GEORGE TOWN, Dec 10 — More than 10 years ago, Yaakob Che Mat went out to sea each day to fish in order to support his family.
It was not an easy life as on some days, there were barely enough fishes to sell and Yaakob’s family had to survive on what little they had.
On some days, when he had a good catch, Yaakob would cook up the leftover fish according to his own recipe of spices for a warming, rich curry in a claypot.
“I would usually cook a lot and invite my fishermen friends over to eat and each time, they would tell me my curries are good enough for me to start a restaurant,” he said.
The 52-year-old continued to improve on his recipe before finally deciding to rent a small shop in Kuala Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau and start his own restaurant business.
That was in 2010 and today, Yaakob no longer goes out to sea as his restaurant is always busy with customers who come for his special claypot fish curry.
“When I was a fishermen, my income was low and uncertain while cost of living continued to increase but now, I spend most of my time in the kitchen and I get a better income from cooking than out catching fish,” he said.
He said it was not something he had planned but he believes it is the best decision he has ever made switching career from being a fisherman to a restaurant owner.
“My recipe is a combination of some lemak curry and some assam curry so that it is a special mixture that is not too rich and also not too sour,” he said.
The best part is that each order of fish curry is served up in a claypot so the curry continues to simmer gently and keep warm when served to the customer.
“The claypot curry is for five to six people and we prefer that our customers call ahead to book so that we can prepare it for them especially for groups of more than 10 people,” he said.
The types of fish served in the claypot curries include pomfret, catfish and snapper.
“All the fish are supplied by local fishermen who are all my friends so the fish are guaranteed fresh from the sea,” he said.
Yaakob has taught his wife Sakinah Hashim and his three children, aged between 19 and 28 years old, all of his recipes.
“This is so that anyone can take over from me and we can take turns preparing the food in the kitchen,” he said.
The restaurant also has a small selection of other side dishes like stir-fried vegetables, crunchy fried fish and fried chicken to accompany the claypot curry. And of course everything comes with a serving of white rice.
Eryna Cafe
Kuala Sungai Pinang
Tel: 012-416 4445 / 017-5522611
Time: 9am-2.30pm
Closed on Tuesdays
