Hari Raya Haji (also known as Eid al-Adha) is one of those important festive seasons that is eagerly anticipated by all of us, as we get to spend time and catch up with our families and friends after Ramadan. Of course, to some, the highlight of Hari Raya Haji after the greetings and wishes is the beloved culinary delights prepared by our neneks, makciks and ibu. With so many delectable dishes, it might be hard to decide which food to start with, Fear not, here are 20 recipes to make your Hari Raya Haji celebration a heart-warming one!
1. Beef Rendang by Miss_polkadot
Considered as one of the most popular festive dishes, rendang is a lip-smacking rich dish of meat is slow cooked and braised in coconut milk seasoned with a mixture of ginger, turmeric, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, and shallot (Bumbu spice mix). Overtime, as the liquids dry off, the contents caramelise, creating the signature dark, rich flavourful appearance. While Beef is the common meat used (Rendang Daging), Chicken (Rendang Ayam) and Goat (Rendang Kambing) can also be used too. No wonder it is such a favourite and it’s great for Hari Raya Haji!
2. Sayur Lodeh by Wanda Sutji
Another rich coconut dish, it’s a soup filled with a variety of vegetables, from eggplants to long beans to tofu. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, Sayur Lodeh is a silky, coconutty and spicy soup that can be served with steamed rice, sliced lontong or Ketupat! You can also add prawns if you’d like some seafood. The addition of turmeric is what gives the dish its bright yellow colour,
3. Roti Jala by Cook with Susan
Roti Jala is Southeast Asia’s version of a crepe. Roughly translated to as net bread or lace pancake, Roti Jala is often eaten during tea-time, or served at honourable events like weddings and festivals. While they are delicious eaten on its own, they can be also be used as a substitute for rice and eaten with curries. Remember to drizzle the batter in the form of net patterns else it will turn out becoming a pancake instead!
4. Lontong Goreng by Sharefood
This is a one-pot wonder that will spice up your senses with the freshness from the seafood, the rich flavour from the minced beef, as well as crunch from the vegetables. The herb paste consisting of dried chilli paste, garlic paste, onion and ginger paste is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds with every bite!
5. Ayam Goreng Sambal by Wanda Sutji
You can never go wrong with sambal! This mouthwatering dish uses kampong chicken and freshly made sambal. The deep fried chicken is tossed in a vibrant and flavourful sauce. The sauce is so versatile, it can even be used to even coat hard boiled eggs or fish.
6. Penang Curry with Shrimp and Pineapple by Commune Kitchen
Chicken curry, mutton curry, fish-head curry…We all have that too many often times. This Eid celebration, why not try out a different variant of curry? This sweet and creamy Penang Curry is mild, and is suitable for those who do not take heavy chili spice. To top the icing, the crunchy shrimps and the tropical pineapples lends a special sweetness to this dish!
7. Kueh Dadar by ZaTaYaYummy
At first, this sweet treat can seem intimidating to make as you need to find a way to extract the pandan fragrance from its leaves but also have a smooth and silky batter. But using this simple recipe, you’ll be able to create beautiful crepes. Filled with grated coconut that has been cooked with Gula Melaka, you’ll achieve the wonderful delicious sweet caramelized flavour that Kueh Dadar is known for!
8. Prune Kueh Lapis by Sharefood
A layered cake loved for their richly sweet and spices infused flavours, this prune kueh lapis is decadently moist and gloriously buttery. Often being sold at a high price in retail, learning how to make this kueh lapis by yourself can save you a lot of money during the festive season! This bake might be challenging for some of you out there, so do bring a sous chef along!
9. Spicy Tamarind Grilled Fish (Air Fried) by Jeanrin.Yanling
Made with Kembong fish (Indian Mackerel), this grilled fish is sure to be addictive with its sour-spicy combination. Coupled with some yellow onions providing a crispy bite, this dish is guaranteed make you finish all of your rice or ketupat!
