Special Steamed Cod
40g cod fillet
1 teaspoon each Chinese wine,
sesame oil, s
oya sauce
(A) 20g each Shitake mushroom,
red pepper,
carrots,
mango,
young coconut
meat
(B),
sliced 10g red onion,
chopped 5g garlic,
chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
200ml corn oil
250ml olive oil
60g squid ink &
egg pasta
1 fresh corn-on-cob with leaf
2 tablespoons margarine
1 teaspoon
Wasabi caviar
Foil Fillet cod into 70g each.
Season with (A). Saute mushrooms with onions and garlic, season to taste. Toss with other ingredients. Brush some corn oil on corn leaves and put fish in, top with fried ingredients. Cover with another piece of leaf. Tie one end with butcher’s string. Use a piece of corn leaf to tie the other end, wrap with foil. Steam for eight minutes. Blanch pasta, drain, then sauté with margarine and fresh corn kernels. Place on plate and serve with cod, Wasabi caviar and soya sauce.
Coming up trumps
Story and pictures by HELEN ONG
It was by chance that he landed a job with a restaurant, but once Chef Zakaria Abdul Ghani found that he could use the cooking skills he picked up as a boy, he decided to make it his career. sundaymetro@thestar.com.my HE may be an executive chef at work but when he is at home, Chef Zakaria Abdul Ghani, 55, prefers to let his wife do all the cooking. Affectionately known as Chef Zak, he learnt to cook when he was a teenager but back then he never thought cooking would be his career one day.
Chef Zak, who is well-known for his enticing Malay dishes, says he learnt traditional Malay cooking from his Malaccan maternal grandmother, with whom he lived from a young age. After his formal education, while waiting for his Form 5 results, he joined the Hilton Hotel in KL as a laundry boy, but decided this wasn’t where he wanted to spend his life. “It was too hot!” he laughs. That was when he chanced upon a job, one of several stints over the next couple of decades, with the Yazmin Restaurant in Ampang Park. “It was the first Malay restaurant there,” he reminisces, “opened by Raja Nor Jasmin from the Perak royal family, who was a very good cook.” During his time there, he learnt to cook Malay food from the other states during their annual state food promotions.
Once he decided that cooking was indeed his forte, he went to stay with an aunt in Switzerland in 1980, where he started as an apprentice in the kitchens of the famous Moven Pick Restaurant in Egerkingen, and learnt Western cuisine. On his return to Malaysia in 1981, he joined various establishments and hotels, working his way up to executive chef at Putra World Trade Centre.
From 1994 to 1999, Chef Zak worked in Brunei, including a few years as the Sultan of Brunei’s chef in his private kitchens. He is now the executive chef of the Hydro Hotel in Batu Ferringhi, Penang.
Especially for you: Special Steamed Cod from Chef Zakaria Abdul Ghani
> Do you have any childhood memories of food?
As my grandmother was not physically very strong, I had to help her cook, so she taught me a lot in the kitchen.
> Do you like hawker food? Where are your favourite hawker food stalls?
I love any type of noodles. My favourite is the Mee Mamak in Gurney Drive.
> What’s your favourite ingredient?
Lemongrass: It’s such a versatile ingredient with a distinct aroma. I use it for many things, from marinades to sauces for fish, or I just throw it into fusion dishes.
> When you are at home, do you cook?
No! Only for special occasions. I love my wife’s cooking, so she usually does it. I’m not fussy, so whatever she makes is great.
> Have you had any unpleasant experience in the kitchen?
When I was working in the Revolving Restaurant at the Sabah Foundation in Kota Kinabalu, we had to prepare a dinner for 200 guests with VVIPs including the Yang Di-Pertuan of Negri Sembilan. Unfortunately, Purchasing forgot to order gas, so we had to resort to using firewood, and every one of us was fanning like mad to get the fires going. After that, we dared not even go out to meet them because we all stank of smoke!
> If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?
I never thought I would end up a chef, because I always liked teaching and wanted to become a teacher. However, I started working in a hotel doing odd jobs, and worked my way up to F&B Manager and then a chef after.
> What do you always have in your fridge?
Butter – it’s very useful for everything from sautéing to toast; even butter rice.
> Have you eaten anything unusual?
When I was in Sabah, I was invited to the house of a fellow staff member and we were served tapai (drink). It had little wriggling white grubs and I bit on one. I nearly threw up!
> Who would you call if you wanted to invite someone for a meal?
Definitely the Sultan of Brunei, because I know his likes and dislikes. I really enjoyed cooking for him before. He’s not a fussy eater.
> What/where would be your dream posting as a chef?
The Dorchester Hotel in London, because that’s where we stayed when the Sultan of Brunei was in town. We cooked in the kitchens and the food was sent to his mansion in Kensington.
> Who’s your favourite chef?
Chef Rutth from the Dorchester. He was very unselfish and taught me a lot about kitchen operations and recipes. >
Can you share a favourite recipe with us? Special Steamed Cod: This is something Chef Kwong, my Chinese Chef de Cuisine, and I created for the hotel’s Mother’s Day dinner.
Sab Nyer...
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