10 Pasar Ramadan food You Should Try

We are now halfway through Ramadan. Our Muslim brothers and sisters will soon be closing the month long fasting with the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Another great opportunity for us Malaysian to pay a visit to our Muslim friends and family's home and continue the 'muhibbah' spirit.

However that is yet to come. Currently we have all the colorful and busy pasar Ramadan that we all enjoy going to and more often than not, chances are we will end up buying more than we need since everything looks so delicious! Word of advice, do not buy based on your tummy instinct. But then again it is up to you!

So let's have a look on our 10 pasar Ramadan food that we think you should try.

1. Roti John

Roti John is basically an omelette sandwich. A popular Malay breakfast or snack item that is available in Malaysia, it is not exclusively a Malaysian product as version of these particular snack is also available in Brunei and Singapore. Typically the ingredients consist of  minced meat (can be chicken or mutton), onions, egg, sardines, tomato-chili sauce and a baguette-type loaf.

2. Murtabak 'Maggie'

Murtabak or Martabak has its origins from Saudi Arabia. Also very common in Yemen, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand this street food is tasty and is filled with meaty goodness. Minced mutton is the typical stuffing, along with garlic, egg and onion, and is eaten with curry gravy, sliced cucumber, onions and tomato sauce. In Malaysia you tend to see this items sold at Indian Muslim restaurants and stalls. A number of variants has been produced including this one made and mixed with instant noodles.

3. Ayam Percik

Another great product of Malaysia! Rich in flavor, this succulent dish is basically marinated grilled chicken basted with spiced coconut milk gravy! Chances are after buying this from the pasar Ramadan, you may be nibbling this tasty meal in its plastic wrapper before you even reach your car! Do not eat this with forks and spoon! You need to taste every single juicy sauce from this chicken and end up a happy man (or woman)

4. Kerabu Perut

Don't let the title stop you from trying this delicious preparation. For those of you who have tried and love kerabu mangga, pakis or taugeh, this is the time for you to upgrade. In fact there are so many types of kerabu out there you just have to pick the ones you like. For me this is the top of the pick. Boiled cow's intestines mixed with sliced onions, a dash of lemon and a whole other fresh ingredients makes this a great addition to your meal.

5. Otak-otak

A great snack for the whole family, this particular food is categorized as cake. Fish cake to be exact and that is what this thing are made of plus some mixture of spices. It must be served fresh and best served while it is still hot. They are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves and are grilled over a hot charcoal while wrapped in banana leaves giving it its distinctive taste and inviting aroma. Found also in parts of Indonesia and Singapore.

6. Kuih Tako

Kuih Tako is a popular Johor traditional cake. Apparently it is easy to make and you would probably find this cake on almost any pasar Ramadan that you visit. Apart from that during Hari Raya open house or during a Kenduri, this cake is also a common food being served. It is usually made of premix flour, coconut milk, sugar, hint of salt and some water chestnut diced into small cubes to give you that chewy texture in your mouth. The standard serving  way is to fill it inside a pandan mini basket.

7. Ayam Panggang Madu

Everyone loves a barbecued chicken. Typically in Malaysia when you have barbecue sessions chicken wings will certainly be part of the limelight. It's tasty, easy to prepare and you basically just need to light a fire and assign someone to be the designated chef for the day. Somehow the taste always differs when we try to compare between our own barbecue and those people who sells them. Usually theirs are tastier.

8. Satay Ayam / Daging

Satay has been in almost everyone's life in Malaysia. From the roadside to people's homes to banquets of kings and queens satay is almost synonymous to the Malaysian food culture. Of course Satay is not exclusive to Malaysia . The origins is from Java. Apart from the regular chicken or beef, satay nowadays may also consist of mutton, fish, tofu and more. Served with  peanut sauce, this is an all time favorite Malaysian choice.

9. Soto Ayam / Daging

Time for some soupy stuff.  Soto has its roots in Indonesia. It can be considered the Indonesian national dish. A tasty soup mix that has shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, ginger, coriander, salt, candlenut and pepper in it. Lime is always present and can be squeezed to your liking

10. Lemang

Last but not least. No Raya should be without the lemang. Cooked in a hollow bamboo stick lined with banana leaves to avoid the rice from sticking to the bamboo they are actually made from glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt . It is usually eaten with rendang. However this is not compulsory. You can pretty much eat this any way you want.

The pasar Ramadan photos were all taken in Puchong Perdana. 

About The Writer
KAY KASTUM
Born in Sabah with an interest in open water diving, wall climbing,music and video production and a passion for Android custom ROMS on his XT910 Motorola Razr Kay Kastum plans to make the world a better place by empowering people through his work. Whatever that means. You can follow his YouTube channel to see what he is up to during his free time