As Streets continues its focus on Ramadan bazaars, ZANNA ES goes for a stroll through Section 13, Shah Alam.

RAMADAN is a month of self-restraint and discipline in exercising purity of thought and action. Fasting, compulsory in Islam except for those with a chronic illness, is not without its medical benefits such as lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Whilst restraint is very much advocated, practising restraint is becoming more difficult, with Ramadan bazaars mushrooming on every street corner.

In Shah Alam, there may be more than one bazaar within a section for berbuka purchases. Section 18, for instance, has two Ramadan bazaars, one in the open area where food stalls line the street choking traffic, and another within the newly-opened shopping centre next to Giant supermarket.

Similarly, in Section 14, one Ramadan bazaar operates within the PKNS complex and another at the SACC (Shah Alam City Centre) mall next door.

Ramadan bazaars have also become popular with people from other communities.

The Section 13 bazaar is one of the biggest in Shah Alam, with more than 200 stalls. A stroll through the bazaar is revealing in terms of variety and choice.

Fancy authentic Kelantanese kuih such as the akok and kuih cara berlauk? Try the stall run by Hayati Yaacob (Kak Ani). The akok are products of family recipes, modified to suit today’s taste.

“The real akok is very sweet, but I have reduced the sugar content,” says Kak Ani, who has her own kuih kiosk in Petaling Jaya.

What about northern delicacies? There is crunchy kuih denderam hot off the kuali, and going fast at 10 pieces for RM1. Those who like something savoury can always opt for the pulut udang utara (or pulut panggang) which is charcoal-grilled glutinous rice with savoury fillings and wrapped in banana leaves, sold at RM2 for five pieces.

Of course murtabak power has its own following.

Several stalls sell the ever popular kuih pelita (steamed santan and rice flour in cute rectangles of pandan leaves. You can also find the usual tea-time fare such as curry puffs, steamed cup cakes (apam cawan) and agar-agar in all its varieties, including agar-agar mata duyung (jelly scattered with sago).

Perhaps more distinctive is the kebab skewered BBQ chicken, beef and lamb at RM5 per stick. Stall owner Amirul got the idea when working at a resort; he says the skewered meat is only sold during the fasting month.

He also accepts take-away orders of a minimum of 50 sticks and expects to be busy especially during Hari Raya festives when he caters to open houses.

Another interesting dish is roasted chicken, ayam golek kamrai, chicken marinated in special spices and grilled. At RM11 for a whole chicken, the stall sells about 200 a day.

Grilled dried cuttlefish is also available, at RM10 or RM20, at a stall run by Henri Rusli, who has been in the business for the past seven years. If you fail to catch him in Shah Alam, he’ll be at his stall in Pantai Morib and USJ after the fasting month.

Kelantanese food lovers will find what they need at the stall run by Ghani Said, who runs a canteen at the city council. His best dish is ayam masak rempah at RM3.50 a piece.

Of course there is nasi beriani, nasi kerabu, nasi paprik and even nasi lemak kukus available.

The fasting month would not be complete without dates. Mohd Zaidi Abdul Rahman’s Penang-based company has been selling dates from the Middle East for almost 10 years and he says there is a variety of dates to choose from, “depending on how you want your dates, fresh or dried”.

Also available are other exotic dried fruits such as jumbo raisins, figs, pistachios as well as China dates.

So much choice: and when you go with an empty stomach, everything looks good — and many people end up buying more than they need. So practise self restraint.

The good thing about this bazaar is that the food looks fresh and is well presented, and the place looks clean. Parking is, of course, a problem after 4.30pm but not to worry, city officials are around to ensure smooth traffic.