September 10th 2010 marked the first day of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Some parts of the world especially in the western world call it Eid. It is a joyous occasion for the Moslem community everywhere in the world. I am however very familiar with the celebration in Singapore.
As a non Moslem, I get to participate too on this special day. My Moslem friend would normally have “open house” where everybody is invited to visit and enjoy special Hari Raya food. The time of visit is normally from 11am – 7pm. It is not written as a rule but everybody kind of know the right time to visit.
This year I visited my dear friend Marsha and they prepared quite a number of dishes for the guests. Rendang and ketupat is a must for this special day and they are usually known as the Raya food. Back in the days, rendang and ketupat could only be found once a year during the Aidil Fitri. Nowadays you don’t have to wait once a year as they are vendors selling this dishes whole year round.
Since I am old school, eating dishes prepared by your friends is way better than buying it from the shop. Is not because it is free but is that special day that makes eating rendang and ketupat really awesome.
I’ve been slacking with providing more info or recipe and the food that I’ve been eating in Singapore but I hope to provide all these information one day. However I can provide you some pictures of rendang and ketupat to make you envy.
Ketupat is the square rice cube. The leafy thing is being used to store the rice and cooked in boiling water. At the side is the beef rendang. The big bowl is peanut sauce and it can be eaten with ketupat when beef rendang is not available. I prefer to eat ketupat with rendang when I am really hungry but when mouth is itchy, I’ll just eat it with the peanut sauce. This is something Filipino would really enjoy as ketupat is made of rice.
Thank you Marsha and Joey for inviting me and wish you guys a Happy Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Day.
hey where are you now?
In Singapore kuya
with barely a month and a half in penang, i’m gradually imbibing the diversity of cultures, colors, and yes, dishes. but daily servings of spicy and curried meals on our canteen makes us crave for western food more. so when our hari raya holiday started last sept 9, we trooped to gurney drive and indulged in foods we’ve been wanting to eat.
we have 11 days off, 7 days more to be exact. now, i only envy you for having muslim friend/s during this season.
@docgelo
I am surprised that the college where you are teaching did not organize an open house. One thing with Malaysia, most canteen operators are run by Malay operators serving spicy food and halal. Almost all Malay food are spicy and you need to develop the stomach to eat it daily…lol
Basically Malaysian/Singaporean food consists of Malay, Chinese and Indian food. For less spicy food, Chinese food would be recommended and the taste of Malaysian food is totally different from any other Chinese food in the world.
You need to try Bah Kut Teh if you haven’t done it already. Make sure to try also their pig trotters that cooked in thick soy sauce and vinegar. It taste kinda like adobo but has it own distinctive taste of it’s own. It will become a big hit with you and your Filipino colleagues.
I think I might make a special section in my blog just for you Doc. I will post pictures and food that you must try while in Malaysia.