Have you ever tasted a ginger flower? It looks like a mini banana blossom and is sweet, slightly sour and has refreshing floral notes. Chef Muhammad Asaari Bin Johari uses it in Kerabu Mangga, a popular Malaysian salad made with raw mango, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, bird’s eye chilli, peanuts, shallots, lemon juice and a chilli honey dressing. He is a culinary artist from Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur visiting Mr.Ong at Park Hyatt Chennai for the Malaysian food festival. The salad is vivid and refreshing with sour notes from the raw mango, sweetness from the honey and a bold kick from the bird’s eye chilli.
“Each country has ingredients that are unique to that region. Usually there are alternatives but I want to take the authentic flavour of Malaysia throughout the world. I can’t make Kerabu Mangga without ginger flower so I brought some ingredients with me to India,” says Chef Asaari.