10. Purple, White and Red Nasi Tumpeng by Wanda Sutji
Tumpeng is a traditional Javanese dish which features a cone-shaped rice on a platter surrounded by a variety of side meats and vegetables. Originally made with plain rice, coconut rice or turmeric rice, this recipes uses dried butterfly pea flowers and baby beetroot to create purple and red rice, offering a new twist to a traditional cuisine often served during communal events.
11. Turmeric Fried Chicken by Miss_polkadot
Fried Chicken is a common party food, but have you tried turmeric fried chicken? Turmeric is a spice that is considered as one of the most effective nutritional supplement ever, with vast benefits for the body and the brain. A ridiculously simple recipe, make sure to keep your fingers clean because it will be that finger-licking good!
12. Perkedel Kentang (Potato Fritters) by Wanda Sutji
Perkedel is an Indonesian side dish that is popular for lunch, dinner, or even as a snack! These humble potato fritters are tasty and filling, making them a real crowd-pleaser. Did you know the name “perkedel” is derived from “frikandel”, a Dutch term for deep-fried minced meat patties! There’s no meat in these patties though, making it vegetarian friendly.
13. Pempek Lenjer by Miss_polkadot
For the uninitiated, pempek is a type of fishcake where fish paste is mixed with tapioca starch. The fishcake is then usually boiled, fried and served with a sweet and sour sauce. Savoury and bouncy, pempek can be eaten in its own, or garnished with yellow noodles as per what this recipe suggests.
14. Rempeyek with Anchovies and Peanut by Wanda Sutji
Here’s another snack that is popular as a festive food! A deep-fried snack, it can be easily topped with different ingredients such as peanuts, dried anchovies, dried shrimp etc. Everyone needs something to munch about while waiting for the rendang, so why not serve up a plate of crispy, fragrant rempeyek to keep everyone occupied?
15. Gula Melaka Pandan Butter Cake by ZaTaYaYummy
Pandan cake is yet another traditional treat beloved by many! Sweet and fluffy, try out this Gula Melaka combination to bring a absolute new treat for your family and friends to enjoy!
16. Traditional Double Layered Gula Melaka Coconut Delight by Yeo Li Li
We all had agar agar, we all had traditional coconut kueh, but has everyone of us tried agar agar with gula melaka and coconut? This little treat combines the best of both worlds to create a rich, creamy delight that highlights the sweetness of the Gula Melaka and the creaminess of the coconut milk. Pandan leaves are used as well to give the agar agar a nice balanced whiff of Pandan.
17. Lamb Biryani by Sasha’s Fine Foods
There are so many varieties of biryani. This flavourful rice dish has lots of aromatics paired with fragrant basmati rice, tender meat and delicious spices. Lamb Biryani is such a festive dish, and is perfect to cook when you have guests coming over!
18. Nasi Bakar Ikan by she_wan
This Indonesian dish is made from rice filled with spiced fish and wrapped in banana leaves to be grilled. The filling between the rice can be customised to even include chicken, beef, fish, mushrooms, vegetables, salted fish, fried anchovies, and even tempeh or tofu. The aroma of grilled banana leaves will definitely increase anyone’s appetite, leaving everyone coming back for seconds!
19. Healthy Pecel by N3fn3f
Looking for a healthy yet festive dish? This pecel combines a variety of vegetables, hard boiled eggs, fried tofu and tempeh with a delicious nutty sauce. While normally made with peanut, this recipe uses cashew nuts! The unique thing about pecel sauce is that it uses kencur (aromatic ginger) and kaffir lime leaves, providing a refreshing taste.
20. Grilled Sweet Sauce Fish by she_wan
Impress your guests with a beautiful looking fish dish. This Grilled Fish makes use of Barramundi Fish Head and has a delectable marinade making full use of sweet soy sauce. It’s simple to make, and a non-spicy version can be prepared for kids. You can even make it in your air-fryer!
Check out more Hari Raya dishes here