Sauna Prawns @ Brother Yat Seafood Restaurant, Subang Jaya

Sauna Prawns, did the title catch your attention yet? It is a dish found in Brother Yat, a seafood restaurant located off the beaten path – somewhere among the factories at Subang Jaya .
When I first heard and saw how this dish was prepared via photos taken by my friend, I was really intrigued. I have tried many prawns in my life cooked in different styles – steamed, fried, deep-fried, grilled, boiled and salad, but just not like this.

This method of cooking requires only a hot pot filled with sauna stones and a cup of Carlsberg beer. Live prawns (read: LIVE) are first poured on top of the pre-heated pot, followed by a cup of Carlsberg beer into the bottom segment of the pot and fully covered. All this has to be done fast to prevent the prawns from overcooking, as well as preventing the evaporated beer from escaping.

After the prawns “enjoyed” a minute of sauna bath, they are ready to be eaten.

Being still alive seconds before being cooked, the prawns taste extremely fresh flavored with their own natural sweetness and faint smell of alcohol. It is best you enjoy the prawns warm to get the most taste out of them. If I remember correctly, this dish cost RM40.

My host that night was sharkteef, a close friend who introduced this prawn dish to me. Besides Sauna Prawn, he also ordered some other dishes that were recommended by the captain.
He has a piece of advice for anyone who goes to Brother Yat for dinner (note: dinner only) – whatever the captain recommends, just take it because mostly likely it would be something good and unusual.
Pork Knuckles with Mongolian Sauce (sweet tasting black pepper sauce) – You really gotta put your health consciousness aside to fully enjoy this crispy and fatty dish.

Green Curry Fish Head is also one of Brother Yat’s signature dish. The hot curry is thick and savoury with a hint of sweetness, something desired in green curries. Served in a rather generous portion too.

Homemade Tofu topped with appetizing dried shrimp sauce. Despite looking very ordinary it is actually very good stuff.

Stir Fried Lotus Roots with Macadamia Nuts – a rather simple and healthy vegetable dish, but the crunchy nuts were a nice addition.

I don’t know how much did the dinner cost because I did not see the bill. But I gather that the meal shouldn’t cost more than RM150 for the dishes shown above, quite reasonable considering the amount of food we had. The Sauna Prawn alone should be interesting enough to draw anyone prawn lovers to give Brother Yat a try.

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