Find out how the team at Beta KL plans to reimagine the Peranakan delicacy
Celebrating the best of Malaysian street food with elevated versions of beloved heritage dishes, Tatler Dining presents its newest food festival, In The Mood For Food. To be hosted at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) from August 26-28, 2022 in partnership with Sime Darby Property and Sime Darby Motors, the festival highlights street staples reinvented by eight restaurants.
Included in the line-up this year is Beta KL, spearheaded by Chef Raymond Tham, who will be presenting an elevated version of bubur cha cha. Traditionally, bubur cha cha consists of yam, sweet potato, sago pearls, tapioca jelly and pandan cooked in coconut milk. Depending on regionality, other ingredients are sometimes used such as bananas, grated coconut and black eyed peas.
See also: In the Mood for Food: Celebrating the Best of Malaysian Street Food
Beta KL's dishes reflect the diversity and richness of Malaysian cuisine, taking diners on a journey through different regions of Malaysia while injecting modern flavours and techniques. Similarly with bubur cha cha, Tham explains how the process of elevating the Perakanan sweet soup was not a straightforward one.
"When our team member, Leanne, came up with the idea of modernising bubur cha cha, I said yes without thinking twice—bubur cha cha is one of my favourite desserts. But after some thought, I realised it was a challenge to modernise and bring such a classic dish to the next level."
See also: The Top 20 Restaurants in Malaysia in 2022
The team had to go through a long process of trial and error before arriving at a version they were proud of. "Coconut foam is frozen in liquid nitrogen, resulting in an extremely foamy texture and cold temperature. We serve it with yam, sweet potato purée and pandan-infused warm coconut milk."
Guests can expect to experience rich texture and aroma from Tham’s elevated version of bubur cha cha at In The Mood For Food, which plays with the difference in temperature between the frozen coconut foam and warm pandan-infused coconut milk.
