Queen shares Malaysian recipes with Turkish chefs

Queen shares Malaysian recipes with Turkish chefs (Bernama)

Putrajaya: Malaysia’s Queen Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah today showcased her cooking skills to two Turkish chefs at Istana Melawati here.

The two men, Omur Akkor and Alper Unluturk, have actually been following Her Majesty’s culinary activities on social media.

Fascinated with the ‘Ketam Masak Lemak Cili Api’ (crab in spicy coconut gravy) prepared by Tunku Azizah today, Akkor asked an Istana Negara chef who had assisted Her Majesty in preparing the dish, to write down the recipe for him.

At the same time, the duo took the opportunity to prepare a 500-year-old Turkish royal dessert known as ‘Helva-i Hakani’ for Tunku Azizah.

“It means royal dessert in the Turkish language. The recipe is from the year 1535 and it was first made for the circumcision ceremony of a prince. It is a forgotten dessert these days,” chef Akkor told Bernama, explaining that the sweetmeat is made from flour, butter, sugar, almonds and milk.

Another Turkish delicacy prepared by the two chefs was an appetiser called ‘Mucver’ made from zucchini, parsley, onions, flour and eggs.

Also present was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who witnessed Akkor and Unluturk preparing the Turkish delicacies, and to the delight of the Turks, both their Majesties praised the deliciousness of the fare.

Other dishes prepared by Tunku Azizah today included the popular Kelantanese dish ‘Nasi Kerabu’ (herb rice), ‘Puding Raja’ (royal pudding) and ‘Laksam’ (flat rice noodles in fish gravy).

While preparing the ‘Nasi Kerabu’, Her Majesty gave some brief explanations about the popular breakfast dish which is served with a wide array of sides including fish, beef and ‘solok lada’ (green chillies stuffed with fish paste).

Tunku Azizah also displayed her packing skills when preparing ‘Nasi Tumpang’ (compressed rice in banana leaf) to the two foreign chefs.

“This is the first time I have cooked in a royal palace with the queen as observer. It is a rare experience and I feel honoured,” said a star-struck Akkor.

BERNAMA