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Joys of Aidilfitri

Chicken and beef satay to go with ketupat

If you’ve decided not to join the balik kampung exodus, there are still plenty of reasons to have a fun and satisfying Hari Raya, writes TAN BEE HONG.

Trays of raya cookies

Lontong, compressed rice with sayur lodeh

RAMADAN draws to an end and on Wednesday, Muslims will celebrate Aidilfitri with great joy. In this country, no celebration is complete without a feast.

For those not intending to join the balik kampung rush this Hari Raya, a special high-tea has been set up at the Terazza Brasserie at Sheraton Subang Hotel & Towers on Oct 1.

From noon to 4pm, there will be the aroma of lemang on the grill, satay, redang and all the goodies associated with the occasion. The only difference is you won’t be having to slave over the stove.

Kerabu always makes a good appetiser. And executive chef Liou Chong Yew will be outdoing himself with six variations of this dish. There will be mango, chicken, taugeh, seafood, Thai-style beef and cockles.

On top of that, you will get rojak, otak-otak, acar buah and all kinds of ulam as well as cold cuts and salads, sushi and dim sum.

Like seafood? Try mussels, prawns and crabs on ice with different sauces and dressings.

Soothe the palate with a bowl of hot soup. There will be cream of asparagus with pesto crouton as well as soto ayam.

Main courses may prove to be a problem as you vacillate between nasi biryani gam, pasta, ketupat, roti jala and lemang to go with sayur lodeh, lontong, rendang tok, serunding ayam opor asam jawa, sweet and sour fish, stirfried baby kailan, Chinese roast duck and more. Or have roti canai, roti boom and murtabak with dhall and sambal sardine.

How about a pink centred roast beef with caramelised shallot gravy and hollandaise to go with stuffed oven baked potato skin with bacon and mushroom? If you prefer lamb, there’s a whole roast leg of lamb at the carvery, with all the accompanying condiments.

Lemang is a must, whether you eat it with serunding or tender cuts of spicy chicken or beef rendang. The glutinous rice cooked in hollow bamboo is de rigeur and Hari Raya would not seem complete without it. But as delicious as this is, it is not a food item that you’d want to try and attempt to make at home as it is a lot of work.

If you find the glutinous rice in lemang a little too heavy, have ketupat with beef and chicken satay or lontong, compressed rice cubes served with sayur lodeh.

This colourful Indonesian vegetable stew comes with a light coconut gravy tinged yellow with the generous use of turmeric. You get a mixture of cabbage, potato, carrots, green beans, onions and glass vermicelli.

At the noodle station, it’s Penang laksa time. Savour laksa noodles with lots of tangy, fishy gravy, perfumed with fresh mint, pineapples and a drizzle of prawn paste.

What’s Hari Raya without the assortment of raya cookies. You get them all here and more, including batang buruk, dodol, wajik, bahulu, sago melaka, kuih muih, cakes and pastries, tapai pulut, fruit mousse, pudding and jelly. Add to that ais kacang with all kinds of toppings, ice cream and a chocolate fountain.

In fact, you can spent the whole afternoon simply indulging in sweets and dessert if it so takes your fancy.

The Hari Raya high tea, priced at RM55++ per person, is from noon to 4pm.



TERAZZA BRASSERIE

Sheraton Subang Hotel

Subang Jaya, Selangor

Tel: 03-5031 6060

phoenixbee@nstp.com.my

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