AUSSIE MEAT ACADEMY ULTIMATE BUTCHERS' CHALLENGE

 

EZ Meat (Taiwan) emerged as the Grand Champion Butcher, walking away with cash prize of RM2,000, a trophy and award certificate. The team also won Most Innovative Meat Display & Presentation at the Aussie Meat Academy Ultimate Butchers Challenge held recently.

Aimed at advancing the butchery profession by enhancing participants' expertise in meat knowledge, cutting techniques, and essential cooking skills, the Aussie Meat Academy 'Ultimate Butchers Challenge’ is geared towards uplifting professional butchery standards and to reinvigorate and grow the profession in Malaysia.

Supported by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Investment New South Wales, the competition also sets a new platform to promote the butchery profession and professionalism in support of the foodservice and retail industry.

 
Professional butchery is more than cutting meat; it also showcases the butcher’s skill in deboning, portioning, displaying creative and practical applications, reducing wastage and increasing yields.

A strong butcher’s resume includes cutting and de-boning meat, preparing displays, weighing and labelling products, reducing waste, and increasing yields. In addition, a competent butcher should be familiar with all beef and lamb cuts for various cooking methods and share this knowledge with customers. Precision cutting skill also helps maximise yield, minimise waste, and improve eating quality for shoppers.

Hosted at UCSI University, a total of 16 teams from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia competed in the event. Participating butchers are from the 40 years old and below age group with at least a year’s professional experience. 

Each two member team comprised of at least one professional butcher. Teams had to work on one chilled Australian beef and one Australian lamb for judging and tasting.

 

 
Khairul Anuar Muhamad who’s a Lambassador and Senior Lecturer II at Taylor’s Culinary Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management was the Head Judge for the Ultimate Butchers Challenge 2025.

 
Other judges included Adrian Chong, Aussie Beef Mate and Executive Chef of Hyatt Regency Kinabalu; Ridzwan Rasit, Lambassador and Executive Sous Chef, Hilton Kuala Lumpur; Eric Siew, Lambassador and Owner/Executive Chef of ABANICO Your Deli Restaurant; and Richard Tay, Aussie Beef Mate and Head Chef at CALIA, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

First runner-up of the Ultimate Butchers Challenge was Central Food Wholesale Ltd (Thailand). The team received RM1,000 along with a trophy and award certificates while second runner-up, Butcher Box Pte Ltd (Singapore), bagged RM800, a trophy and award certificates.

There were also RM200 cash prizes each for Best Meat Display Ideas, Best Value Added Meat Ideas, Best Ultimate Tasting Dish and Best Presented Dish. 

VERSATILE, HALAL AND DELICIOUS #TRUEAUSSIELAMB EXPERIENCE

Versatile. Fast to cook. Even better and most delicious to eat. Words that are music to a busy mum’s ears once I discover how easy it is to cook with #trueaussielamb.

Having picked up lots of useful information from the recent Meat Livestock Australia (MLA) “Your Trusted Halal Australian Beef and Lamb, from Farm to Plate” Media Webinar, I realise #trueaussiebeef and #trueaussielamb both many advantages: the meat is Halal-certified, can be used for a wide variety of Asian or Western dishes, and are rich with vitamins and minerals.

Inspired by Chef Jason Manson’s Peranakan-style Beef and Belimbing uluh with Beancurd Sauce, and his version of Sabahan Beef Soto with Vermicelli, I decided to use a mild spice rub for the #trueaussielamb shoulder chops. The idea is to flavour the meat without overwhelming the natural taste.

To balance the rich meaty flavour, I chose a refreshing orange and cherry tomatoes salad to complement the seared lamb shoulder chops. The greens also helped to add healthy balance to my family’s daily diet. It’s a simple and fast recipe to prepare, plus delicious to boot!

 

SEARED SPICED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

with Orange & Cherry Tomatoes Salad

INGREDIENTS

For the lamb chops:

2 pcs Halal True Aussie Lamb Shoulder Chops

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garam marsala

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Mix the spices together and rub onto the lamb chops.

Heat pan with oil. Sear lamb shoulder chops on high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.

For the salad:

8-10 cherry tomatoes

1/2 yellow or red onion

1 orange

1 packet baby spinach leaves

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Slice cherry tomatoes into halves.

Cut orange into dices.

Slice onion into julienne or strips.

Rinse baby spinach and toss dry to remove excess water.

Whisk olive oil with balsamic vinegar.

Toss spinach, cherry tomatoes, orange dices and onion thoroughly with salad dressing.

To serve, plate up seared lamb shoulder chops with a serving of salad on the side. Enjoy your serving of Halal True Aussie Lamb Shoulder Chops!

During the (MLA) Media Webinar, Sanjay Boothalingam, Australian Agriculture Counsellor, Australian High Commission reiterated, “the Australian Government ensures Australian beef, lamb and goat are of the highest quality and being halal compliant. Australian meat is also known for our safety, sustainability, reliability and traceability.”

Terry Nolan, Representative from the Australian Meat Industry Council assured us “exporters are committed to supplying halal meat from Australia’s farms to Malaysian consumers, ensuring quality and halal practices, and with all the SOPs in place.”

