Malaysian cuisine steps into the spotlight in the latest Flavors of Asia event

The Ateneo Center for Asians Studies' (ACAS) Flavors of Asia series returned last 15 June 2024, this time shining a spotlight on Malaysian cuisine. Hosted with assistance from the Berjaya Makati Hotel and the John Gokongwei School of Management's (JGSOM) BS Restaurant Entrepreneurship (BS REnt) program, the event took place at the Salon Curnonsky of Le Cordon Bleu Ateneo at Areté.

Chef Ramzu Nasri of the halal-certified Berjaya Makati Hotel showed participants how to cook three Malaysian dishes – roti canai, laksa, beef rendang – and prepare the beverage teh tarik. Chef Ramzu has extensive experience honed in top hotels and resorts such as Shangri-La, the Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, and Banwa Private Island in Palawan, before his current posting at Berjaya. He also runs his own restaurant – PappaRam Malaysian Kitchen in Marikina.

Also at the event was the Ambassador of Malaysia to the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency Dato' Malik Abdul Melvin bin Anthony. His Excellency gave a short address talking about his own experiences with Asian cuisine as part of his travels around the region.

The demonstration itself began with Chef Ramzu demonstrating how to prepare laksa. For this, he used prawn stock, though he clarified that other stocks can be used as well. He also explained each of the ingredients being added, including how to source them locally.

Next up were the beef rendang and roti canai. For the former, Chef Ramzu explained how the dish requires the beef to be slow-cooked for six hours. He then demonstrated how to properly knead the dough for the roti, after which he invited some of the Le Cordon Bleu students who attended the event to try doing the same.

He then demonstrated how to puff up the roti for plating, which required hitting the roti vigorously from both sides.

Finally, for teh tarik, – a popular hot milk tea drink – Chef Ramzu steeped bags of black tea, before showing how to add in the condensed milk, then the evaporated milk, to complete the drink.

He also demonstrated how to pour the mixture between two vessels, a process that not only gives the drink the frothy top it's known for, but also helps further mix in the condensed milk while also cooling it down.

During the entire presentation, some members of the audience, including H.E. the Malaysian Ambassador, as well as Dr Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, Dean of the School of Social Sciences, were invited to come up to the counter to try the dishes. In addition, some of the Le Cordon Bleu students volunteered to help with plating the dishes.

Following the demonstrations, the group moved to the 5th-floor Study Hall of the Rizal Library for a buffet lunch of 7 dishes, including the three demonstrated by Chef Ramzu.