October 23, 2006

Selamat Hari Raya!

"Selamat Hari Raya" to All Malays and Malaysians still caught up with festivities throughout the weekend! Haha...it's great...diwali last weekend and now Hari Raya...I bet all malaysians at home are having a great week of delicious traditional delicacies, sweet treats and local buffet spreads....*sigh* I'm jealous....these are the times I wish I was home celebrating with family and friends.
The most significant celebration for Muslims, it signifies the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The celebration is determined by sighting of the new moon on the day, before the next month on the Muslim calendar, Syawal. The words ‘Hari Raya mean 'day of celebration.' Ramadan is the name of the one-month fasting period when Muslims fast from dawn till sunset. During the period of fasting, apart from eating and drinking, Muslims are also forbidden from smoking and having sexual relations. Only the sick are excused from fasting during this month. Muslims are expected to avoid lying, breaking promise or cheating during the month of Ramadan. It is to remind them of the plight of the poor and to cleanse themselves by exercising abstinence and self-control. Even the young are taught to fast. The Celebration Muslims starts the day by wearing new clothes and congregating in the mosques early in the morning to perform Hari Raya Puasa prayers followed by visiting the graves of the departed. The young will ask for forgiveness from their elders and have open house for relatives and friends to come to their house. Plenty of traditional Malay delicacies are served during this festive season. Houses are thoroughly cleaned and decorated, and lighting of oil lamps welcomes the angels which are believed to be visiting the earth during the seven days preceding the festival. The celebration lasts for a month but most of the celebration is concentrated in the first three days (www.abcmalaysia.com)
I know many "Hard-core" Malaysians who would immediately shoot down this idea of mine to have "roti - jala" representing Hari Raya Puasa for the Malays...but.... *shrug* If you're truly "Malaysian"....our local cuisine should not be divided by origins of race *grin* Hahaha...."Roti Jala" which means "net-bread" in Malay is of "Indian" origins but so truly "Malaysian" in my opinion! *wink*
This lacey-crepe is something I've always loved during festive seasons; stacked up warm, fragrant and drenched in delicious homemade curries....*sigh*...YUmmmMmm
Due to unavailable crepe making devices in my basic kitchen; my "roti-jala" didn't turn out as intended. *sigh* My strands were not fine enough and I couldn't get a funnel like consistency with the "tea-cup" strainer I was using. At least it tasted great though. I made some satay to go with it...and I have a special someone to thank for that great recipe. *grin* I get heaps of tips from readers on email! I appreciate them very much!
Thanks heaps Otoko (From Sri Lanka) for sharing your secrets....I shall let everyone in on the tricks too; good things are meant to be shared *wink*
G'day Su-yin
I stumbled onto your blog today while googling for wanton skin recipe. And I
spent quite a bit of time reading your food journals, I just kept reading
more and more - flipping through pages, going into your archives, etc....
Absolutely love it! Fantastic... Well done!
I would not even want to ask how you manage to cook for your housemates, and
do so many experiments with food, AND still able to find time to study. It's
all about TIME management and lots of discipline, I guess.
I was looking at your post on Chicken Satay, dated 22 June 06. You mentioned
that it could be better, I have successfully re-created the satay recipe
here in Sri Lanka and I thought you might like to give it a try.
Now, I have made a couple of runs with the ingredient mix and my partner (a
Chef of 20 years experience) said that it has the same flavour as what we
would have gotten from Lau Pa Sat in Singapore. So, here's the recipe:
Recipe for marinate (in the blender):
Ingredient Mix A:
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp ground roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
6 tbsp sugar
Ingredient Mix B:
1 stalk lemongrass, peel and use only white portion
8 shallots
2 tbsp oil
Blend Ingredient Mix A together until they are well blended, remember
freshness is the key to having these flavours in your satay marinate.

Add Ingredient Mix B (lemongrass, shallots and oil) to the powdered mix,
which will create the paste for the meat marinate.

