Friday 21 August 2009

Selamat berpuasa


Throughout the day yesterday, I kept getting calls and sms asking me when Ramadan is going to start. I wasn't sure, was my reply. Well, not until yesterday evening when I got another sms confirming that it's Saturday.

Just as well because both AG and I had just done our shopping at ASDA. I know the men at Goodies, our local halal butcher, are not going to like it but ASDA now has a wonderful halal meat centre and I can get most things in one shopping trip. So, for now its two lamb shoulders, three chickens; small pieces in three bags, some mince meat and two whole chickens for roasting. And yes, lots of mackerals in three separate bags, plus a lot more to replenish everything that has been used up during our three week trip back to Malaysia.

I know I should have brought back some ikan bilis and ikan kering but I was so worried that they'd be confiscated by the customs. They are very strict these days and I 've heard friends being fined and made to sign agreements not to bring in fish, meat, honey or cheese. But I truly love ikan bilis from Malaysia, so fine and so clean. Sambal tumis ikan bilis with nasi lemak would be so heavenly!

Anyway, yes, I was getting into the mood of Ramadhan yesterday; stocking food and already mentally planning about what to cook for iftar and sahur.

This morning, I blended garlic, ginger and onions and put them in bottles and stacked them in the fridge. Senang nak masak, kan?

I remember Mak used to make telur masin weeks before Ramadhan. That seemed to be a must on the table when we broke our fast. I have never acquired the taste for telur asin. And so I don't really miss it that much. I do love ikan kering - the ones that's moist and when fried with sliced onions and chillies, you can just eat it with rice. You dont need any other dishes.

And Mak used to boil sugar for air sirap. We'd have bottles and bottles of those red syrup lined up on the shelves. They'd look at us tantalisingly as the time ticked very slowly before iftar time.

AG bought a packet of buah kurma. That will last for about two weeks and then we'll get somemore. I love those very succulent ones - but that cost a bomb.

I know that tonight, the main compulsory dish will be bubur lambuk or kanji as we used to call it in Kedah. The children just love bubur lambuk and if that is the only thing that they eat, I am sure they wouldn't mind. I wouldnt mind either, it is quite filling.

Sahur for us will be around 3am. For the past week, we had been waking up at 3 am as were were still jetlagged. Waking up the children is going to be another feat. Most of them will not want to eat and would prefer just a glass of water and then wake up for subuh.

Tomorrow, our first day of Ramadhan, we will break our fast at 2014 and from then onwards the day will get shorter by 2 minutes. Quite a long stretch, eh? Insyaallah, we can do it. There was one year when we fasted until 9 pm. That was a very long summer.

So, let me wish my readers "Selamat berpuasa dan semoga mendapat keberkataan di dalam bulan yang mulia ini"

I am also taking this opportunity to tell my readers that my youngest sayang mama has got his A level results and will be starting University next month, reading History. Alhamdulillah!

My other Ramadhan stories:
The Journey
Three Ramadhan Stories
How do I wake you up, let me count the ways
Of Mak and Ramadhan
Memories of Pak this Ramadhan
One Iftar, One Ramadhan
Cerita Ceriti Bulan Puasa



42 comments:

tireless mom said...

Dear Kak Teh

Congrats to the youngest sayang mama for making the mark. Selamat mengerjakan ibadah puasa to you and hopefully 17 hours of berlapar will make you acquire more pahala than us yang puasa 13 hours roughly.

Kak Teh said...

TM, Insyaallah!! and thank you - sayang mama is quite happy although is is 6 marks short of getting into uni of his choice. But the second choice is better for History, although it is a little bit far from the house. Tak apalah, Alhamdulillah, he made it.

Naz in Norway said...

Alhamdulillah...congrats to your youngest sayang mama. What a way to start Ramadan ya.. :)

It's going to be quite long days up here too. So I'm loading myself with all sorts of tricks (and patience!) to help me deal with the small one's debut. The eldest is no problem as he has been fasting during Ramadan for quite a few years already.
Little Missy will be opening and closing all the time...rest assured!
:D

DrSam said...

Salam Kak Teh. You are preparing well for this fasting month, stocking most of the kitchen essentials. I hope this fasting month we can perform our ibadah more and will bring us closer to Allah S.W.T.

Big congratulation to your son. Good news indeed.

pugly said...

Selamat Berpuasa to you & your whole family, too, Kak Teh :-) What time iftar & sahur over there?

jaflam said...

Selamat berpuasa & beramal di Ramadan tahun ini buat Kak Teh & Awang Goneng serta keluarga. Semoga dikurniakan kekuatan, kesihatan dan kesempurnaan beramal. Salam dari kami sekeluarga.

Zendra said...

Kak Teh, very clever of you guys to have planned your balik kampung trip just before Ramadhan. Makan-makan-makan lepas tu puasa, hahaha.

