Hari Raya Puasa, or the festival of Eid, marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and the start of a new month on the Islamic calendar, Syawal. Hari Raya Puasa is a celebration of victory in completing the fast and the overcoming of personal struggles during the Ramadan, as well as a time of forgiveness and strengthening of bonds amongst family members and relatives.
Feasting is a “must-do” during this festive period, and much effort and time are put into preparing and cooking mouth-watering dishes, such as lontong, ketupat, rendang, curry ayam, sambal goreng, etc. The pestles and mortars, charcoal stoves, pots and pans will all be out in full force—most of the time till the wee hours of the morning! –
So, this year my family and I decided to go to the Royale Chulan, Seremban’s Hari Raya Hi-Tea.
5 Traditional Hari Raya Food you must eat this festive season!
No.1 – Rendang
It’s everybody’s favourite Raya dish! Rendang is a thick, savoury gravy usually cooked with beef or chicken. It is served either wet or dry.
No.2- Lemang
Made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, and a sprinkle of salt, lemang usually takes the place of plain rice during the Raya season and it goes hand in hand with Rendang. This special dish is cooked in a hollowed bamboo stick with banana leaves and can take four to five hours of roasting!
No.3- Ketupat
Famously chosen as the symbol of Hari Raya, the ketupat is made of rice boiled in a diamond-shaped pack of handwoven palm lead strips. Once cooked, the ketupat is peeled open cut into slices and served in place of regular steamed rice and with other dishes.
No.4- Serunding
Serunding is essentially a Malaysian version of meat floss! A popular snack for Ramadan and Adilfitri, serunding is made of seasoned meat that’s cooked until dry, a method meant to help keep the meat longer. The meat that are usually used to make serunding are beef and chicken.
No.5- Satay
The yummy-li-cious perfect snack for this occasion. Satay is well-loved all over Southeast Asia. These skewers of grilled meat are usually dipped into crunchy peanut sauce and served with side dishes such as Nasi himpit (rice cakes) and raw cucumbers and sliced shallots. All complement each other.
There were 2 choices of satay, Beef and Chicken. Tasted so good, tender and easy to bite off from the skewer. Grilled to perfection with slight burnt and that added extra ‘kick’ to the already amazing taste of ‘Minangkabau’ spices being used for marinating.
Vegetables
The vegetables tasted good and maintained its freshness and sweetness!
The Salad Bar
-with condiments and dressing! Awesome!
Healthy choices
Kerabu Mangga, Beef Salad, Shrimps, Squid and ulam-ulaman
Ice Kacang
Choose you own favourite fillings, go as you prefer, it’s a buffet concept anyway!
My thoughts:-
I was extremely satisfied with the dishes offered to guests. The price was reasonable and acceptable. Simply put, Worth it! My sis and I agreed that the satay sauce/peanut gravy and the Mee Mamak was the best that we ever had! The gravy tasted so extremely good with the right consistency, not that watery and not too thick. Most importantly, it’s between not spicy and spicy, you get both which is the right combination for all types of customers.
In the midst of all the festivities, the best part about celebrating Hari Raya is the renewing of familial ties and bonds. Spending quality time with loved ones and is ultimately what truly makes the busyness of the season so meaningful. Selamat Hari Raya to all our Muslims friends! –