The trick is: you need some oil mixed with water to sprinkle on the meat to
create the fire and steam. Steam keeps the meat moist, while an open flame
charred the meat as the sugar caramelise.

Have fun!
Otoko
Sri Lanka
Roti Jala Recipe
1 egg
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup milk
1 cup plain flour (sifted)
1 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tsp salt
Beat ingredients well and heat a large non-stick frying pan. Use a lace-crepe maker for better looking "roti-Jala's" but if you aren't too fussy like me, dig up a tea strainer....punch holes at the bottom of a tin can with nails or just anything else of that sort will do. Being resourceful in your kitchen is a talent *grin*. FLick your arm back and forth or in circular motions to create a lace pattern on the heated pan. Fold up and serve with satays or even better, curry of any sort. Dont forget to break open a bottle of your favourite satay sauce or make some on your own!
Roti Jala's do not require flipping; they are only cooked on one side and folded into triangles to be lifted off.
Here's a picture of "Malay Sago Pudding with Gula Melaka and Coconut cream" made by my dear Ling....Thanks ling ling for the lip-smacking dessert. It gave the finishing touches to my spread for "Hari-Raya-Puasa" celebrations.

9 comments:

Chyn said...

heLLoS~~ just happen to be searching for recipes and came across your blog! it's AWESOME! i just started learning how to bake and i was thrilled upon seeing your fabulous decorations!!! do you mind posting a post on how to actually make the decos and cake toppings? that'll be greaT!!! :D!!

thnxxXIEee and gosh! u're my idoL!

heEX

Flower said...

Like your hari raya spread.Dont care whether its traditional or not, as long its a makanan. I have roti jala and pudding sagu gula melaka during the puasa month. Kesian you. Dont have the mould for the roti jala. My mould was given to me by friend. Her niece brought it all the way from Malaysia.

Lex said...

Can you give me the recipe fo rthe gula melaka sago... always wanted to try it... I love it!

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

chyn: Haha I do a business with my cakes so I couldnt possibly let out all my secrets ;) Haha but if youre interested, send me an email with your questions, ill tyr to answer them, im no pro though..ive just started cake decorating in July this year :). thanks for the kind compliments on my work..*blush*

flower: Haha! It's just not the same without the mold huh? sigh* I ate the roti..i was good makanan :P hahaha

lex: I'll have to grab that one off Lingling...will try to get back to you on that one soon

yatt said...

hi there...i've been silently reading ur blog eversince a fren showed it to me
i'm alwez impressed with ur creation n i wish i could do the same

about that roti jala acuan; u can actually create a one-hole roti jala mould using the aluminium foil n the trick is - u fold the foil maybe into 3 layer to make it a bit thick so u can further roll it like a cone with a small hole at the bottom. get maybe a tea strainer or anything with a firm round opening so u can fold the opening of ur cone onto the strainer.
err.. faham ke?

i alwez do my roti jala with just a one-hole mould given by my late grandma n trust me, it's much easier to control the flow

Su-Yin -Décorateur said...

OH my GOD! That is ingenious!!! thanks so much for the tip...will definitely try it out ;)

Anty Harton said...

You are amazing...that's the only thing I can say. It seems unfair that one person can be so good at so many things, but I'm saying in a good way :-)
I love your blog, your cooking, your photos, I bet if I've met you I would like you too :-)
I tried to make roti Jala before but in Ireland I couldn't find the cup so maybe I had to wait until I get back to asia to get one. Keep the good work and I'm looking forward to reading more of your adventures.

Argus Lou said...

That's a wonderful combination! Roti jala, satay and sago gula melaka (my all-time fav M'sian dessert!).

Su Yee said...

Hey Su Yin,

I happen to be looking for a recipe to cook which is easy and try(able)..haha.. and stumbled upon your Roti Jala recipe.. It's great!! I've just finished 5 pieces..

Thank you for the great blog. I'm also in the US but a state away frm you. In my little kitchen, I'm also starting to learn some cooking basics + tricks! Keep up the great blog..!