KUALA LUMPUR, June19 — What's your favourite must-have when you're eating a bowl of porridge at home? Mine is the canned fried dace fish with salted black beans.
You will always find a can or two in our pantry as my mother also loves to add it to other dishes like omelettes or even fried rice, since it's jammed pack with flavour.
However since canned food has preservatives, I only just discovered that many people have been making their own versions at home instead, like this one from Mr Hakka based in Cheras.
Started since March last year, Mr. Hakka is run by KM Chan. His version uses fresh threadfin fish or ma yau to make his version. So far, I've come across other places making a similar product with croaker fish and sanma fish.
Looking at Chan's Facebook page, he will buy fresh fish which he cleans and trims himself. The fish is then deep fried in batches.
He packs the fried fish with the salted black beans together with a sauce onto a huge tray which is then covered and steamed.
This will allow the flavours to penetrate the fish. From what I read on the Internet, you can of course take the shorter route by using a pressure cooker.
You can get one box of two fishes weighing 300 grams for RM15. I tried another vendor as well but preferred Chan's as the flavours are more balanced.
Most importantly, he uses better quality beans that remain whole and tasty. The other one's black beans were mushy with not much flavour. Chan's sauce is a little sweeter on its own but you need that to balance out the salty taste of the beans.
As there's no preservatives, you need to store it in the refrigerator. It can keep for one week chilled or two months in the freezer.
Since these are prepared fresh, there's of course marked differences compared to the canned dace fish. The homemade version has less oil since the canned ones need it to help preserve the fish.
For the fish bones, it's not entirely brittle even though some parts are. Usually canned dace fish is hard, the homemade version's fish has a nicer softer texture.
Pair it with a plate of steaming hot rice or a bowl of plain porridge (we make ours with millet for a healthier meal) to enjoy it.
In addition, Mr Hakka also offers tofu fishballs and the Hakka classic dish of mui choy kaw yoke or pork belly. I tried the tofu fishballs and they're prepared fresh and sealed in a packet. You get about 200 grams for RM15.
Just steam it for five minutes to heat it up if you prefer eating it just like that. The puffs are stuffed with a bit of fish paste that have a distinct peppery taste, which I enjoyed.
The best way to enjoy them is cooked in soup or steamboat. I paired mine with a soup made from ikan bilis, vegetables and the pantry staple of Maggi instant noodles. A simple, hot meal you can just whip up at night after work.
Like the fish, the tofu fishballs are free from preservatives and can keep in the refrigerator for one week or two months in the freezer.
You can order by WhatsApp from Chan. Just leave a message and if you're like me who can't write Mandarin, he will call back and talk to you in Cantonese.
They deliver to selected areas in Cheras, Sungai Long, Pandan Indah, Pandan Jaya, Taman Desa and Jalan Klang Lama. You can arrange for delivery yourself or pick up from their place at Cheras.
Mr Hakka, Taman Damai Jaya, Cheras, KL. You can WhatsApp at 018-2218616 for orders between 9am to 5pm. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/客家先生住家菜-324268618432971/
