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Colors, cuisine highlights of a Malaysian Ramadan
Bazaar Ramadan in Malaysia normally opens four hours before iftar starting from the first day of Ramadan until end of this holy month. Bazaar Ramadan is like a paradise of food. This is due to the fact that each Bazaar Ramadan in Malaysia has its own distinctive flavor with a series of stalls and vendors selling a wide variety of food, as well as fruits and vegetables.
As Malaysia consists of 14 states, it is not surprising to find each state’s special dishes at Bazaar Ramadan. There are many types of foods that can fulfill the food lover’s appetite. Rice is a Malaysian staple, and for that reason there are several kinds of meals that use rice. Among the rice dishes from the east coast of Malaysia are Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Dagang. Nasi Kerabu originated from Kelantan and is served with special coconut-based gravy called “tumis” together with local herbs, leaves and vegetables. Nasi Dagang consists of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as fried shaved coconut, hard-boiled eggs and vegetable pickles; it hails from Terengganu. There are also other types of rice dishes such as Nasi Tomato (rice cooked with tomato puree), Nasi Ayam (chicken rice), Nasi Minyak (rice cooked with ghee), Nasi Kandar (rice served with curry), Nasi Ambeng (traditional Java meal), Nasi Beriyani (herbal rice), Nasi Campur (mixed rice served with different dishes) and Nasi Goreng (fried rice).
Apart from rice, Bazaar Ramadan in Malaysia offers a variety of noodles. Even though noodles are not the main food that Malaysians usually consume, there is still a demand for them. Some popular noodle dishes are Mee Kari (curry noodles), Mee Sup (noodles soup), Mee Bandung (Bandung noodles), Mee Jawa (Java noodles) and Mee Goreng (fried mee). There are also other types of noodles that are made from rice, known as laksa. The most famous are Asam Laksa from Penang, served with mackerel soup; its distinguishing feature is asam, or tamarind, which gives the soup a sour taste. Another types of laksa is Laksa Johor (spaghetti is used as a substitute for rice noodles), Laksa Sarawak (it is different from the Asam Laksa as the soup contains no asam at all) and Laksam (made with very thick, flat white rice flour noodles in a rich, white gravy of boiled fish and coconut milk). In addition, several side dishes are also for sale at Bazaar Ramadan. For instance murtabak -- a type of bread wrap filled with chicken or meat -- is popular among Malaysians during Ramadan. Apart from that, do not miss out satay, ayam percik, ayam golek, ikan bakar, otak-otak and sata.
There is an assortment of desserts and traditional cakes better known as kuih in Malay. In addition to these varieties there are also savory kuih like karipap (curry puff), samosa, cara berlauk, popiah, tauhu sumbat, roti jala, pulut panggang, pau goreng and lots more for sale in Bazaar Ramadan.
To complete the course, Bazaar Ramadan also has a wide range of flavored beverages to choose from. For instance, air tebu (sugarcane), cendol, air batu campur (sweetened crushed ice), and many types of fruit drinks such as air mata kucing (longan), air kelapa (coconut), lychee, watermelon, apple, orange and many more.
It is highly recommended for tourists to visit any Bazaar Ramadan and experience the uniqueness of Malaysian food and culture if they happen to visit Malaysia during this celebrated month. The bazaar definitely is a great and unforgettable experience.
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