The columnist started fasting during Ramadan when she was barely six years old. - NAIM BENJELLOUN/Pexels
Most of us who fast would probably remember the first time we ever tried fasting, or puasa, in Malay. I was barely six when I first attempted it. The year was 1948 and my brothers, Don, Mod and I were living with our maternal grandparents, Tok Mat and Tok Nah at No.1, Jalan Othman in Muar, Johor. Our parents were abroad for a significant period of time and so we were left in their care. My sister Noni, on the other hand, lived with our paternal grandmother, Tok Jilah at Parit Bakar, some 7kms away.
My first puasa day was unforgettable. Embok, our family housekeeper cajoled me to wake up at pre-dawn for sahur, and patiently sat with me who was begrudging and half asleep, trying my best not to gag and to quickly swallow whatever Embok gave me. After some protesting and yawning and little effort to finish my sahur meal, I quickly went back to the safe comforts of my bed to continue my interrupted slumber.
That first puasa day was difficult and challenging. I could not think of anything else save the fact that I could not eat nor drink and it felt like the longest and hottest day of my life. I did not even have the energy to complain nor did I dare to ask or plead with Tok Nah or Embok to allow me to drink something, anything. Sure, I could have secretly taken a chug of tap water without anyone knowing, but we kids were always reminded of Allah’s omnipresence and omniscience. Cheating was definitely not an option.
By noon I was weak, pale and limp and Tok Nah took pity on her granddaughter, who already resembled a raggedy doll, and told me to break my fast.
Cooks in Kampung Baru continue to serve bubur lambuk during Ramadan till this day. - STARPIC
It was an emotional moment, and I was hesitant, confused and relieved at the same time. She explained that as I was still young, I needed to learn the importance of eating a nutritious sahur to sustain me through the day, as well as to practise and master abstinence. That glass of plain water that I took to break my fast tasted like the most delicious drink in the world.
Fast forward to the following year, and after many more futile efforts which included sleeping through sahur, and half-day puasa attempts, I finally managed to puasa fully, graduating to full-fledged fasting at the age of seven.
I remember this moment proudly, as I was then able to sit with the adults and other children for the breaking of fast.
The breaking of fast during Ramadan is a big deal in the Tok Mat household. The Tok Mat family encompasses many adults and children, and as a large family with limited seating at the dining table, we would often need to take turns to eat meals. During Ramadan, however, all who fast would be accommodated to eat together as one big group.
After a whole day bereft of food and drink, the iftar meals displayed on the dining table looked splendid indeed. The home-cooked meals were simple but there was a staple iftar dish which took centrestage every single evening (at least to seven-year-old me).
It was the prolific bubur lambuk. We would break fast by eating a date, followed by a bowl of bubur lambuk as an appetiser or to ‘alas perut’ before we proceeded to perform our obligatory Maghrib prayers. It was only after prayers that we sat down to eat the main dishes. Some of us would have a second helping of bubur lambuk as a treat after tarawih prayers.
Bubur lambuk is a savoury rice porridge made with a mixture of spices, vegetables, chicken or beef and is synonymous with Ramadan in Malaysia. It is usually only easily available during Ramadan and is often cooked communally at local mosques and served to the congregation as a nourishing meal to break the fast. I remember draining glass after glass of cold syrup to break fast, and then scooping up bowls of bubur lambuk to hurriedly scoff down until I was stuffed, before it was time to stop and pause for prayers.
Tok Mat’s bubur lambuk came from a family recipe. This family recipe is unique as unlike the varieties available in mosques around the country which conventionally use beef or chicken as protein, the family recipe utilises prawns and an abundance of fresh ulam (herbs). I was informed that the family recipe came from my maternal great-grand aunt, Rogayah Awang.
The recipe has been handed down through generations and I made it a point to record the recipe by jotting it down, as recipes were usually shared only verbally, then. During my first job posting upon graduation in 1965, I had the opportunity to live with Tok Mat again in Muar and was then able to sit with Embok and Mak Sinah, her able assistant, and write down as many recipes as possible to preserve my favourite childhood dishes.
