After 30 days of fasting, the festival of Ramadan is celebrated in Malaysia as Hari Raya. The streets are decorated with beautiful fairy lights and ketupat leaves, everyone looks absolutely stunning in their new outfits especially bought or tailored for the occasion, happiness and laughter fills the air – yes, it is definitely Hari Raya! Whether you celebrate the festival or not, we are going to let you in on the top 5 must-have foods if you are in Malaysia for Hari Raya…Read on to find out the mouthwatering foods your taste buds must try this year for Hari Raya!
1. Lemang is a traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo stick which is lined with banana leaves that helps to make sure that the rice does not stick to the bamboo. The bamboo stick that contains the glutinous rice, salt, and coconut milk is placed at a slanted angle on a small fire with the opening facing upwards and must be turned regularly to make sure that the rice is evenly cooked. The entire cooking process takes 4 -5 hours but the end result is absolutely worth it!
2. Ketupat is a type of dumpling that is made from rice that is tightly packed inside a palm leaf pouch which is woven into the shape of a diamond. This delicious traditional delicacy is commonly described as “packed rice” – the ketupat is usually cut open, the woven palm leaf covering is removed, the inner rice cake is then cut into pieces and served as a main rice dish (commonly replacing plain steamed rice). It is usually eaten with meat dishes such as rending and is usually served during festive occasions such as Hari Raya.
3. Rendang is a spicy meat-based dish that originates from Indonesia which is traditionally served at ceremonial occasions such as Hari Raya and wedding feasts. This mouth-watering dish is composed of a main meat ingredient and uses coconut milk and a variety of aromatic spices such as ginger, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, shallots and chillies. The unique taste of this dish is a result of the slow-cooking process with continuous mixing of the ingredients until the liquid has evaporated; the meat absorbs the rich mix of spices and is so tender that it literally melts in your mouth. The rich Rendang is commonly served with plain steamed rice, lemang or ketupat with an accompaniment of vegetables
4. Kuah Kacang or peanut sauce is a rich and nutty-sweet concoction that is commonly paired with lemang or ketupat. The delicious nutty sauce is also a must-have accompaniment for satay. This sauce is a must-have for those of you who enjoy delicious nutty sweet and sour flavor of peanuts.
5. Serunding commonly known as meat floss is a delicious meat based dish that is commonly seen on the table during Hari Raya. The mouth-watering dish is usually made from beef but any meat can be substituted in its place e.g. chicken etc. The dish gets its unique name of “floss” because the meat is torn apart into shreds and once it is cooked in combination with a variety of spices such as lemon grass, galangal, garlic, chillie paste and palm sugar it begins to resemble floss. Makes your mouth water just thinking about it!
Hari Raya is only a few days away – make sure you have a chance to experience some or all of these delicious, mouth-watering traditional dishes to satisfy your taste buds and your stomach. Whether you are craving these delicious dishes or any other types of cuisines, you can find plenty of food promotions to satisfy all your food desires on Albaloo.