by Farah, on Mon, December 03, 2012
Chinese
"Chef marinates duck 7 times to maintain quality!"
As soon as my plate of duck rice came, I spooned up a piece of roasted duck with a bit of chilli-garlic infused rice and took a bite. The duck was moist and tender with a layer of succulent skin - a mixture of savoury, salty and sweet tastes. They use quite lean ducks here that there's almost no fat under the skin. To spice things up, I mixed in some of Roast Kitchen's signature sambal chilli sauce. Made from a combo of dried shrimp, cili padi and dried chillies, the sambal gives plenty of heat to the dish. Be warned, the sambal is SPICY so if your tolerance to heat is low, use it sparingly. The sambal is so popular that they now sell it in jars for you to take home.
A lot of effort goes into the marination process. If he's not satisfied with the colour of the duck, the chef would actually adjust the ingredients ( adding more vinegar, less soy sauce..etc ) until he is happy with the result. Sometimes he even has to marinate the duck 7 times! That is how they maintain the quality of their dishes at Roast Kitchen, Even the cutting technique is very precise so the pieces of duck stays intact and doesn't fall apart when they're placed on your plate.
At Roast Kitchen, Muslim patrons get a chance to enjoy a selection of Chinese-styled dishes without any qualms because everything they serve here is halal. Incredibly, the chef has modified the recipe so well that you can hardly tell the difference, his halal version tastes as good as the real thing.
Next were the crispy duck noodles. They use Ipoh duck egg wantan noodles. Duck egg is less runny compared to chicken eggs so these noodles have more bite and a stickier texture. This allows the gravy to cling better to the noodles. The gravy is a mixture of oyster sauce, soy sauce, rock sugar, shallots and garlic oil. The chef dunks the noodles in hot water for a few seconds then he immerses it in cold water to stop the cooking process. This gives the noodles a wonderful 'al-dente' quality.
More »
Thick sweet and tangy sauce dresses up crispy chicken tenders resulting in a richly flavoured dish that is so easy to whip up. This is also a great way to use up any leftover veg that you have in your fridge.
More »
A popular Johorean dish, Mi Bandung is made by cooking noodles in a thick broth and then garnishing it with beef strips, prawns and veg. The addition of poached egg makes it even more tastier. So flavourful that you'll want more than one bowl!
More »
by Edwan S., on Wed, November 14, 2012
Street Burgers
"the Master of roadside burgers..."
To make his famous Master Burger, owner/creator of the stall, Brother John starts off with two Ramly patties, either beef or chicken. On the greasy, hot griddle, he sears the meat, butterflies, and seasons them. To season the patty, he uses a spray bottle containing a brown coloured liquid, we suspect that it's Lea & Perrins but of course Brother John won't confirm. It is after all one of the secrets of his trade.
Using the spray not only speeds up the process but it also allows even distribution of the secret seasoning on the patties. Brother John also adds a pinch of paprika to give the burgers a lil' bit of heat.
Next, he breaks an egg, expertly spreads it around, and places the meat back inside with a slice of cheese. He then deftly folds the egg around the patties. At a glance it does seem like any other Ramly burger special. But then he adds his secret sauce, a sticky, dark, BBQ sauce-like liquid he makes himself ( it's like a love child of bbq sauce and chilli sauce- sweet and smoky ), next, he puts in a short squirt of mustard and a dollop of mayonnaise.
You like eating neat and clean? Forget it here. A hefty beast, this burger is super-sloppy in the best way possible. I cut it in half for an autopsy shot. It was beautiful. The meat, still moist and juicy, sandwiched the cheese slice, making it melt into every nook and crevice on the crust of the patties.
The egg enveloping the patties was thin and delicate, almost crepe like in texture. Below, a bed of crisp cabbage, smothered in some chili sauce and mayo, valiantly tried to protect the bun from the onslaught of juices and sauce above. One bite and you’ll become slave to the Master Burger; the sauce never overpowered the meat, and through it all you could still taste the cheese, the mayo, mustard and egg, and feel the crunch of the vegetables and the piquant chili sauce.
The great thing about this burger is the element of surprise. Each bite is a new discovery. In some, everything comes together to create an explosion of flavours. But once you've bitten off the mustard and cheesy parts, the taste transforms into a normal Ramly burger. Still good but less impressive. This burger teases your taste buds, giving you a blast of amazingness then it pulls back, making you crave for it even more. It was messy, chaotic and definitely worthy of its name. You can't help but surrender to the Master Burger.
More »
Hearty and fulfilling, sambar dhal is a spicy vegetable stew that will warm your tummy and keep it satisfied. Dhal and assorted vegetables are cooked with a myriad of spices making this an ideal accompaniment for chapati and tosai.
More »
Golden, crispy and flavourful, it's no wonder that these spicy tidbits are so addictive. We used muruku powder to simplify the recipe. Muruku powder is made up of rice powder and a mixture of ground spices. It can be bought at most supermarkets.
More »
With its mix of soft and crispy textures and tangy tones, tosai goes so well with the fresh flavours of chutney or the spicy tastes of curry. I love the textural variations and its slightly sour taste that whenever I go to a mamak stall, I would usually opt for tosai instead of roti canai or chapati. I've always wanted to know how to make tosai so when…
More »
-1.jpg)
_medium.jpg)
.JPG)
