Travel: Art Heritage of Malay Cuisine is The Main Attraction at PNB Ilham Resort, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Every time before booking a vacation room either hotel, homestay, resort or similiar wtih that definitely in your mind will think about the food will be served. Tasty or not? You need not worry if you are at PNB Ilham Resort Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. According to the management, preserve Malay heritage cuisine in the main attraction here besides priority of hospitality and give a very good service compared to other hotel and resort vicinity of Port Dickson.

Recently, I had opportunity to joined Sahabat Media Trip Program to PNB Ilham Resort, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan for two days and one night with other media friends to fullfil an invitation of the PNB Ilham Resort management itself for Visit Malaysia Year 2014. PNB Ilham Resorts, Port Dickson located at very edge of Cape Rachado over looking the majestic Straits of Malacca and just about 18 km from the town of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. The journey takes about an hour from Kuala Lumpur.

Distinctly that the promotion of Malay herritage cuisine touted during a press conference held when we arrived not only sweet words. The proof of its we served with an unusual dishes. A variety food is served from appetizers to desserts. Interestingly, even though we were in Negeri Sembilan there are vaeriety sauces here such as budu, sambal belacan, tempoyak and cencaluk served and I feel like I already explore the whole of Malaysia. Budu is a sauce originated from Kelantan and cencaluk derived from Malacca, while tempoyak famous in Perak and sambal belacan can be found thoughout Malaysia, only the preparation method is different.

Various types of “kerabu” and “pecal” (kerabu is Malay traditional salad with vegetables, fruits, meat or seafood meanwhile pecal is Java salad with vegetables, fruits and peanut sauce) also be serving us during lunch and dinner. According to Chef Zam Zam as an Executive Chef incharge of each dish, the traditional Malay dishes like ‘gulai tempoyak ikan patin’, ‘daging salai masak lemak’, ‘rendang itik minang’, ‘sambal udang petai’, ‘sup tulang rawan’ and a variety unique of Malay traditional cuisine served to elevate the art of cooking thus promote the cuisine itself.

Dessert served are Malay traditional sweet foods like ‘pulut serawa durian’, ‘ondeh-ondeh’, ‘kuih koci’, ‘seri muka’ and many others. I’m so excited when looking at variety types of “ulam” (herbs eaten raw) and some of them I have never seen and did not know the name such as ‘pucuk tenggek burung’. If direct translate “ tenggek burung’ mean a perched bird, name that is unique and funny...

On our last day here, before our lunch meal, chef Zam Zam was demonstration how to cook ‘rendang burung puyuh’. It tempting when I remembered about the cuisine that I was just eat a bit.

Strategies to promote Malay traditional cuisine is effective to attract local and foreign tourists and can directly evelate the culinary arts and Malay heritage food to the world. Indirectly was able to preserve this herritage and it can be documented that the culinary arts and food remains and is passed down through generations.

For those of you who love to experiece Chef’s Zam Zam cookings, you should go to PNB Ilham Resort, Port Dickson. Want to know where is the location? Let’s read my next post about PNB Ilham Resort...