Malaysia: Ramadan's Feast

Known for "bringing the flavors of far off lands to your kitchen", my friend Susheela Raghavan is an expert on Malay and Indian Muslim cuisine.   When I asked her to share some of her Malaysian favorites for Ramadan, she gladly contributed two delcious recipes from her latest cookbook, Flavors of Malaysia, A Journey through Time, Tastes and Traditions.  A colorful kaleidoscope of Chinese, Malay, and Indian tastes and flavors, Malaysian cuisine offers something for everyone.

Adapted from  Susheela Raghavan's Flavors of Malaysia:

Throughout the year, Malaysians celebrate many religious holidays and festive occasions that reflect their beliefs and culture. One common, significant characteristic of all Malaysian festivities is rumah terbuka or “open house.” Whether the celebration is Malay, Chinese, or Indian, friends and neighbors of other faiths and ethnicities are welcomed into the family home to share the lavish and plentiful festival foods. This year the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with August. The end of the fasting period, on August 31^st, is celebrated Hari Raya Puasa, a joyous occasion for Malaysian Muslims.

Hari Raya Puasa

Hari Raya Aidilfitri, known elsewhere in the Islamic World as Eid al Fitr, and popularly as Hari Raya Puasa in Malaysia, is a major festival for Malays and Indian Muslims. It marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting (puasa). Each year, fasting starts in a different month according to the moon and Muslim calendar. It is a joyous occasion for all Muslims, signifying purification and renewal through self restraint. Family members decked in their best attire go to pray at the mosque in the morning, and then visit cemeteries to say prayers for the departed souls of their loved ones. Then they come to their decorated homes, light oil lamps, and open their doors to celebrate and share their foods with relatives, friends, and neighbors. Many Malay and Indian Muslim homes prepare their favorite family recipes, handed down through generations.

Below are two of Susheela's favorites that many Muslim homes prepare for Hari Raya Puasa. Both recipes can be found in Flavors of Malaysia:  A Journey through Time, Tastes, and Traditions.

(Spicy Tomato Chicken) Ayam Masak Merah

Ayam masak merah is a traditional favorite with Malays and Indian Muslims in Malaysia. It is prepared for their feasts (kenduris), to celebrate Hari Raya Puasa, weddings, and other festive occasions. Ayam masak merah translates to “red cooked chicken,” from the recipe’s tomato and chile based sauce. Susheela has added some spices to the sauce. It is also a popular accompaniment at many Malay and Indian Muslim nasi campur (‘mixed rice’) stalls. If you don't want to make your own spice blends - don't worry - Susheela sells them on her website.

Makes 4 to 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

 1 pound chicken (drumsticks and breast), cut into 1½ to 2-inch pieces

⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder

⅛ teaspoon chile powder

2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil

⅓ cup tomato puree; or ⅔ cup tomato sauce plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste; or 1 small tomato, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or tamarind juice extracted from pulp

2 teaspoons sugar or honey

Optional: ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk or evaporated milk or regular milk (to replace ¼ cup of the water)

¼ to ½ teaspoon salt

Spice Paste

¼ cup sliced shallots or onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic cloves

1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh ginger or fresh or frozen and thawed galangal

1 lemongrass stalk, sliced into ¼-inch to ½-inch pieces

3 dried whole red chilies, steeped in hot water for 5 to 8 minutes, slit and deseeded; or ¾ tablespoon

cili boh (see page 315 ); or 1 teaspoon bottled sambal oelek

¼ cup water

Spice Blend 1

2 cardamom pods

1-inch cinnamon stick

1 or 2 cloves

Spice Blend 2

½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Rub chicken pieces with turmeric and chile powder and marinate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or skillet and sauté chicken till brown, or broil or grill for 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

3. Process Spice Paste ingredients to a smooth paste and set aside. Combine Spice

Blend 2 ingredients and set aside.

4. Heat another tablespoon oil in a wok or skillet, and sauté Spice Blend 1 ingredients for about ½ to 1 minute. Add Spice Blend 2 and sauté for about ½ minute. Stir in Spice Paste and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes, till fragrant, adding remaining oil if

needed.

5. Stir in tomato puree or paste, or tomatoes, tamarind juice, sugar or honey, and 1 cup water (¾ cup if using milk), and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken pieces and sauté for about 15 minutes, till cooked.* Add coconut or evaporated milk, if using, and salt and stir for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.

*Alternately, just add the milk, if using, and salt to the sauce and rub over chicken,

keeping aside some sauce for basting. Let sit for about 30 minutes and then grill

chicken, basting often with the reserved sauce mixed with a little oil, till cooked.

For this festive occasion it is served with nasi kuning (scented yellow rice, nasi minyak (ghee rice), vegetable biryani, tomato rice or roti jala(a net-like crepe) and sayur lodeh (vegetables in spicy coconut milk) or mixed vegetable acar.

Scented Yellow Rice (Nasi Kuning)  by Susheela Raghavan Flavors of Malaysia

Nasi kuning (yellow rice) or also referred to as nasi kunyit (turmeric rice) is a Malay-style rice preparation generally served for family get-togethers and festive occasions. In homes, it is traditionally prepared with glutinous rice, turmeric, white peppercorns, and coconut milk, and is frequently served with squid sambal, grilled chicken ayam percik, beef rendang, ayam masak merah or fried fish. Traditionally, when making nasi kuning, Malays add lemongrass with pandan leaf and another local leaf called daun salam, also known as Indonesian bay leaf (its flavor is different from the Indian bay leaf generally used in North Indian cooking). Nasi kuning is topped with strips of scrambled egg and fried onions.

Makes 3  to  4 servings

 Ingredients

1 tablespoon ghee, butter, or cooking oil

¼ to ½ teaspoon white peppercorns

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice, washed and rinsed

1¼ to 1½ cups water (2 cups water for Basmati)

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 pandan leaves, bruised with the tines of a fork and knotted, or 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised with back of knife and knotted

1 lobe Kaffir lime leaf, crunched

1 piece asam gelugor (sometimes labeled tamarind skin), or 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon tamarind juice

½ teaspoon salt

Garnish:

¼ cup fried or sautéed shallots or onions

1 fresh red or green chile (Fresno, jalapeno, Serrano, cayenne, cherry, or Thai), sliced

Optional: 1 tablespoon roasted and crushed unsalted cashews or almonds

Optional: 1 tablespoon golden raisins

Directions:

1. Heat ghee, butter, or oil in a medium saucepan. Add peppercorns and fry for ½ minute, then add turmeric and stir for a few seconds.

2. Add rice and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add water, coconut milk, pandan leaves or lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf, asam gelugor, and salt.

4. Stir, bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes till all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Remove from heat and let rice cook in its own steam, covered, for about 10 minutes. (If using a rice cooker, use proportions for rice cooker based upon above quantities. Add the rice mixture from step 3 to rice cooker, cover, and switch rice cooker on. Rice cooker automatically shuts off when rice is cooked.)

5.  Remove pandan leaves, lemongrass, asam gelugor, and Kaffir lime leaf before serving. Garnish with fried shallots or onions and sliced green or red chile. Sprinkle with cashews and raisins to make it more festive.