Hari Raya Open House

While most people are anticipating the arrival of Deepavali tomorrow, here I am reminiscing the Hari Raya Open House Lunch at Azuan's house 2 weeks back...

As soon as we arrived at Azuan's colourfully decorated home, we were treated to an array of Hari Raya cookies. Since most of the cookies were homemade, authenticity was guaranteed and I couldn't wait to try all of them.

Kuih Samperit (butter and custard flour cookie) was one of those cookies that I wanted to try since I have not taken one in a very long time. It was light and soft yet not overwhelmed by the buttery taste. A very much milder version of a Kjeldsen's Butter Cookie. It also reminded me of those Dragon (with "red eyes") Cookies I had for Chinese New Year when I was young.

The sweet Oatmeal Cookie was crispy and aromatic while the Almond Cookie tasted rather bland compared to the former but was compensated by the crunchy texture of the lightly toasted almond bits. Other highlights included Butter Cookie With Melted Chocolate Flakes Topping and the Kuih Bangkit (Traditional Tapioca Flour and Coconut Milk Cookie).

For lunch, we had Mee Kari or noodles in curry soup (not Laksa, as posted earlier. Thanks, Azuan!). A refreshing change from the ketupat (poached rice stuffed in weaved pandan/screwpine pockets) and rendang (beef in thick spiced chili sauce) that we had been offered for the past few years (which were all very tasty, by the way).

The main ingredients for the Mee Kari were green cabbage mustard leaves, hard-boiled eggs, beansprouts and of course, noodles. Red chilies and fried shallots were used to add extra flavours and for garnishing. A complete array of ingredients albeit the missing fish cakes.

The curry diluted with coconut milk tasted rich and sweet, thanks to the many flavourful ingredients added into the soup, including chicken, cockles (love it!) and potatoes. These ingredients, together with the dried beancurd added different textures to the soup.

A great lunch to reconnect with close friends and their families. To me, that's what Open House(s) are all about. Hope to do this again next year. In the meantime, I guess I should start to construct a menu for my Chinese New Year gathering (not that I have had one before).

Thanks, Azuan for the food and great hospitality! And for the Laksa correction, too.