3 things you need to try at the Broga Fish Farm

No, I don’t mean the charcoal! The charcoal is for preparing the food at the Broga Fish Farm:P

Broga is a small town just 50 km from Kuala Lumpur (where I live) that sits on the border of Selangor and Negri Sembilan in Malaysia. Broga takes its name from the River Broga which runs through the area. The name Broga is believed to be derived from Buragas, a mythical beast that lives in the forest apparently.

As you enter Broga, you will pass many oil palm estates, and around 20 minutes later, you will see the 1st landmark before the Fish Farm – the famous Si Na Tok Chinese temple. This temple is famous for punters wanting to get lucky at the casinos or in 4 digit gambling (numbers). The gamblers come to this temple to pray to the god’s of luck, for a lucky number. Walking into the temple you will hear the jangling of sticks which will be dropped to reveal the lucky number. If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say “THIS is your winning number” I’d be RICH anyway!

Si Na Tok Temple

The ever so ‘lucky’ Monkey god.

The road onward to the Fish Farm will bend left of the temple and you will drive through a small dirt road with lots of trees. 10 minutes later, you will reach a clearing and see  a small family owned restaurant in front of a fish pond on your left. The menu is simple and can be fit on to one A4 sized card. It reads – grilled tilapia fish which is their specialty and you get to pick the type of sauce you want on your fish.  It is advisable to inform the waiter about the average size of the fish you would like (ie. large or medium etc.) and inquire about the price of fish to be cooked before it goes onto the grill. Asking for the fish price and size is normal practice in any Chinese seafood restaurant in Malaysia.

Because of the surroundings in which the  Tilapia fish breeds, the pond, this fish usually has a strong muddy smell that can be easily gotten rid of my allowing the fish to swim for a couple of days in fresh water. Thus you see the man-made basins for this exact purpose, at the back of the fish farm.  One of the family members is seen gutting the fish at the back of the restaurant.

Another thing you will notice are the different generations here, playing their role in this successful family business. From prepping to cooking to serving the food, this restaurant has no time to stop and chat – you might even need to go up to the front to place your own order as they have no time to come to your table!

Embers from the charcoal cook and BBQ the food to perfection and give it that distinctive aroma.

The foils have writings on them – a system that works well in this restaurant for which table gets which dish.

Well ,the menu is not exactly extensive here  but, the 3 Things you need to try at the Broga Fish Farm Restaurant include:

1. The fish, of course! Fresh sizzling and full of garlic and ginger in light soya sauce- this is a must order. Of course if you prefer something spicier and with more kick, you can try the fish in Tom Yam Sauce.

2. The lady’s fingers. Because vegetable are good for you and these tastes great when BBQ-ed.

3. The mutton! Slightly too tough for my liking but, the flavour was good. A lot of ginger and chinese wine employed in the cooking of the mutton – the peppery-gingery seasoning really burned the throat! Have a cold drink at hand because you will need it!