Latest Recipe,
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur,
2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2263 7434
Business hours: 6.00am to midnight.
RENDANG is a dish that most people expect to see on the table when Hari Raya dawns.
There are various types of rendang, and depending on which state you originate from, chances are that you would have tried the flavoursome Malay dish at some point in your life.
With meat as its main ingredient, the dish’s robust flavour is derived from an exciting mix of aromatic culinary herbs and vegetables such as galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, chillies, shallots, ginger, garlic, daun limau purut and tumeric leaves.
Of course, the addition of coconut milk and kerisik gives rendang its desired richness and texture, the gravy of which permeates into the meat of choice, which can either be chicken, beef, lamb, duck or liver.
Some cooks like using dried chillies to prepare the reddish orange hued rendang or rendang hijau with fresh green chillies, while others prefer Rendang Tok – the deep dark brown slightly sweet version from Perak.
Rendang Ayam Pencen Pucuk Ubi.
The dish happens to be a personal favourite when I decide on Malay food for a meal, and especially during Hari Raya, rendang, serunding and lemang are must-haves.
I almost missed out on an intriguing flavour at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur’s Latest Recipe but luckily, executive sous chef Zubir Mohd Zain spoke in-depth about his latest creation for Ramadan – Rendang Ayam Pencen Pucuk Ubi which prompted me to get up and go in search of it.
What’s outstanding about this rendang creation is that the green chillies, used in abundance in the recipe, gives it a unique green shade.
However, it is Zubir’s inclusion of young tapioca leaves in this slightly spicy chicken stew that intrigued me.
“This particular rendang is similar to the Minangkabau version where green chillies are used but I chose to add pucuk ubi to the gravy to give texture and flavour to the dish,” he said.
The tapioca leaves in the dish gives it a mild bitter, sweet aftertaste that does not come across as pungent because of the luscious gravy, made using numerous herbs, spices and coconut.
There are other dishes to whet your appetite at the restaurant during the fasting month.
The appetiser, main course and desserts change daily but look out for the daily feature and specials of the day near the Indian Corner.
Zubir’s Roasted Baby Lamb marinated in Arabic spices is the star item of the month as it is served everyday while specials of the day differ from day to day with scrumptious finds such as Red Snapper with Portuguese Sauce, Roasted Duck with Kurma Spices and Almonds, Roasted Spiced Turkey with Honey and Balinese Baked Fish.
For this Ramadan, there are up to 200 dishes for diners to break their fast with.
Among the tantalising dishes being dished out by the kitchen are Malay kerabu, Mee Rebus Johor, rojak buah, Asam Pedas Ikan Jenahak with Mentimun Tua, Udang Harimau Masak Serai, Dalcha Kambing Pulau Pinang Tumis Darat Kacang Mungai, Daging Batang Pinang Goreng Lada Hitam and Rempah Sangai.
For those who prefer to break their fast with something else, there are several other enticing choices from the Japanese, Indian, Malaysian Hot Plate, pau and dim sum, chicken rice, noodle, pasta, hot wok, carving, teppanyaki, ice cream and waffle stations.
The buffet dinner is available until Aug 6 and is priced at RM128++ per person (from Monday to Friday), RM118++ per person (Saturday and Sunday) and RM88++ per person (for bookings after 9pm from Monday to Thursday).
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.