Of Holiday and Food

Today is a local National (Muslim) holiday. It is Hari Raya Haji as it's called locally. Overseas, it's often referred to as Aidil Adhar (different spellings elsewhere perhaps). So, to you who are celebrating this occasion, I wish you and your loved ones a Selamat Hari Raya Haji.

From as far ahead as a week ago, foodstalls have started selling delicacies synonymous with this holiday, i.e., lemang, a coconut-flavoured rice cooked in hollow bamboo tubes. Lemang is normally eaten with rendang, a dry meat dish cooked with coconut milk and spices (simmered for a number of hours). Beef and chicken are popularly used.


Here's how lemang looks like in its cooked state. The roll of rice is cut up into slices before they are served. This picture is courtesy of TourismPenang site. There's also a recipe if you would like to try cooking lemang, but let me warn you that the process is rather tedious.






Here's a picture of the yummy rendang. There is a recipe on the site too. Food-lovers may want to give it a shot though it's important to have the necessary ingredients. Happy cooking!

Ketupat and Lemang

This interesting item is ketupat, a type of dumpling made of rice that has been wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch which is then boiled. As the rice cooks, the grains begin to expand to fill the pouch and the rice becomes compressed.


Ketupat is usually eaten with rendang (a type of dry beef curry) or served as an accompaniment to satay.


Ketupat used to be the staple during Hari Raya but these days, lemang has taken more prominence.


Lemang is a traditional Malay food cooked in a hollowed bamboo stick. Lemang is made of glutinous rice and coconut milk, with salt added for taste and cooked in a thick hollow bamboo stick over a slow fire. The hollow bamboo is lined with banana leaves before it is filled with rice. Lemang is best eaten with rendang.
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Here's a demonstration of how lemang is prepared. (Source: The Star).

The start: The lemang maker inserts banana leaves into the hollow bamboo stick.


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The next step: The hollow of the bamboo stick is filled with glutinous rice, leaving an inch or two of space at the top.


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Cooking: The bamboo sticks are placed over a medium fire and turned every 15 minutes so that the lemang cooks evenly. It takes about three to four hours to cook the lemang.

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End result: To serve the lemang, break open bamboo stick and remove the banana leaf and cut it. Lemang goes well with rendang or serunding. Serunding is tasty shredded meat.