Breaking fast with heritage food at OpenHouse Restaurant, Suria KLCC

KUALA LUMPUR: Have you ever tasted a dish called "Sambal Neraka" or dessert known as "Hati Sukma" ?

The name is indeed weird and scary, but not many people know that they are endangered heritage food.

'Sambal Neraka' is a Siamese cuisine made of fish meat and as the name suggests, this "sambal" or chilli paste, is extremely hot as it uses a lot of red chilli peppers and dried chillies in addition to other ingredients such as garlic, red onion and tamarind juice.

The "Hati Sukma" is a dish that is quite popular in the East Coast, especially during festivals and also Ramadan, but it is now hard to find.

This unique dessert is made with sweet potato, wheat flour, custard flour, sugar, coconut milk, eggs, pandan leaves and colouring to make it looks more attractive and appetising.

For city folks who want to taste the deliciousness of these food, they are available at the OpenHouse Restaurant, Suria KLCC, which serves 20 heritage menus for the breaking of fast during Ramadan.

They include Ayam Sambal Tumis Tuhau, Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak Daun Pijat, Lemak Pucuk Daun Gelugor, Udang Masak Umbut Kelapa, Pajeri Buah Amra, Gulai Kawah Daging with Ubi Kemili and Rendang Ayam Buah Keluak.

Its chef, Azli Ahmad, 42, said the ingredients to prepare the dishes such as Daun Pepijat, Buah Perah and Umbun Kantan are difficult to get as the plants can only be found in the forests of Perak and Pahang, while some are not sold in the market and cannot be stored for a long period.

"So, I have to get runners to source for them, otherwise the authenticity of the taste of the heritage food will not be as desired," said the chef who has been in the culinary field for more than 20 years.

Azli said he prepared the heritage food based on information obtained from the National Heritage Department (JWN) which had documented and published a book on heritage food.

"I had to try several times for a particular dish before getting the right taste," he added.

Meanwhile, JWN director-general Mohd Azmi Mohd Yusof said the department welcomed any food operator willing to work together to promote heritage food to avoid them from becoming extinct.

"JWN always collects information on endangered cuisine to be documented...these food can be an attraction for some restaurants as people will want to taste the food when they got to know about it.," he said, adding that a total of 213 recipes have been declared as National Heritage Food.

-- BERNAMA