Are you one of those who would order the same couple of dishes when you go to a restaurant, even though you know there are many other nice things to try?
For me, one of the must-have dishes at Petaling Malaysian Restaurant when having a shared dinner meal is the butter egg floss king prawns.
No, not the salted egg yoke king prawns or the salt and pepper ones - even though those are good - the indispensable choice for me is the fluffy, crispy, butter egg floss king prawns.
It’s believed that butter prawns were the invention of a Chinese cook in Johor some 20-plus years ago.
It first became popular in the early 1990s and started as a simple dish of deep-fried prawns over a bed of fluffy egg floss.
But the recipe evolved into versions that include cereal, salted egg and buttermilk - and other proteins such as fish, chicken and squid were also used.
Jenny Cheng, who manages Petaling Malaysian Restaurant, says the version served at her restaurant was inspired by the “zichar” street stalls and coffee shops in her home country.
Besides the fluffy egg floss, the ingredients used are curry leaves, garlic, and chilli.
This is one dish that is neither Chinese, Malay or Indian, but is uniquely Malaysian and represents its culinary diversity and creativity.
Jenny says the biggest challenge for her chefs is to make the floss, getting thin strands out of the egg.
You need the skill, just like how a dragon beard candy master could stretch molten sugar and turn it into delicate, thread-like strands resembling a dragon’s beard.
The chefs at Petaling drizzle the egg yolks into melted butter in a fine stream and stir them in a circular motion until they become crispy and golden.
It takes skill to get the temperature of the butter just right. Too hot and you’d end up with strands that will be burnt even before they become stretched in the oil, too low and you’d end up with an omelet instead.
A bonus, of course, is that the prawns used for this dish are large, juicy, and crispy. A great dish to impress the dinner guests, too.
PETALING MALAYSIAN RESTAURANT
248A Dominion Road, Mount Eden. Ph: 09 974 3993.
Opening Hours: 11am-3pm, 5-9.30pm (closed on Tuesdays)
