By Jasmine Badun
KUCHING: Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!
Malaysia’s unique tradition of having open houses during festival celebrations is one we all welcome.
Today, at the Hari Raya Aidilfitri open houses, many delicacies that have been specially prepared with love will be served to family members, friends and sometimes even strangers from various cultural and religious backgrounds.
Here are some popular Hari Raya favourites shared by members of the public:
Muhammad Hamizan’s favourite dishes during the festival are rendang (dish of beef or other meat cooked slowly in coconut milk and various spices until fairly dry) with, of course, lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo) and ketupat (compressed rice dish cooked in diamond-shaped parcels made from coconut fronds).
Rendang’s appeal stems from the fact that it is cooked using a variety of spices, specific ingredients, coconut milk, and meat or chicken.
The ingredients for lemang are extremely simple, consisting of glutinous rice and coconut milk, yet the taste is exquisite, usually served with beef rendang or chicken rendang.
To acquire the correct ketupat consistency, it’s wrapped in palm leaves and simmered for a few hours, explained the 21-year-old.
He added that these dishes were more commonly thought of as meals that represented joy and friendliness between people.
“This is due to the fact that these are not common delicacies that are simple to prepare; they require the proper techniques and approaches.
“As a result, to achieve an acceptable flavour and texture, the nature of helping one another must be present,” he said.
Hazel Claire’s Hari Raya favourites are also ketupat and rendang.
“These two dishes are the must-have food in every Malay’s household!” the 18-year-old said.
Another Hari Raya favourite for Hazel is ‘Sarawak belacan cake’ (a modern steamed cake from Sarawak that uses browning to colour the cake dark brown).
She added, not every household serves belacan cake but once you taste it, you will crave more.
According to her, the belacan cake is one of the most delicious and moist iconic Sarawak style steamed cakes.
Hayati Morshidi, 55, said, some of her Hari Raya favourites are lemang, beef rendang and chicken curry.
According to her, the celebration will not be complete without these delicacies.
Mohammad Rentek, 53, said one of his Hari Raya favourites was fish head curry.
The dishes served during Hari Raya Aidilfitri are different from different areas. For example, in Betong, kelupis and ketupat are served with chicken or beef curry, he added.
Mohammad said that although he was from Samarahan, the Hari Raya dishes from Betong were his favourite because these dishes were still traditional to him.
Meanwhile, for Ahmad Johari, 50, ‘Sarawak kek lapis’ (Sarawak layer cake) is his Hari Raya favourite.
18-year-old Clauddius Richelle’s Hari Raya favourites are lemang, tepung pelita, nasi impit, ketupat, lepat pisang and kuih koci.
My favourite cookies are pineapple tarts, batang buruk, makmur and honey cornflakes, he shared.
Meanwhile, Nurul Aina shared, my favourite dishes are lamb curry, and rendang because these dishes taste different and special when eaten during Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The 23-year-old also likes pineapple tart cookies and marble shortbread cookies.
