HARI RAYA AIDIL ADHA

'Nasi Rawon Special' from Warung Azizah


Ayam masak merah, dried cuttle fish sambal tumis and achar

Begedil, fried coriander lung and salted egg

Nasi rawon with long beans in the foreground

Fikri enjoying his meal

Jabbar and Ngasirah had double serving of the rice

What? Nasi Rawon with papedom and soya sauce?

In laws filling their growling stomachs

May you have good health and a blessed life Mum Salbiah

NgaJab family was the first ones to check in

The HaLat family. Thanks for the qurban meat!

The fairy had stolen my two front teeth

Marina and her kids. Abah is the chief fool master.

Afiqah with Abah.....look at their smiles of satisfaction after the nasi rawon feast

Make sure you can cook like Mama Azizah, ok!

Hafizah with mum, like two peas in a pod

My strong woman in the kitchen, Ngatini!

Snacks for the young ones and the not so young

SACRIFICES TO BE MADE

Patience is a virtue.

It is no use to cry over spilt milk. Accept what has happened, and

believe in Allah that there is a reason behind every occurance.

Patience pays!

Planning on what to cook for Hari Raya Aidil Adha took me a week before the day itself. Aidil Adha is also known as Hari Raya Haji marks the end of the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's test of obedience in sacrificing his son Ismail. Hari Raya Haji (Aidil Adha) falls on 10 Zulhijjah, the 10th day of 12th month of the Muslim calendar. The Muslim calendar, unlike the 365-day Gregorian calendar is 11 days shorter, with the months alternating between 29 and 30 days.

Worldwide, Muslims sacrifice sheep, cows or camels as a rememberance of the sacrifice undertaken by Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, Ismail, where, at the last moment, a ram appeared in his place. The slaughtering act is done with a razor sharp knife, in accordance with the Islamic law and rights so as to inflict as little pain as possible to the animal. The meat is then distributed to the community, neighbours, and relatives with special attention to the needy and poor, as a reminder to share one's wealth with others.

I had planned to cook Nasi Rawon with the buah keluak I bought from Batam. Nasi Rawon must be eaten with many side dishes so cooking started on Friday with the preparing of the cucumber achar and chutney. This was followed by making the begedel and boiling of lung, meat and liver for the sambal goreng pengantin. These items were deep-freeze for cooking of the dishes on Sunday.

There was also fried coriander lung and tempeh, plus salted eggs. I also cooked dried cuttle fish sambal tumis and ayam masak merah. You must also have serunding (fried cocounut in spice) for that little bit of sweetness to be eaten with the rice. The sambal chilly must not be forgotten. It's fresh red chillies pounded with some salt. To add the extra 'oomph', squeeze some lime. Don't throw away the lime skin for you can slice it finely and mixed with the sambal. You won't regret trying this sambal with nasi rawon.

My siblings started to stream in after three o'clock having visited their in-laws first. The nasi rawon on that day was served on banana leaf. To complete the meal, hot lime tea was served to my siblings. I enjoyed cooking, preparing meals and laying the table for family meals for it means sitting together to eat and exchanging the latest news. This activity can strengthen the family ties while the children can get together to know one another too.

We missed Yusuf and his family on that day for his son was not feeling well. But when he popped in to visit mum alone, he did not go home empty handed. We packed some food for him, just like the rest who had all the dishes to bring home.