Speciality dishes from island recipes

By THOMAS HUONG
Photo by JOEL CHAN

SUPER CRAB AROMA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
40 Jalan BM1/2, Taman Bukit Mayang Emas
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7880 9793
Business Hours: Daily, lunch (noon-3pm); dinner (6pm-11pm) 

Non-halal. 

GOOD food is one of life’s little pleasures. This is the very thought of Subang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng. 

Lee seldom has time for meals at home with his family. 

He is constantly busy dividing his time between meeting his constituents, attending community events, managing his business and political career as well as meeting relatives and friends.  

The Super Crab Porridge served in Claypot is best enjoyed in groups.

One of Lee’s favourite food outlets is the Super Crab Aroma Seafood Restaurant in Petaling Jaya’s Taman Bukit Mayang Emas. 

The menu has many speciality dishes, some so unique that one hardly finds them elsewhere. 

The Cheese Cooked Octopus had the octopus specially brought in from Penang and the dish is not always in the menu due to the scarcity of the mollusc. 

Lee said he had never seen the dish served elsewhere.  

“The cheese adds another dimension to the flavour of the dish,” said Lee.  

Restaurant owner Barry Ng created the dish as he found it a challenge to present tender-cooked octopus as the mollusc has tough meat. 

The Super Crab Porridge served in Claypot is another favourite of Lee’s.  

This dish comprises a soupy concoction containing porridge, Chinese parsley, edible garland chrysanthemum, garlic oil and fresh female crabs laden with bright orange roe.  

Lee liked the way the porridge absorbed the aroma and flavour of the crab roe.  

“The crab meat is fresh. The delicious soup is also given a unique flavour from the crab roe,” said Lee.  

Ng said the dish was not always available as availability depends on the supply of the crab roe.  

“This dish is inspired by Penang’s Crab Porridge,” said Ng. 

“I used to drive with friends from Kuala Lumpur to Penang almost every weekend just to sample the porridge, which was not available in the Klang Valley,” he added. 

It seems that if a recipe is exotic in flavour, Lee will love it even more and so the Salty Egg Prawns is another favourite. 

The prawns are fried with the yolk of salted eggs and the complementing flavours are what got Lee hooked. 

Besides loving the exotic tasting dishes, Lee also favours food served hot, the very reason why he enjoys the Thai Mango Pork Knuckle. 

“The sweet-sour taste of the young mango is appetising,” said Lee. 

“The pork meat is succulent while the crispy skin is best eaten while it is still hot,” he added. 

Ng serves Chinese tea for Lee to wash down his meal with.