CHENNAI: With a cup of Bandung, a coconut milk concoction flavoured with rose syrup that is the Malaysian version of rose milk, in our hands, we sit in a conference room beside Chap Chay restaurant in Raintree, Saint Mary’s Road. The restaurant will be hosting a Malaysian food festival for lunch and dinner until November 24.
The menu was curated by expat chef Mat Safiee Bin Haroon, who was born and raised in Malaysia, and has been a chef for the past 30 years. “I started cooking with my mother. She used to put up a stall and I would help her with it,” he said.
Guests were served appetisers from the menu. Stewards walked out of the kitchen holding trays of Satay Ayam, a common street delicacy in Malaysia, which consisted of skewered chicken strips marinated in coconut milk, coated in Malaysian curry powder and lemongrass, char-grilled and served with peanut sauce.
For dinner, we were first served chicken Malaysian tom yum soup. “It’s the Malaysian adaptation of the chicken tom yum. This soup is thicker and we use a little bit of coconut milk to make it rich. Sliced red chillies add spice, while lemon and soya sauce add tanginess,” said chef Bin Haroon. The heat from the red chillies is soothing to the throat and lingers on the tongue for a few moments before the next sip. The chef included sliced carrots, baby corn, mushrooms, chicken and onions, which added volume after being left to soak in the soup.
The chef’s favourite is the Sambal hijau petai udang paling menyengat, which is lightly sauteed prawns coated with green chilli and lemongrass. With a thin layer of batter, the prawns were cooked perfectly, with every bite an easy pleasure. The occasional taste of spring onion added acidity to the overall presentation. Chef Bin Haroon added that he makes this comfort dish frequently at home.
Next in line was the Kutumber Ayam, which consisted of pieces of chicken marinated in coriander paste, stir-fried with pungent oyster sauce that adds a slight sour taste to the hot peppercorn and garlic. We couldn’t help closing our eyes to savour the combination of flavours.
The third appetiser was the Satay Ayam. The coconut milk marinade added sweetness to the otherwise sour and spicy curry powder. Flavours of garlic and lemongrass cut through the sweet and spice, and the chicken is tender and melts in the mouth. The peanut sauce adds a nutty sweet flavour to the entire ensemble.
The main course consisted of steamed Nasi Lemak with lamb rendang and Malaysian sayur. The Nasi Lemak is rice steamed in coconut milk and dressed with fried anchovies. “Many restaurants don’t use anchovies because they are expensive, but we use them,” said chef Bin Haroon.
After a filling meal, the chef served us desserts. In a small white pot, we were first served Chen Theng, a mixture of soaked sago balls with white fungus and dates, seasoned with cardamom and sweetened with palm sugar. “This is a vegan dessert,” said Bin Haroon. The other dessert was coconut jelly, which is made using coconut milk, dried gelatin sheets and a mixture of palm and white sugar.