I have lived in Malaysia now for almost four years, and a recent comment by a friend made me realise how little I knew about the activities associated with the holy month of Ramadan. As a non-Muslim Westerner, I was well aware of the great food to be had at Ramadan Bazaars and the extravagant buffets available at hotels, and have written about those. This year I experienced more of the hospitality of the ‘open house’, but more about that later. For now, I’d like to help explain a few aspects of life during Ramadan.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are expected to use this time on self-reflection with increased devotion to worship and an understanding of the teachings of Islam. They are encouraged to complete a full recitation of the Holy Quran, which is a huge task. The improvements in self-restraint and moral conduct developed over this month are then hoped to continue thoughout the year.
I once asked a Sikh lawyer whether it was a good time or a bad time to be a defendent in court during Ramadan? I assumed that if the court officials and jury were fasting, they might be less patient and more likely to give a harsher verdict. To my surprise he said that the opposite occurred. There was more leniency in the courtroom because Muslims were undergoing more self-reflection and perhaps had a better understanding of those less fortunate than themselves.
Last year I had the opportunity to work with Muslim colleagues during Ramadan and was impressed by their strength of character. We were often working outside and I was definitely in need of fluid replenishment! I was always offered a drink even though they had to abstain. I thought they might be tempted to open their mouths to the rain, but no. And when it came time to break the fast, there was no rushing to gorge on food. They were truly demonstrating patience and mercy.
So, although I knew that Ramadan was associated with fasting, I also knew that it is associated with an increased obsession with food. Indeed, one can view Ramadan as an extremely unhealthy time of year. It is hard to visit a Ramadan Bazaar and not come home with more food than is really needed. The sights, smells, and sounds all encourage one to over-indulge. And for the most part, the foods are deeply unhealthy….. and yet so tasty! And there are foods available only at this time of year, so why wouldn’t you take advantage of this? I know I do!
But it has always struck me as odd that hotels would put on these huge buffets specifically during Ramadan. I’ve asked people about this and they say it is a practice which is in decline. It was a way of impressing clients/family/friends in the past but people are realising the absurdity of it all. After all, buffets are occassions for over-eating yet when one is fasting one’s stomach shrinks a little. So, why waste money on a buffet which you cannot enjoy? And why waste money on food you cannot eat? It all goes quite contrary to the tenents of Ramadan.
At this time of year, the supermarkets in Johor Bahru are overflowing with delicious looking dates of all kinds. This is because it is recommended to break the fast with dates, as this was the practice of the Prophet Mohammed. You will also see jars and jars of cookies of all varieties, as these are often given as gifts during Ramadan. There was a time when people would have made these themselves, and I understand that homemade, rather than shop bought, cookies have been appearing more often this year. Here are some examples of Ramadan treats……..
These are putu kacang, made from pea flour and sugar and moulded into shapes. They are very fragile and disintegrate in the mouth.
These are meringue-like kuih bangkit made from tapioca flour. Also popular are pineapple jam tarts, and little wheat flour cakes (baulu) cooked over charcoal.
This year I came across candid fruit jellies known as lengkong sakar, which are often made as gifts for the richer families. These are made with fruit flavouring, agar and rock sugar, and are left out in the sun for two to three weeks to set. The changing weather pattern in Malaysia means it may be more likely to rain at this time of year, so getting these jellies set to the correct consistency is quite an art.
The other specialty I came across this year was halwa muscat, made from flour, sugar and ghee, and is a sweet with an Arabic heritage. I was told that only one or two people in Johor Bahru still make this sweet, but it is an essential part of a gift basket given by the more wealthy families.
During Ramadan you may also have noticed street decorations resembling ketupat; rice packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf? And you may have wondered why these appear at this time of year? Well ketupat were traditionally given as peace offerings to seek forgiveness from the recipient, and originated from Java. The weaving technique symbolises the intertwining of lives and mistakes made as humans. Once cut open, the whiteness of the rice cake symbolises the cleansing of the heart and forgiveness. As such, ketupat is a food that symbolises the true spirit of Ramadan and is often give as an act of Sedekah (charity) to help feed the poor and the disadvantaged. (My thanks to Lynn Ahmad from the KL Expats FB group for this information).
