Cover Jawi House's elevated ikan bakar with a side of crispy pulut puff (Photo: Jawi House)
Jawi House's elevated ikan bakar with a side of crispy pulut puff (Photo: Jawi House)
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Find out how the team at Jawi House plans to reimagine ikan bakar
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 Jawi House, founded by conservation anthropologist Dr Wazir Jahan Karim and her son Nurilkarim Razha, who is also the chef at the establishment. Nurilkarim has worked alongside many celebrated chefs in the world, most recently completing an internship at Michelin-starred Gaa in Bangkok, listed as one of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.
Celebrating the rich culinary history of Malaysia, the restaurant showcases Jawi Peranakan cuisine and how it has evolved over time while also promoting traditional Malay and Peranakan heritage dishes. The team at Jawi House will be showcasing their take on ikan bakar, a charcoal-grilled fish dish.
See also: In The Mood For Food: How Chef Raymond Tham of Beta KL is Elevating Bubur Cha Cha
Above Chef Nurilkarim Razha
Chef Nurilkarim Razha
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Nurilkarim explains the traditional method of preparing ikan bakar, and why he chose to reimagine the dish. "Ikan bakar is ubiquitous in coastal towns like George Town. The fish is typically slathered with sambal, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled over charcoal before being served with rice alongside condiments like air asam, kerabu and ulam."
He talks us through the long process of elevating ikan bakar, and how he uses every part of the fish to ensure nothing goes to waste.
"We start with fresh snapper that is procured live from Pulau Jerejak. It is filleted and cured with a mixture of sugar and salt for three days. The fish fillets, head and bones are all smoked with coconut shells. Smoked vegetables, tomatoes, onions and chillies are used to make air asam, which obtains its acidity from roselle flowers. The air asam is set into a jelly using the natural gelatine of the smoked fish trimmings. We use the remaining fish meat from the bones and head to make an umai-style kerabu.”
See also: In The Mood For Food: 8 Restaurants to Reimagine Malaysian Street Food
He then explains how the dish is finished and served alongside a crispy pulut puff.
"The fish is then sliced and torched, further enhancing the burnt character of the fish. Light touches of turmeric oil, sambal, ulam and herb dust completes the dish, infusing it with familiar Malaysian flavours. The pulut puff is made of cooked glutinous rice flavoured with krill and kaffir lime leaves. It is dehydrated in sunlight for three days, then fried to make a crunchy keropok-like snack.”
See also: In the Mood for Food: Celebrating the Best of Malaysian Street Food
Above Jawi House
Jawi House
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Apart from the dish above, guests at In the Mood for Food will also get to enjoy custom cocktails by Bombay Sapphire and beverages from Carlsberg Malaysia, Langkawi Pure, Uncle Jeff Drinks and Honlynn Distillery’s Kaban Tuak. 3Rituals will be setting a cosy ambiance with its scented candles.
The first two nights of the food festival on August 26 and 27 are reserved for our main partners Sime Darby Property and Sime Darby Motors. Tickets are available for public sale for August 28.
- Date: August 28, 2022
- Time: 7pm-11pm
- Venue: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club
- Theme: In the Mood for Love, Hong Kong circa 1960s
- Price: RM350 per ticket
In The Mood For Food is strictly by reservations only. Places are limited so book early by filling out this form.
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Images: Jawi House
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
