Aidil Adha 1430

Salam Aidil Adha, everyone!

Aidil Adha is the less-celebrated of the two Rayas in Brunei; perhaps because people feel rather dissociated with the Hajj event in Makkah, and they think only the pilgrims ‘feel’ this celebration of ultimate sacrifice, while others back home here don’t really.

But for as long as I can remember (perhaps since 1981?, when my dad first naik Haji), we’ve always celebrated Aidil Adha at home, beginning with Betakbir on the eve of Adha, cucul lights on, and an ‘openhouse’ in the morning after mass Adha prayers. So practically everyone from the mosque is welcome to our home for a bit of ‘breakfast’.

On the menu today was Nasi Briyani.

We also had Soto, a switch from the usual Satay. So, not a stick of Satay or Kelupis, or even Lemang, but the Soto was good and popular too.

Traditional favourites Cucur Nakan (Tibadak), Pulut Panggang and Karipap (Curry puff) were also offered.

Now, this was the first time I had Karipap with orange sweet potato filling. Its natural sweetness really complemented the spicy curry, and was absolutely delicious.

But, what’s Raya without cakes and biscuits? So there was the usual fare…

And of course fruit, Langsat and Satsumas.

The whole idea of the big feast is done in the name of sedakah as we’ve been taught that feeding people is a deed. It is also a great chance to reacquaint with friends and family we wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s a chance to reconnect with our roots, even if it’s just for one morning. The food is just a bonus. The embrace of family and friends is for keeps.

Selamat Hari Raya everyone, Maaf Zahir dan Batin!

Live from Cambodia!

Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 22 November, Sunday, 7.15pm.

Here for work. Cambodians like their long breaks. 1 hour of discussion, 45 min coffee break. Then discussion resumes, and then lunch break for 2 ½ hours. After an hour of discussion, coffee break lagi. 30 min this time. But I’m Bruneian, who am I to complain? We’re not exactly known for our punctuality or time-efficiency. But there really is a lot of long breaks here. I don’t normally write about other countries, but having seen its horrific history I feel compelled to project something positive about this nation in real time. Cambodia is a very poor country, but the people really do make up for their lack of wealth with their warm and generous hospitality, they have a very big heart indeed. For coffee we were offered four types of local sweets.

Sweet sticky rice with Santan

Clear kanji with lotus paste filling, wrapped in banana leaf

They’re not too dissimilar from Bruneian sweets either in taste or appearance. It’s just interesting that our humble foods are the same, but our fates couldn’t have been more different. Cambodians are not just resilient, but they are also a very forgiving people, completely unencumbered by the weight of their history, it seems. I wish them the best always. And we should count our blessings.

Durian Dinner

This blog should really be called durian.com. Banyak pasal durian saja.

But here’s what I had for dinner last night.

That’s right, durian and rice. Well, durian dadahan and durian kuning with nasi putih and nasi kabun, to be exact.

The only other person I know who shares the same predilection for having durian with rice is Cousin Najul, who I caught sneaking in the kitchen gratifying his craving at 1am. Only one thing to do- join him. It’s very kampung-style, so what? The rice gives the soft durian some texture, volume and “bite”. Give it a go. In Bangkok they have sweet mango with sticky rice, so durian and rice is not as strange as you might think.