilli(fried fresh water prawn with chilli paste), Ikan Tenggiri Masak Tempoyak(mackerel cooked in spicy durian paste), Sayur Goreng Lodeh(stir fried mix vegetables with soya bean cake), Kambing Kuzi(braised mutton in tradisional malay spices), Ayam Kaleo(chicken braised in turmeric and chilli coconut sauce) and Nasi Tomato(tomato rice).As for desserts, there were local sweets such as Bubur Pulut Hitam Bersantan(sweetened black glutinous rice stew wuth thick coconut milk), Talam Ubi Kayu(baked tapioca cake with palm sugar) and Kuih Lopes(steamed pandanus glutinous rice with grated coconut).

Pecal
(Assorted Vegetables with Spicy Peanut Sauce)

Ingredients
200gm Fern leaf(blanched)
300gm Kangkong(blanched)
200gm White cabbage(blanched)
200gm Young jackfruit(blanched & sliced)
200gm Long beans(diced)
6pcs Hard tofu
2pcs Soya bean cakes(sliced)
10 Boiled eggs (wedges)
500gm Pecal sauce

Method
1. Blanch cabbage and long beans.
2. Fry tofu and soya bean cake. Cut into slices.
3. Arrange all ingredients on a platter and serve with pecal sauce.

Pecal Sauce

Ingredient
500gm Peanut
100gm Cooking oil
120gm Shallot(peeled & blended)
50gm Garlic(blended)
50gm Ginger(blended)
150gm Red chilli(blended)
50gm Shrimp paste
150ml Tamarind juice
20gm Galangal(crushed)
20gm Salt
120gm Sugar
100ml Water

Method
1. Heat oil in apot and add in all blended ingredients. Fry unitil golden brown and add in chilli.
2. Put in crushed peanuts, tamarind juice, chrimp paste, salt and sugar. Simmer until gravy thickens.
3. Serve with pecal.



Pergedil Daging
(Deep Fried Minced Beef Ball with Egg)

Ingredients
500gm Minced beef
400gm Potato(boiled & mashed)
4 Eggs
20gm Red Chilli(chopped)
500gm Cooking oil
50gm Chinese celery
40gm Fried shallots
5gm White pepper
3gm Salt

Method
1. Stir-fry minced beef until dry. Leave aside.
2. Place mashed potatoin abowl and mix with minced beef. Season well.
3. Add in sliced Chinese celery and fried shallot. Mix well.
4. Roll the mixture into a small, round-shaped cake.
5. Dip beef cake in beaten eggs and deep-fry until golden brown.



Kambing Kuzi
(Braised Mutton in Tradisional Malay Spices)

Ingredients
(A)
1kg Mutton(cubed)
500ml Evaporator milk
150gm Kerisik
200gm Onion(sliced)
500gm Cooking oil
100gm Cashewnuts(fried until golden brown)
10gm Lime juice
200gm Tomato(wedged)
300gm Tomato puree
50gm Chilli
100gm Fried shallots
100gm Mint leaf
100gm Chinese parsley

(B)
150gm Briyani powder
50gm Ginger(blended)
100gm Chilli paste
80gm Green chilli(blended roughly)
80gm Red Chilli(blended roughly)
100gm Onion(blended)

Method
1. Mix mutton cubes with ingredients(B) and let it stand for 1hour.
2. Add in tomato puree, kerisik and salt.
3. Heat oil in a wok and saute sliced onion until tender.
4. Add in meat and water. Cook until the meat becomes tender.
5. Then, add in salt, milk, tomato, red chilli, green chilli, lime juice, cashewnuts, mint leaf, chinese parsley and fried shallots.
6. Stir well until the sauce thickens.



Kuih Lopes
(Steamed Pandamus Glutinous Rice with Grated Coconut)

Ingredients
1kg Glutinous rice
Pandanleaves(blended with 1 cup of water 5 pieces and strained. Keep water)
1 Coconut
1cup Gula Melaka
1cup Water
1/2teaspoon Salt
Few sheets Banana Leaves

Method
1. Soak glutinous rice in a bowl of water until it expands. Steam it until half cooked.
2. Mix and stir well with pandan water.
3. Wrap it in banana leaf to form a triangle shape.
4. Steam until fully cooked and keep it cool.
5. Boil gula melaka with water. Keep cool.
6. Grate coconut and mix with salt.
7. Coat the cool cooked rice with grated coconut.
8. Serve with sugar syrup.



All these lovely food was the hotel's 30-man strong Malay cuisine brigade recollects their mothers; time-homoured recipes and uncomprising details in presenting a symphony of traditional delicaies, the chefs under the tutelage of Chefs Reduan Ahmad Tarju, Fazli Baharudin, Zulkiflee Zaharudin and Azzul Azmi, promise to make "Berbuka Puasa" with more than 200 dishes, an occasion to look forward to at Atrium Cafe every sundown from 1 to 30 September 2008.

COool Chefs just like Big Boys Kitchen . . . . . it was truely an experience to dine the food churned by the master chefs themselves! . . . . SidneyK

Sun & Surf Cafe from Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa is also serving this Ramadhan buffet from 1 to 30 September 2008, 6.00pm to 10.00pm nightly.

Price is RM88++ per adult and RM44++ per child at Sun & Surf Cafe and RM75++ per adult and RM37.50++ per child at Atrium Cafe.

For reservations or enquiries, your readers may contact (6-03) 7492 8000 Extn. 3169 for Sun & Surf Café or Extn. 6305 for Atrium Café.