Zariah and Zamri’s stall at the bazaar is manned by a married couple selling traditional Malay kuih. — Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
BEFORE the Covid-19 pandemic, the Seri Petaling Ramadan bazaar in Kuala Lumpur was touted as the largest bazaar in the Seputeh parliamentary constituency.
Back then both sides of Jalan Radin Baru would be lined with stalls, more than 200 of them stretching up to almost one kilometre.
The place would be congested and the air filled with the aromatic fragrance of the barbecued meat mixed with soup simmering in bakso or Indonesian meatballs.
A stall selling hot, fresh and delicious chicken wings at the Seri Petaling Ramadan bazaar.
Today, only about 60 traders are operating, but the good news is they are mostly old-timers who have been dishing out home-cooked food for decades.
Newcomers who are not familiar, may look out for Rahimah Abdul Ghafor, 69, who is the coordinator for this bazaar.
Rahimah is a member of the Kuala Lumpur Night Market Association (PMKL) who has been coordinating the Seri Petaling Ramadan bazaar for many years.
Colourful refreshing drinks and ta fu fah are available at Abdul Samad’s stall at the bazaar located at Jalan Radin Baru.
She is willing to recommend good food to anyone looking for some tips.
“We are smaller now, only 54 stalls are open today because it’s raining. But on a good day with fine weather, we have a full house of 60 stalls,’’ she added.
“But most of our old-timers are here like the Nasi Kerabu Kelantan stall and the bakso stall. These are families who have been dishing up home-cooked food made from family recipes,’’ she said, adding that there was no overlapping of dishes sold at the bazaar.
Despite the rain, there were still customers buying food at the Ramadan bazaar at Jalan Radin Bagus in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.
“We want variety and quality. No duplicate dishes. Everyone is offering something different here.’’
Rahimah has a stall which sells Nasi Tomato special. She is sometimes joined by her granddaughter Natalia Shahriza, 23.
“My grandmother’s recipe is Kedah style which was handed down to her by her mother-in-law,’’ she said.
This selection of halal dim sum and pau is a crowd-puller at the Sri Petaling Ramadan bazaar.
“We sell about 100 packs a day, but fewer if it rains. Any leftovers will go to the nearby mosque,’’ said Natalia.
Another popular food here is the bakso noodles. There’s a huge pot of simmering soup filled with meatballs of various sizes.
“Some people like to buy a huge chunk of meatball to take home and cut it up to share with family members,’’ said the stall owner who declined to be named.
Customers can choose from the variety of meatballs available at the bakso noodle stall.
Another popular food stall is the one selling barbecued satay and chicken wings.
“We sell about 500 pieces of chicken wings per day, if it’s not raining,’’ said a trader who introduced herself as Zila.
The 22-year-old from Seri Kembangan has been operating a satay business for two years now and is helped by her family members.
For a refreshing option especially on a hot day, the tau fu fah stall run by Abdul Samad, from Gombak is also quite popular.
Rahimah (right) at her stall selling Nasi Tomato special.
“Every day since Ramadan started, we sell about 200 tau fu fah and 300 drink packets,’’ said the 67-year-old trader
His best sellers are the watermelon, soybean and asam boi drinks.
Another crowd puller, especially among the non-Muslim patrons is the halal dim sum and pau stall called Precious Food.
“It’s fresh and delicious. You can definitely tell that the best ingredients went into making them,’’ said Manoj Kumar, a resident living nearby.
“It’s also packed with meat, they did not stinge on the meat which I appreciate,’’ he added.
Those with a sweet-tooth can check out Zariah and Zamri’s stall, a husband and wife team who sell Malay kuih.
“Our best sellers are the onde-onde, lopes and popiah,’’ said the stall owner who only wanted to be identified as Zariah.
