Cover Classic charcoal grilled eats at a bazaar (Photo: Unsplash / Jordan Ling)
Classic charcoal grilled eats at a bazaar (Photo: Unsplash / Jordan Ling)
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Local chefs share which Ramadan bazaars you need to visit during the festive season and what you should get while you're there
Ramadan has arrived and that means the revival of the lively and vibrant Ramadan bazaars around the country. These bazaars operate from the late afternoon into the evening, providing an incredible array of Ramadan treats and eats for everyone to savour.
When visiting a Ramadan bazaar, you'll observe a spectacle of flavours and aromas like no other. From fragrant rendang and daging bakar, to steamy pulut panggang and smoky satay, these bazaars are a feast for the senses.
Read more: Food and Faith: How do Muslim chefs work while fasting during Ramadan?
To narrow down the top bazaars in the country, we turned to these local chefs to find out which ones they never fail to make a trip to every Ramadan.
Shahrul Ainizan Mohd Yusof, The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar and Nor Arif Burhan, Bōl
Bazaar Ramadan TTDI is one of the most popular bazaars in the Klang Valley (Photo: Instagram/@lorarahneva)
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"My favourite bazaar location is in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI). There are two stalls that are my go-to, which are the pulut panggang and the soup stall, which sells a variety of hearty and warm soups."
– Shahrul Ainizan Mohd Yusof
"The bazaar that I normally go to is the one at TTDI. My favourite stall is the one serving roti John. Its roti John with minced lamb, extra vegetables, and sauce is to die for."
– Nor Arif Burhan
Bazar Ramadan TTDI | Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000, Kuala Lumpur
Farhan Bohari, The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar
Above Farhan Bohari is one of the culinary minds at The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar (Photo: The Chow Kit)
Above Mee tonggek udang galah XXL is a crowd favourite at the Bazar Ramadan Putrajaya (Photo: Instagram/@w33wawa)
Farhan Bohari is one of the culinary minds at The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar (Photo: The Chow Kit)
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"My favourite bazaar location is at Putrajaya. I love to go there with my family during the month of Ramadan. My favourite stalls are the ones selling daging bakar and mee tonggek udang galah, two of my favourite Ramadan dishes."
Bazar Ramadan Putrajaya | 12, Persiaran Perdana, Presint 3, 62100, Putrajaya
See also: Cooking at home is made simple with Freshable’s Ramadan meal kits
Andy Aziz, Openhouse Group
Above Andy Aziz leads the culinary teams at OpenHouse and Dusun by OpenHouse (Photo: OpenHouse Group)
Andy Aziz leads the culinary teams at OpenHouse and Dusun by OpenHouse (Photo: OpenHouse Group)
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"My first choice to shop for Ramadan delicacies would be at Bazaar Ramadan Shah Alam. They have a huge variety and one of my favourite dishes from there is roast chicken. I also look for traditional kuihs that are only available during this special time."
Bazar Ramadan Stadium Shah Alam, Seksyen 13 | Tapak Pakir E1 & E2 Stadium Shah Alam, 40100 Shah Alam
Sugeen Poovandran, Nadodi
Above Sugeen Poovandran hails from Penang
Above The Little India bazaar is a hub for Muslim Indians in Penang (Photo: Instagram/@khairi_kl)
Sugeen Poovandran hails from Penang
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"My favourite bazaar is the Little India bazaar on Queen Street in George Town, Penang. It's filled with Muslim Indian stalls on both sides of the road and I usually visit the murtabak stall right in front of Tajuddin Hussain. The pickled onions are to die for.
I love these stalls because they're a vibrant mix of Indian and Malay food like ayam masak merah transformed into angsa masak ros (rose geese), which pairs perfectly with the biryani rice."
Bazaar Ramadhan Little India | Lebuh Queen, 10200, George Town, Penang
Don't miss: Ramadan 2023: The best hotel buffets to feast on
Eric Lee, Skillet KL
Above Eric Lee is Skillet KL's sous chef (Photo: Eric Lee)
Above The ayam madu bakar stall at Bazaar Ramadan Bukit Bintang (Photo: Eric Lee)
Eric Lee is Skillet KL's sous chef (Photo: Eric Lee)
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"My favourite Ramadan bazaar in KL would be Bazaar Ramadan Bukit Bintang, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Although it isn’t a huge bazaar, it has several classic dishes such as nasi lemak, roti John, murtabak and more for everyone to enjoy.
My favourite stall would be Ayam Madu Bakar KCW, where you are able to choose from different parts of the chicken from wings and tenders to the skin and gizzards. The chicken is marinated in a special spice mix comprising garlic, black pepper, sweet sauce, chilli powder, honey, and more for several hours before being charcoal grilled to perfection. The chicken meat is so tender with a smoky charcoal flavour.
On top of that, I also love the nasi lemak kukus, which I think is a must-try. Its fragrant steamed rice is cooked with coconut milk in a wooden rice steamer and there are several choices of side dishes. The combination of the rice and its spicy sambal is very well-balanced."
Bazaar Ramadan Bukit Bintang | Bukit Bintang, 50200, Kuala Lumpur
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Amanda is a KL-born and raised third culture kid, who lives to eat. If not found reading, writing for Tatler Dining, or snacking, she is most likely playing with her dog, Katsu, sourcing new Birkenstocks, or looking for a new restaurant to venture to.
Follow her on Instagram at @feedingamanda.
