ROYALE SONGKET,
Grand Blue Wave Hotel Shah Alam,
Persiaran Perbandaran,
Seksyen 14,
Shah Alam, Selangor.
Tel: 03-5511 8811 ext 2801.
GRAND Blue Wave Hotel executive sous chef Firdaus Ismail and senior chef de cuisine Ahmad Al-Hafiz Redzuan have prepared seven varieties of gulai kawah for the Sinaran Ramadan buffet promotion.
Served bubbling hot, this section is touted to be a major attraction in a buffet line that will snake all the way from the lobby into the Royale Songket coffeehouse.
Just for this section alone, there will be rainbow rice, briyani and a kashmiri pulao.
The preparation method for the first is especially fascinating.
Giving the basmati grains flavour is bay leaf, ghee, sultanas, California raisins and a dash of rose water.
For colour, drops of edible dye used in cake-making are added to the rice pot before cooking.
As the rice fluffs up, the colour will spread, giving this dish its name.
A rotation menu of meat, seafood and vegetable delicacies accompany.
There is the Rendang Mamak Maharani, which is said to originate from Muar, Johor.
The Malay cuisine chef, said Firdaus, had managed to get the recipe off an Indian Muslim nasi kandar vendor during one of his balik kampung trips.
Among the specialties are chicken kerutub.
Similar to rendang, it features the rich, smoky flavours of roasted desiccated coconut, dried chilli and prawn paste.
They also have lamb kuzi.
According to Ahmad, this is another Johorean ‘invention’.
It is similar to a kurma with ingredients like cinnamon, cumin, anise, kas kas, candlenut and clove.
The exception is the use of fresh turmeric instead of the powdered one.
Deer meat rendang adds an exotic touch to this offering.
According to the chefs, the hotel gets its supply from a certified farm in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.
Also in the buffet are well-loved traditional favourites like bubur lambuk, mee bandung and tandoori chicken with fluffy naan.
Among the gems in this section is the durian murtabak.
Made with fresh local durian sourced from an orchard in Bukit Gambang, Perak, Ahmad will be using up to 100kg for the Ramadan buffet daily.
Instead of having them delivered packed and frozen, the kitchen team has undertaken the task of opening the fruits themselves to maintain freshness.
There will be the traditional roast leg of lamb but the hotel is hoping to entice diners with its Mongolian barbecued leg of beef this year.
De-skinned and marinated with black roasted garlic, cumin and young ginger, the meat is then steam baked between 140° and 160° for three hours and is basted constantly.
The Tiger prawns on ice are simply scrumptious.
It is then baked on high heat of between 160° and 180° for another hour. The long cooking time renders the meat so tender, it easily falls off the bone.
Satay lovers should also not forget to try the fried satay.
Similar to teppanyaki, bite-sized chicken pieces are marinated in lemongrass, shallots, turmeric, anise and brown sugar.
Another temping treat are the tiger prawns and steamed red snapper in light soya sauce and ginger.
Sinaran Ramadan is available until July 5. Adults RM115+. Children and senior citizens RM65+.
This is the writer’s observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
