A Californian Hari Raya Tradition

The bright colors of the decorations and the national costumes added a tropical touch to the celebration.

One of the most popular events of the Eid season in Southern California is the Hari Raya gathering hosted by the Consul-General of Malaysia.

This year, members of the Malaysian community here as well as guests from other Southeast Asian countries made their way to the Arcadia community centre in Los Angeles county for the festive event. Some came from as far as Las Vegas and San Diego.

There was a great spread of three kinds of rice: steamed rice, nasi minyak (ghee rice), and tomato rice served with curries and and a variety of cakes and cookies, including traditional Malay desserts.

People took the time to catch up with each other. And this time, it was also a chance to meet the new Consul-General Mr Nekmat Ismail and his wife Madam Ramlah Hamid.

Malay songs filled the air, mixed with the social chatter as another Southern California celebration and tradition marked the year.

The Consul General and his wife surprised the guests with a song.

Two young men from the community who volunteered to serve the food.

I'm always delighted to find traditional Malay desserts in California, especially my favorite, putu kacang (top,middle) made from green bean flour.

Read Full Post »

A Bite of Heritage

 

 

Some of the ingredients for apple-shaped pineapple tarts.

With Hari Raya or Eid, the festival marking the end of Ramadan drawing near, baking season will soon be in full swing in many parts of the world.

Here, in California, my Malaysian friends bake both modern cookies and traditional Malay goodies, from family recipes or those via the Web. I hope they know that their resourcefulness and efforts are appreciated.

In Malay homes, there will be several varieties of kuih (a Malay word which collectively refers to cakes and cookies) set at the table for the enjoyment of guests, and for family members as well.

I know I’m fond of traditional cookies not just for the taste, but for the memories behind them . In the extended family home of my childhood, my grandmother and grandaunt did almost all the baking. Every Hari Raya, they would make pineapple tarts shaped as apples and pears.

The dough was wrapped around balls of pineapple filling, then shaped round for apples, and slightly elongated and curved for the pears. The children were called in for the fun part. My grandmother mixed a pale wash of food dye, and with a small brush we painted the “fruits”: yellow for the apples and green for the apples. Then we stuck a piece of clove for the “stem”.

Today, not many people make this type of pineapple tarts. But in my mind I see them clearly as the day I colored them.

My mother did not bake, but every year, she insisted on having kuih batang buruk, which means “old bark” or “old branch”. These are a mixture of flour shaped like tiny logs, fried and filled with a green bean filling. They can be pretty addictive and I’ve always loved its imaginative name.

I guess I’m also a stickler for traditions. I gravitate towards the heritage kuih before any other. And sometimes, they taste even  sweeter just because they are made or savored so far away from their original home.

Read Full Post »