1.44pm
to all the muslims around the world, wishing you a very happy eid al-fitr. in malaysia and singapore, we usually say - selamat hari raya (or wishing you a happy eid al-fitr). in a nutshell, eid al-fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by muslims worldwide that marks the end of rahmadan (muslims have to fast from dusk till dawn), the islamic holy month of fasting.
now in malaysia, since the majority of the population are muslims, 2 days public holiday are given to the nation as most would take this opportunity to go back to their hometowns for this big celebration. not only do the muslims take long leave at this time, other races too would grab this opportunity to take a couple of extra days off to go for holidays abroad or just go out of town for a break. however, for singapore only one day public holiday given because its population is predominantly chinese.
when i was back in malaysia for a short break during the rahmadan period, there were lots of hawker stalls set up by the malays selling all sorts of delicious cooked food, snacks and drinks. let me show you some shots i took whilst walking around and checking what was being sold.
there's grilled chicken, stacks of it. marinated with lots of herbs and spices.
the ever popular satay. satay is actually skewered chicken/beef (generally) that's grilled over charcoal fire. marinated with turmeric and the condiments that usually accompany this dish would be cut cucumbers, onions and ketupat (rice cakes). the sauce/dipping would be the spicy peanut gravy. trust me, its delicious!
then there's murtabak, some sort of a panfried pancake/bread which is sold mostly at Indian Muslim restaurants or stalls and on the inside of the pancake/bread, some minced mutton/chicken/beef will be added along with some garlic, onions and eggs and then it is eaten with spicy curry gravy and pickled onions.
local fruits also being sold at these hawker stalls. in the picture above, its mangoesteen that you see. this fruit is generally grown in asia, is sweet and tangy, juicy, somewhat fibrous, with fluid-filled vesicles with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind when ripe. not really my favorite fruit though.
ah, lovely and decadent local "kuih" (bite sized snacks/desserts which can be sweet or savoury). these kuihs that you see in the photo can be steamed, deep fried or at times, baked. they sell pretty cheaply too! i was spoilt for choices, really!
different varieties of cookies and biscuits are also sold here. cheap cheap! very cheap! hahahaha
last but not least, is a popular snack known as "putu piring", which is made of ground rice flour. a layer of rice flour will be steamed first then comes a spoonful of palm sugar which is placed in the centre of it and then only it will be covered with a second layer of rice flour. once its cooked, it is removed and placed on top of small cut banana leaf. they are topped with slightly grated fresh coconut. The lump of palm sugar will melt during the steaming process and when you take your first bite oh my god, its heavenly, as the sugar just oozes out from the rice cake! so sinful yet so yummy.
well ive come to the end of my food blog for raya! hope you guys had a good celebration and wherever you go, stay safe! lastly please spare a thought and prayer to those families who have lost their loved ones in the horrible air crashes thats happened over the last couple of weeks. and not forgetting those living in war torn countries like israel, palestine, afghanistan etc. very sad times especially in this 20th century! its time to stop being greedy for money and power. innocent lives lost in these conflicts which is no laughing matter! may god give all of us strength and let us push on but for the right reasons.
ttfn
3.11pm
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