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. 

CHEF NAT’S FLAVOURS OF THAILAND AT NIPAH

Thailand’s foremost lady butcher and meat maestro, Natsasi Noo-in – better known as Chef Nat – wields anatomical precision with gastronomic flair, bringing invigorating Thai flavours to Nipah and Étoile, EQ Kuala Lumpur.
 
From 25 to 28 June, the tour de force of The Lady Butcher restaurant and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) ambassador will thrill carnivores alike. Equal parts meat master, sustainability champion and culinary innovator, Chef Nat is famed for elevating secondary Aussie beef cuts and often-overlooked offal to rarefied heights. Her mantra? "Choosing ingredients is like choosing a partner and Australian beef is my perfect match."

 
EQ guests will find the chef’s custom menu a study in balance and bravado — part technical precision, part homespun Thai soul. Her Tom Saap is a fine example in which Australian beef osso buco bestows meaty essence into a muted herbal-accented broth, punctuated with wild mushrooms.

Her bright, zingy Thai Beef Salad is almost symphonic with fresh coriander, chillies, lemongrass and lime. Unmissable Young Mango, Glass Noodles and Thai Seafood Salad tango invitingly on the palate; the profusion of tantalising nuances priming tastebuds for the mains to come.

Robust, soul-warming Beef Topside Gaeng Om coaxes deep, layered complexity from humble cuts of beef and exotic Thai herbs. Underpinning her Thai background is Braised Beef Short Rib Salad with Pomelo and Mint.

She cannily banks on nam jim jeaw – the go-to Thai sauce for grilled meat to enhance the allure of her Beef Rump Carpaccio with Jaew Dressing. More fusion in approach is the Smoked Beef Brisket with Cherry Tomatoes & Burrata Cheese.

 
Seared to smoky perfection, we relish the tender Banana Leaf Grilled Australian Ribeye, complemented by a punchy roasted rice and black pepper sauce.

 
The standout Grain Fed Picanha Steak, dressed in makwaen (prickly ash, a star-anise shape spice similar to Sichuan peppercorn) spiked jaew, tastes superb paired with sticky rice. Likewise, Braised Beef Brisket with Rice Noodles piques interest with stimulating flavours.

 
Lamb lovers will find much to love with the moreish Lamb Loin Larb with Organic Greens (crisp outer crumb yielding to scrumptious lamb mince inside) and fall-off-the-bone tender Braised Australian Lamb Shank in Soy Sauce with Salted Egg Yolk.

 
The chef culminates her showcase with Mango Sticky Rice Trio and Bua Loy in Coconut Milk. These dessert treats deliver a warm, sweet ending to the meat-dominated affair.

 
Priced at RM198+ per adult and RM99+ per child (6–12 years),
Chef Nat’s specialities are available at Nipah from 25–28 June 2025, served buffet-style from 6.30pm – 10.30pm. The Étoile semi-buffet brunch on 29 June is priced at RM158+ per adult and RM79 per child.

 
For reservations, call EQ Kuala Lumpur, WhatsApp: +60 12-583 5319 or email: dineateqkl@kul.equatorial.com

MEAT LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA LAMBASSADORS’ WORKSHOP AT HILTON KL

(left-right) Hilton Chef Steven Wong, Australian High Commissioner Dr Justin Lee, Chef Eric Siew and Agriculture Counsellor Sanjay Boothalingam

Australian lamb is not only lean, tender, and healthy but also versatile and easy to cook. With many different cuts available, the meat is suitable for both Asian and Western cooking. 

Meat Livestock Australia (MLA) recently hosted a fun-filled Lambassadors’ Workshop to showcase the great attributes of Australian lamb at Chambers Restaurant, Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

Australian High Commissioner Dr Justin Lee (left) and Agriculture Counsellor Sanjay Boothalingam joined local media members in making open-face lamb pies in a hands-on workshop conducted by Lambassador Chef Eric Siew and Hilton KL Chef Steven Wong.

In his welcome speech, Dr Lee highlighted that 38% of the global supplies – approximately 431,000 tonnes – of sheep meat comes from Australia. Malaysia is the second largest destination for Australian sheep meat in South-East Asia as the country imports 84% of its sheep meat from Australia.

Dr Lee said: “Our red meat export industry is underpinned by a strong biosecurity framework and export regulations in addition to our world-class food regulatory system. Australia also supplies over 17 Islamic markets with Australian halal red meat. We abide by importing country requirements, Australian export legislation, and the Australian Government Authorised Halal Program (AGAHP).”

After observing the two Lambassador Chefs in action (refer to recipe enclosed), the media members then made and decorated their own lamb pies. They were also treated to an array of afternoon tea treats featuring Australian beef and lamb prepared by the Hilton KL team.

According to Valeska, Meat & Livestock Australia’s Regional Manager for South-east Asia, maintaining current production and consumption levels of Australian red meat – beef and lamb – will not contribute to additional global temperature rise – otherwise known as ‘climate neutral’. This means eating Australian lamb does not have an adverse impact on the environment.

“In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from our red meat industry have halved over the last 16 years. There is significantly more tree cover on Australia’s grazing lands than there was 30 years ago, and it takes 68% less water to produce a kilo of beef,” she said.

Australian lamb is halal to the bone. The animals are slaughtered under the Australian Government Supervised Halal Programme, by Muslims approved by accredited Islamic certifying authorities in accredited processing plants, according to strict Islamic law or Syariah, and in compliance to importing country’s strict halal protocol. This programme is guaranteed under the Australian law, and administered by the Federal Department of Agriculture.

A good source of protein, Australian lamb contains 13 essential nutrients required for good health. Among them are Iron, Zinc, Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.

For more Australian lamb recipe ideas, visit: https://www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.my/#