Embok and Mak Sinah were illiterate, which was common those days as access to education was limited, but they were natural and passionate cooks who learned to cook a variety of dishes for the family from my grandmother. The recipes were all in their heads and they cooked ‘main campak campak sahaja’ (estimated without measuring). I watched them cook bubur lambuk and insisted that they measured the ingredients properly for my benefit. This family recipe is in my first cookbook, Johor Palate, Tanjung Puteri Recipes and the Bahasa Malaysia edition, Citarasa Johor, Resipi Tanjung Puteri.
Both Embok and Mak Sinah are no longer with us but the recipe remains as their legacy. How amazing if we had Tik Tok then, Embok and Mak Sinah would definitely have many followers!
There are several variations of bubur lambuk. One of the most famous versions of bubur lambuk is served at the Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru during the fasting month. The recipe was inherited from a Pakistani, the late Said Benk, in 1949, and is used to this day. My late father used to purchase the Masjid Jamek bubur lambuk for us when he worked in KL in 1957. This version was a nice alternative to the one prepared at home.
At the Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru, over 3,000 packets of bubur lambuk are distributed daily to the congregation during Ramadan. - Filepic
On average, 15 big pots of bubur lambuk are still cooked daily during Ramadan and 3,000 packets of the porridge distributed to the congregation of the mosque and the public from 4pm until the breaking of fast. In a month, some 5,850 kg of rice is cooked. The recipe which is quite similar to this bubur lambuk is in my second cookbook, Malaysia’s Culinary Heritage, The Best of Authentic Traditional Recipes and the Bahasa Malaysia edition, Makanan Warisan Malaysia, Resipi Masakan Autentik dan Tradisional.
To supplement the traditional (and perhaps more tedious) recipes, I have also included a simpler and quicker version which is just as delicious. This is Ungku Balkis Ungku Abdul Hamid’s recipe, given to her by her mother-in-law. Instead of meat or chicken, Balkis uses seafood. Balkis is an excellent cook and together with her sister, Ungku Marhamah Shereen, tried and tested all the 200 recipes in my third cookbook, Recipes Are for Sharing and the Bahasa Malaysia edition, Hidangan Kita, Sedulang Sekeluarga.
This Ramadan, like my seven-year old self, I am excited to savour a piping hot bowl of bubur lambuk in all of its simple splendour, as a reward after a whole day of patient fasting. I reminisce those Ramadan nights with Tok Mat and the rest of my family, and also of my father coming home with containers of Masjid Jamek’s bubur lambuk, reminding me of how blessed we are, and of the importance of puasa in our lives.
Bubur Lambuk is one of the 213 foods that was gazetted by the Department of National Heritage Malaysia as a traditional food (makanan warisan) under the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645) in 2015.
Datin Kalsom Taib has co-written and published award winning books on Malay cooking and Malaysian cuisine. She believes it’s vital to preserve Malaysia’s culinary culture, and this is the first article in a series on her culinary inspirations.
Kalsom’s family’s bubur lambuk features seafood rather than meat.- Johor Palate
BALKIS' BUBUR LAMBUK
1 1/2 cups rice, washed until the water runs clear and drained
7 cups water
Blend to a fine paste
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4cm ginger, peeled and chopped
200ml coconut milk
3/4 tsp coarse black pepper
1 cup Vietnamese mint leaves (daun kesom), stems removed
1 cup Thai basil leaves (daun selasih), stems removed
1 piece turmeric leaf (daun kunyit), shredded
200g fresh medium sized prawns, peeled and deveined and sliced in half without breaking it
200g fresh squid, clean, rub away the reddish skin, remove the heads and tentacles, discard the transparent spines and black ink sacs. Wash the squid well inside out, then slice into narrow rings.
salt to taste
Ingredients for garnishing
Chinese celery, finely sliced
spring onions, finely sliced
fried shallots
In a pot, combine the water and rice and cook until the rice turns to porridge.
Add the spice paste, then the coconut milk and black pepper. Add the Vietnamese mint leaves, basil leaves and the turmeric leaf and continue to boil until the leaves are cooked.
Add the prawns and squid and salt to taste and let simmer.
Remove from the heat and serve hot. Just before serving, sprinkle garnish ingredients on top.
Recipe from Malaysia’s Culinary Heritage