Selamat berpuasa to you too. And congrats to the budding historian!

Ida Hariati Hashim said...

Salam Kak Teh,

Congrats on your son's achievement for his A Levels, wow..I wanted to specialize in History, but then decided to major in Politics, still History becomes my minor.

Kesian Kak Teh tak dapat bawak balik ikan masin, mesti terliur tu..

Oklah, selamat berpuasa to you too, ma'am..(still excited over the experience of meeting you in person and sharing your pashmina during solat at PICC..bukan senang nak dapat chance ni tau!)

When you have the time, please email our pic taken at the seminar. My email add is shariati111@yahoo.com..thanks a million..

mekyam said...

selamat puasa, kt & family!

congratters on finishing the A to read history at U, to the youngest wan! :)

[danial][ma] said...

hej! kak Teh...happy ramadhan, happy fasting...may you and family have a blessed ramadhan kareem...;-)

Shahieda said...

Ramadaan Mubarak to you and the family, KT.

Pi Bani said...

I pun kalau makan kanji, tak payah lauk lain pun tak apa. But anyway nowadays I memang tak larat nak makan banyak pun even though sebelum berbuka lapar bukan main lagi.

Selamat berpuasa and may we all have a blessed Ramadhan.

Unknown said...

Salam Aunty Z!

You must be so proud of Taufiq. Congrats to him. A new world for him, Campus life. I've done my part!

My first few Ramadhans in UK were during summer like this year. Wow, long daylight, I think I shrunk at the end of those fasting months. Anyway, Selamat Berpuasa to you & the rest of the family. Semoga kita semua dapat memenafaatkan bulan yg mulia ini dan diberkati dengan ganjarannya. Amin.

Ainun

Lee said...

Hello Kak Teh, selamat menjalankan ibadah puasa dengan penuh tabah dan kesyukuran.
Best regards, Lee.

Adliff said...

Salam,
Dear Kak Teh,

Congratulations to your sayang mama upon making his mark to university. You must be proud of his feat, after years of bringing him up.
My dad used to line up his child picture upon graduation he!he!

What to say Kak Teh, ikan bilis always nicer and sweeter in Malaysia.

Salam ramadhan. Insyallah, someday we will met.

Chahya said...

Happy embracing Ramadhan & Selamat Berpuasa to you & AG. Semoga kita semua dapat menambahkan amalan dan ibadat pada bulan ini seolah-olah ianya Ramadhan terakhir kita.

Kenny Mah said...

Dear Kak Teh & family,

May you have a safe and blessed month of fasting, let every day be one of contemplation and grace. And after, celebration with your fellow Muslim and non-Muslim friends alike.

Also, kudos to your youngest sayang mama for his results and entry into university. :)

Hugs!

mamasita said...

Selamat berpuasa to all of you there.Bukan main panjang yer nak menunggu berbuka.But I guess you all dah biasa.Mudah2an dapat keberkatan pahala yang dikejar.

Congrats kat your youngest..lega dah you and Ag..job well done!

Menu bulan puasa is utterly drooling!

Mama Huptihup said...

dear kak teh,

selamat menyambut puasa and tahniah to ur sayang...I love history...now digging up kedah's history :D

u know what i did last time i was in norway...i bawak ikan gelama masam yg dah di goreng, i hancurkan then masuk dlm botol jem :D...ubat selera kalau tetiba xdak selera makan...

kak teh, few nites ago, i dreamt of u..u wanted to help me, i terkena ilmu hitam!! just imagine apa punya mimpi lah mcm tu kan haha...

Memorable trails... said...

My congrats to ur sayang mama and you must feel very happy for him.
Yes,my kids like bubur lambuk too, especially the ones that taken from the masjid.
Banyaknya stock k teh,it must be for the whole month yea.

NanaDJ said...

Congratulations to sayang mama.
Wow! real preparations but I guess you have to cook everything yourselves. Halal meat counter at ASDA? When we were in UK it was so difficult getting halal meat at times have to drive a long way to get them.
Selamat berpuasa, my what a long day for you all. Salam.

kay_leeda said...

Dear kak Teh,

Here I am reading about yr ikan masin sliced with onions. Aduhh....meleleh air liuq!! Time here is 11.33...a looongggg wait till berbuka.

Wishing you and the family a blessed Ramadhan. Like someone said earlier, pandai you eh...balik before the fasting month. Makan, makan and then puasa.

Also congratulations to the youngest sayang mama. Wahh...anak bujang Kak Teh dah nak masuk uni!!
Take care Kak and enjoy yr weekend :)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

selamat berpuasa my dearest kak teh and AG serta anak2 semua.. btw, kucing you yg pi melaram lama tu dah balik ka belum? oh, not forgetting 'congratulations' to the young man for his A-level success..

