Special Post: Bazaar Ramadhan

So if you don't already know the Muslim world is observing fasting (puasa) month as a prelude to the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations. It is truly an awesome time to be in Malaysia. During this time, there are many Bazaar Ramadhan's that line the streets selling fantastic tasting delicacies. 


The bazaar's usually start setting up and selling by 4pm. There are many places within the Klang Valley and around the country where you can find these bazaars. The photos on this post were taken when my colleagues when to visit the one in Section 14, Petaling Jaya. Thanks Ben and Nazar!


1) Ayam Percik: Ok I will start with my favourite. RM5 for a drumstick. It's technically spicy barbecued chicken. But this one came with a sweet and peppery sauce which really enhanced the flavours of the chicken meat.

2) Otak-otak: Literally translates to 'brains' but so it is not. Once you remove the toothpicks and unwrap the banana leaves you are left with a strip of spicy fish meat. The texture is pretty custard like. A favourite of my other half.

3) Kuih Dadar Ketayap: If I recall this is my sister's favourite kuih. I never had a liking for this particular kuih - probably due to the sweet coconut filling. However it is a favourite of many. The outer layer consist of pandan flavoured crepe (pancake skin) with the coconut filling and melted brown sugar.

4) Karipap: Ok one of of my all time favourite kuih. Karipap or curry puffs are a staple here at any kuih stall. We have it for breakfast, for tea or just cause we feel like it. The fillings consists of the usual suspects such as potatoes and small chunks of chicken.

 

5) Popiah Basah: Aaaaah these moist spring rolls are da bomb! I truly prefer them to the fried spring rolls. The stuffing consists of cucumber slices, bean sprouts and some other stuff. I like the ones with some chilli like sauce mixed in with the stuffing as well.

6) Lemang: Sticky rice cooked in a hollowed bamboo stick lined with banana leaves. Best eaten with beef rendang ( a meat dish). I loved the lemang from this stall - it was moist and not too sticky. And it went great with the beef rendang 

7) Murtabak: Sort of a roti canai stuffed with meat, chopped onions and egg. The ones sold at the bazaar are really cute in size. If you're averse to onions, I would not recommend the murtabak as I found that the murtabak I had from the bazaar had more onions than meat.

More kuih shots:

Kuih Sago

                                               
                                                   Kuih Tepung Pelita

                                                     Kuih Kacang

                                                        Kuih Cara

                                                  Not-so-sure-of-the-name Kuih

                                               Kuih Cara Berlauk

                                          Skewered meat bites

                                           Roasted Chicken Wings

And so much more!!! It's amazing the selection they have at these bazaars. Truly fascinating. And the most brilliant part is that you can find people of ALL races at these bazaars looking for their favourite bites.


Like I said - it's a great time to be in Malaysia.


What are your favourites?

Step-by-step Pineapple Ham Pizza

What you need:
Frozen pizza base
Small can of tomato paste
150g chopped ham
Small can of pineapple rings/chunks
Grated mozzarella cheese

What to do:

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the dummies guide to making pizza at home. First of all go to the supermarket and make your way to the frozen section. Feel your way around until you find the 'Frozen Pizza Base' square box. Some visual aid to assist you:

You can't miss this box. The tagline reads: "Choice of the Multidute". Interesting. I shall not poke fun at the English because I am polite like that. Next open the box and lo and behold just like it says on the packaging you will find 2 pieces of 9 inch pizza base. Visual aid to assist. Leave the base on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes to soften.

Pre-heat oven to 200C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper or lightly grease the tray.

Open your can of tomato paste. Next, chop up the ham. Crank open a small can of pineapple rings. Drain the syrup and chop up the pineapple pieces.

Spread each round of pizza base with about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Use the back of the spoon to spread evenly.

Top up each base with the chopped ham.

Next, add the pineapple pieces.

Lastly, top up each base with grated mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes. Be sure cheese has melted and base is crisp.

Serving suggestion: Serve fresh from the oven with sprinkles of chilli flakes which you (or just I) might have kept from ordering pizza from Domino's.

Tips:
I bought a 200g packet of grated mozzarella cheese and used slightly more than half.
You can freeze the remaining tomato paste to be used for later. Remove the paste from the can and empty into a small tupperware.
Don't miss the pizza base sides when you sprinkle the topping and the cheese. In hindsight I wish I had paid more attention to the sides.

Result:
This is my quick and easy way to make pizza. I don't make the dough from scratch as you would have already guessed (I can sense my sister shaking her head as she reads this). Prep is very fast with just chopping and sprinkling involved. Love the simplicity and the end result was great.

This recipe originates from this website.