For Muslims, any charitable action during Ramadan is worth more than at other times of the year. It is this act of Sedekah which brings me to the topic of porridge. Rice plays a central role in Malaysian life, and a day without rice is a day lost. During Ramadan, mosques will give rice to the local poor and needy. And if you are unwell or unable to fast, you are expected to give two meals-worth of rice per day, but this rice can only go to a fellow Muslim. This year I was able to attend an event at the Masjid india in Johor Bahru where the Sunway Group, with the help of the Malaysian Red Crescent, had installed a Rice Automatic Teller Machine. The registered needy can then use an electronic card to receive a monthly ration of 8 kg rice from this machine. And while this system is currently more associated with mosques, the Rice ATM system can be installed anywhere to help the needy of all faiths. After all, poverty is not just the domain of Muslims and charity should be blind.
So, to help even more people on this occasion, a huge cauldron of tasty rice porridge was prepared, and 1,000 pots were dispensed. This rice porridge is known as burbur lambuk and is traditionally eaten at the breaking of the fast (i.e., after sunset).
I first came across this being prepared at Serene Resort, Janda Baik. To the original rice porridge was added mashed fish, sweet potatoes, coconut milk, a huge amount of fresh green vegetables (including one which added a spicey tang to the final dish), and a red fern (pucuk paku) picked from the local roadsides. It did not look particularly appetising (see photo above) but it was absolutely delicious and everyone wanted seconds. The components of burbur lambuk are unique to their location, so the dish at the Masjid India had a distinctly Indian aroma!
In many ways, burbur lambuk encompasses everything about Ramadan. Firstly it requires patience, this dish requires time to make and it needs constant attention to stop it boiling over and spoiling. Secondly, it is a dish for sharing as there’s no point just making a small amount! Thus it allows Muslims to fulfil their obligation to be charitable and help those less fortunate than themselves. Finally, the production of burbur lambuk is a sociable operation, as many hands are needed, so it encourages cooperation.
After most religious-based fasts, there is feasting and celebration. It is customary during the period after Ramadan for people to hold an ‘open house’, meaning that family and friends are invited to come for a visit, and of course to eat! And if you invite one friend, expect them to invite several of their friends! This is what happened for us this year when Lawrence and I attended several open houseswith Lekha Nandey and the one I will describe here is the open house hosted by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, and his Queen Consort, Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah (centre in photo above). Lekha Nandey (on the right) knows the Queen from school days so asked the royal photographer to take our photo.
I must say that the open house at the Istana Pasir Pelangi was a great adventure for us all, as well as the thousands of locals who turned up. My husband Lawrence (third from right in photo above) has written a great blog about ‘The Sultan and I’ which you can read by clicking here. Everyone gets to eat under canvas, but some tents are more elaborate than others! The largest tent for the masses was on the Sultan’s helicopter landing spot. Despite the constant rain, members of the royal family provided many occassions for the public to see them and posed for numerous photos (you might be able to spot the Sultan, wearing a pink shirt, in the top photo on this page?). It was a very colourful and enjoyable event.
Because people may be attending several open houses in one day, you are expected to only eat a little at each place. In addition to traditional Malay dishes, Johor laksa was featured here, although I did not see many people eating it. Lawrence tried another specialty of Johor Bahru called harisa. He ate it with honey, thinking it was a sweet dish. It turns out to be made from minced meat, oats and ghee, and the other option is to eat it with fresh chillies. I think he would have preferred the KFC available in the larger tent!
One should also remember that Malays are not the only Malaysians to hold an open house during special festivals. The eating of food with friends is a major social activity for all groups in this country, and the sharing of food with those from other cultural backgrounds is a long standing tradition. I have been fortunate to attend the equivalent ‘open house’ with Chinese friends during Chinese New Year and with Hindu friends during Deepavali. In all these occassions, there have been guests from all the races which make up multicultural Malaysia. So next year when Ramadan comes around again, think about getting involved in some local activity, even if only to attend the Sultan’s open house! And, if you get invited to a Malay open house, a Chinese New Year event or to Deepavali, don’t hesitate to join in. All this will help you make sense of the country you have taken as your home. And if you decide to hold your own version of an open house, remember to serve chicken (avoid pork and beef), fish, and vegetables, and everyone will be happy!
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