CONVERGENCE MAY-JUNE 2017

Travel
What do you eat
for Eid ?
Muslims in Malaysia will be celebrating their religious festival in June with lots of delicious
food! This includes nasi impit with peanut sauce, lemang, rendang and dodol. But, what
do those from other countries eat during the festivities? Here are several dishes that are
specially prepared for the occasion from around the world
Kheer
If you’re in India, slurp on a bowl of Indian milk pudding which is locally known
as kheer. A vermicelli-based dessert, other ingredients include ghee, chopped
almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, cloves, cardamom, sugar and milk. If you’re
feeling adventurous, have it for breakfast which isn’t entirely strange in India.
Baklava
In Turkey, the culmination of the month-long fasting during the month of
Ramadan results in three days of Seker Bayram which is also known as the
sugar festival. One main component that is a must-have during this occasion
is baklava. Layers of phyllo dough are filled with chopped nuts such as
pistachios, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts and slathered with honey, sugar
syrup and rosewater before slicing it into desired portions. This is one delicious
but sticky dessert.
Briyani
If you love meals that come with rice, you’re in for a fragrant treat. A common
dish in India and Pakistan, there are several variations to how this dish is
seasoned and prepared but the common denominator here are spices,
basmati rice and a type of meat. There are vegetarian versions too. The
interesting part about this dish is in how it is prepared. The well-seasoned
meat is either baked together with the rice or sometimes boiled eggs too.
This adds flavour to the already fragrant and heavily-spiced rice. More often
than not, this dish is considered spicy.
Kebab
Beef, lamb or chicken skewers are grilled and served in various ways. This
includes roasted vegetables such as capsicums, tomatoes and zucchinis.
Where is this a common dish for Eid? The Middle East of course! Best eaten
with rice or flatbread.
74