He also shared how Australian livestock are raised in pristine environment, free from diseases, and spoke on Australia’s red meat integrity systems. 

All cattle, sheep and goats processed in Australia for the Malaysia market are slaughtered under the Australian Government Supervised Halal Program by accredited Muslims, and are administered by the Federal Department of Agriculture in Australia. 

Additionally, all processing facilities in Australia employ only registered and trained Muslim slaughtermen from the Halal Certifying Bodies. They also comply with personal hygiene, operational sanitation and animal welfare requirements. These Halal Certifying Bodies are recognised and approved by JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia). The Halal systems and production facilities are regularly audited by internal quality and food safety assurance systems, (Australian and importing country representatives from DVS (Department of Veterinary Services of Malaysia) and JAKIM. 

#TrueAussieMy #australianbeefandlamb #premiumbeef #lambassador

For more information, visit the following websites:

www.mla.com.au

www.trueaussiebeef.com

www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.my

www.lambassador.asia

WINSOME CULINARY GEMS AT BURI

Signature BURI Maki

A rolled sushi crowned with six different toppings: spicy salmon; scallop with avocado; sweet prawns with a cube of foie gras; marinated ikura (salmon roe); unagi with slivers of cucumber and crabstick dotted with caviar makes up the visually pleasing Buri Signature Maki (RM45).

It’s one of the many signature specialities by Chef Steve Chua and his partner Chef Edmund Chong for BURI by Two Chefs, a new Japanese outpost which opened on 9 September by the award-winning Two Chefs Lab team.

 

Named after the prized Japanese yellowtail, it’s a propitious indication of how well Chua and Chong have weathered the challenging times. A champion of the prestigious World Sushi Cup in Malaysia, and winner of the World Gourmet Award, the talented chefs now aim to win diners’ hearts, minds and palates with an even more tempting and creative selection – straddling crowd-pleasing sashimi and sushi, rice bowls and slightly fusion offerings like grilled lamb and torched black pork carpaccio at BURI.

As for the Buri Signature Maki, it’s a sublime serving worth savouring slowly. The freshness of each ingredients is unquestionable, and you’d have to take time to appreciate the myriad of textural contrasts and complementing flavours emerging from each of the morsels.

The creative handiwork is underscored in the whole platter so the resultant rolled sushi is not only visually pleasing, but it also teases sensuously. Suffice to say, the proof is truly in the eating.

When it comes to curtain-raisers, the beautifully presented Avocado Salad (RM22) is one of many notable choices. The profusion of fresh greens with mashed avocado decked with lotus root crisps, cherry tomatoes, beetroot spirals and a dollop of ebiko will spur salad-averse diners to load up without nary a complaint.

I give extra points for the Japanese sesame dressing being house made – it isn’t overly cloying, and used with restraint in the salad.

Prefer a tummy-warming appetiser? Then consider the Foie Gras Chawan Mushi (RM14.50). Silky smooth steamed egg custard topped with cubes of savoury rich foie gras...heavenly indulgence!

As Malaysian consumers become more sophisticated, some are beginning to realise it’s worth paying for good quality pork and beef. Hence the increased interest and demand for premium Waygu and Iberico. At BURI you’d have a chance to sample Kuro Buta Carpaccio (RM19).

Served with housemade chilli vinegar sauce, each piece of the juicy and tender sliced black pork is akin to a flavour bomb; an enticement for repeat helpings.

Diners with hearty appetite will enjoy BURI’s Gyu Don (RM42). Sliced Aussie beef complemented by an onsen Kenkori egg, two slices of takuan (Japanese yellow pickled radish) and chopped scallion graced the Japanese rice bowl.

While Aussie beef is already known in the local market for its eating quality, Kenkori eggs have yet to achieve that level of mass awareness. Produced using Japanese farming methods in Malaysia – the first of its kind – Kenkori eggs are enriched with Japanese Astaxanthin and Probiotic, are antibiotic and hormone-free, and are anti-salmonella and e.coli. These two ingredients already raise the quality standard of this particular rice bowl.

To further amplify and bring finesse to his culinary creation, the chef uses shio kombu and truffle oil as the finishing touches. According to Bon Appétit, “shio kombu are kelp boiled in soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, then dried and cut into small pieces. The flavor and aroma are intensely sweet with a hint of the ocean.”

With white rice serving as the canvas for all the different ingredients to meld and form a wondrous picture on the tastebuds, I daresay you’d find it hard not to succumb to such a heartwarming offering.

Japanese dessert is always simple and light and BURI follows the same philosophy. Try Warabi Mochi (RM12)– a summery Japanese jelly-like confection made from bracken or potato starch, served with kinako (toasted soybean powder) and a scoop of yuzu sherbet.

For more information and reservations, please call BURI By Two Chefs, tel: 03-97663438, hp: 010-5539910. Address: E-1-1, Pusat Perdagangan Bandar, Jalan Persiaran Jalil 1, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Business hours: Monday to Saturday from 1130 am to 8pm.