10 iconic Hari Raya foods

Rendang Daging and Ayam 

Rendang daging is the dish’s most sought after variation but rendang ayam comes in at a close second. The main difference between the two is their varying degrees of decadence. Beef braised for hours in coconut milk results in a richer, darker gravy while chicken rendang is typically more vibrant and bright red.  

Rendang Tok 

Rendang Tok, Perak’s version of the dish, is much drier than its traditional counterparts. Its sauce (or kuah) is simmered longer, enveloping each morsel of meat in a thick coating of reduced gravy. The dish features prototypical Southeast Asian flavours but borrows the defining spices of Indian cuisine like fennel, cumin, and coriander seeds. 

Sayur lodeh may seem unassuming but proves a necessary addition to any Hari Raya spread for its ability to mitigate the spice of rendang and other robust dishes. A spice blend of galangal, turmeric, candlenuts, and other aromatics form the base of a fragrant coconut milk broth packed with young jackfruit, long beans, cabbage, and lontong. 

Preparing staples in woven palm leaf pouches became common in Maritime Southeast Asia, resulting in the creation of the ketupat. Rice is boiled in these intricate pouches and expands while cooking, forming densely packed, pillowy rice cakes. These are commonplace during Hari Raya, accompanying rendang, kuah kacang, or satay.

Ketupat nasi is the dish’s most familiar form, seeing coconut palm leaves encase white rice. The cuisines of Northern Malaysia and the Malay community of Southern Thailand house ketupat daun palas, made with pulut or sticky rice wrapped in fan palm leaves. 

A derivative of ketupat, lontong is a similar rice cake. White rice is compressed into banana leaves and sliced before serving. Lontong is treated like an alternative to white rice—a starchy base for robust fixings. Some Hari Raya spreads may house a popular preparation of lontong, including the rice cake in a fragrant coconut broth or sayur lodeh. 

Malaysia’s answer to toffee, dodol is a blend of coconut milk, palm sugar, and rice flour stewed for hours into a thick caramel. Hari Raya usually sees an abundance of jars packed to the brim with these plastic-wrapped and pyramid shaped sweets. A single piece of dodol is enough to satisfy even the most resolute sweet-tooths. The treat is usually coconut-forward but some versions include durian or pandan.

See also: Hari Raya 2024: A guide to edible gifts
 

There is no better way to eat rendang than slathered onto lemang. Much like ketupat or lontong, lemang is a type of rice cake made with coconut milk and pulut. Glutinous rice, coconut milk, and salt are packed into hollowed bamboo sticks lined with banana leaves and cooked over an open fire. Each tube is turned regularly over several hours to create a soft, sticky rice cake. The dish was once only readily available during the Raya season but can now be found year round, served with rendang or serunding. 

While the Indonesian version of serunding is more similar to kerisik or grated coconut, Malaysian serunding is a type of meat floss. Used to add flavour to any dish, the traditional garnish sees shredded beef, chicken, or fish stir-fried with coconut, tamarind, chilli, and lemongrass into desiccated, savoury threads. 

Despite not being served exclusively on Hari Raya, satay is the preferred festive appetiser of some households. Marinated meats—most popularly, chicken or beef, are skewered and barbecued over charcoal grills, which lend the dish its distinct smokiness. The skewers are typically paired with peanut sauce, chopped cucumbers and onions, and ketupat.

Don’t miss: The best satay in Malaysia, according to chefs
 

What would Malaysian food be without coconut milk? Bleak and certainly devoid of this writer’s favourite Malay dish—masak lemak. Masak lemak or masak lemak cili api is a staple of Malaysian cuisine, blending creamy coconut milk with fiery bird’s eye chilli. The dish is lent a bright yellow hue from copious amounts of turmeric to counteract its inherent decadence. Its broth can be fortified by any number of proteins, from smoked beef to fresh prawn.

A broad descriptor of local snacks and sweets, kuih comes in all shapes, colours, and sizes. Hari Raya spreads, in particular, depend on these bite-sized delights to complement decadent and celebratory plates. Most varieties incorporate pandan and coconut, infusing these aromatics into steamed dough or eggy custards. 

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