KLUANG - A cook dedicated two weeks to craft a tempoyak dish for Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim in conjunction with the Kembara Mahkota Johor (KMJ) 2023 tour, which entered its second day at Kampung Sungai Lukut here today.
Muhammad Fairuz A. Rahman, 40, who runs the Pit Stop Sungai Kahang restaurant, also showcased his culinary skills by presenting a special dish called Ikan Lais Tempoyak, which is synonymous with the Kahang area, to Tunku Ismail, who leads this year’s royal convoy.
"Prior to this moment, I had all kinds of feelings - anxiety and fear among them. However, I felt relieved and grateful once TMJ tasted the food and provided a positive response.
"During the 20 years of running a restaurant, this is the first time the Johor royal family tasted my cooking,” he told reporters.
Besides enjoying the tempoyak dish, Tunku Ismail also planted a Meranti tree to commemorate the KMJ tour at the site.
During the visit, Tunku Ismail also took photos with the Southern Volunteers Simpang Renggam and Kluang paintball teams and participated in the game.
He also greeted residents from Kampung Sri Lukut and Kampung Contoh and watched water sports and a tug-of-war competition.
Meanwhile, his siblings - Tunku Temenggong Tunku Idris Iskandar, Tunku Panglima Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj, Tunku Putera Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj - and Tunku Tun Aminah’s husband Datuk Dennis Muhammad Abdullah joined the people in playing a game of giant Jenga blocks.
Tunku Ismail is currently leading a royal convoy that will travel through 10 districts covering a distance of 879 km from Aug 5 to 8. - BERNAMA