Jasmine said...

A'kum Ka Teh, Selamat Berpuasa from us here in Brunei! Also congrats to your son for getting through his A levels and entering Uni. My son is still on tenderhooks awaiting his GCSE results coming out nxt week. I really feel for you having gone through the same ordeal of fasting during summer in the UK some 20 years ago!Best wishes Jasmine

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Ah and Hulaimi and family,

salam ramadhan mubarak and selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa.

and tahniah to taufiq!

Fadhil said...

Salam Kak Teh,

Ikan bilis is a compulsory item in my luggage when I travel for long stretches overseas. Sorry you couldn't bring some back to London.

Congrats to your youngest on gaining admission to Uni. Study kat mana tu?

Iftar at 2014 kira okay lagi tu Kak Teh. I remember the times when I broke fast at around 2130.

Selamat menyambut bulan Ramadhan kepada Kak Teh, Sdra AG dan seluruh keluarga.

Kak Teh said...

Naz, when we were growing up, mak used to bribe macam2 - pelbagai upah - from 5 sens for half a day fasting to cooking our favourite food. Budak2 sekarang ni semua tu tak jalan dah.

We failed to wake them up for sahur last nite - only the cats got up. But mostly they'd rather eat before going to sleep. Good luck with your brood.

Dr Sam, thank you and Insyaallah, may our prayers be answered in this blessed month.

Kak Teh said...

pugs, iftar is 2014 and imsak is 3.45. Selamat berpuasa to you too.

Dalam Dato J and selamat berpuasa to you and Datin Dr Nor sekeluarga. Am sorry we couldnt meet up again after lake club. Take care.

Kak Teh said...

Zendra, balik kampung tu macam stocking up like tupai. Tapi I think it backfired. Lying in bed now, with more then ten hours to go, I am thinking of all those food. Cubaan!

Ida, Insyaallah I will email you the pictures. Kak teh tertinggal CDs of the pictures in my sister's place. Once she post them to me, I will email them to you okay? Take good care of yourself and to this day, I can still see us holding hands in the darkened room, singing Chahya Rasul.

Kak Teh said...

Mekyam, the youngest wan is quite pleased with the result inspite of missing 6 marks to get into the uni of his choice, This uni is his second choice but just as good for history.

Thank you danial and when you go back to taste the ramadhan food, do think of me!

Kak Teh said...

Shahieda, Ramadhan kareem to you too. You simply must experience ramadhan in Malaysia - it is simply wonderful!

Pi Bani, Bubur lambuk is a must in this household. Semalam, I made the first one.

Kak Teh said...

Ainun, am so sorry we couldnt meet up. I remember ringing anwar twice buut i think timing wasnt right. Take care and selamat berpuasa!

Uncle Lee!!! How happy i am to see you here - thank you for taking time to drop by my humble blog. I see you are churning intersting heart stopping stories for your readers...should compile them. Take care.

Kak Teh said...

Aliff, selamat berpuasa to you too. re: ikan bilis.... The ikan bilis in malaysia are so clean and not like the big tough ones that we get here. So, i think I will be deprived of ikan bilis for a long time. Suddenly teringat macam macam nak buat dengan ikan bilis.

Chahya, selamat berpuasa to you too!

Kak Teh said...

kenny dear, his results unknotted the tight knots in my tummy. Thank God - he made it and he;s got three years to slog now.

mamasita, i think for menu buka puasa i will have to surf the net. I am not very good with food. My skills in th ekitchen are very limited...kari, sambal tumis and kari and sambal tumis...hahaha!

Kak Teh said...

Lyana, tidork tak basuh kaki ka?? hehe what a funny dream. Ish yang kak teh cakap pasai ikan kering, yang lyana mentioend tu laaa. kak teh nak mention pun tak boleh takut terkeluar ayark liurk!

madam gold, am not sure whether it will last the whole month. an sure we'll have to do another shopping trip quite soon. Salam ramadhan to you too.

Kak Teh said...

NanaDJ, ASDA is a godsent! There's everything under one roof. They used to have just one section of halal meat and sometimes, some rascals would put pork in between the halal chicken. now with butchers and their sharp choppers behind the counter, we get fresh meat and no rascals loitering about! hehe!

Kay, yes, my anak bujang is starting a new chapter in his life - a very challenging one. Insyaallah, hopefully it will not be too bumpy for him.

Kak Teh said...

Puter, funny you shd ask about my kucing. I dont know whether people do include cats in their prayers, but I did, and yesterday I saw Kissinger sniffing outside and i just screamed out to Hulaimi. Alhamdulillah Kissinger is back, and he was so hungry. After our maghrib prayers he came and sat on my lap and started kissing me - thus the mame kissinger. BUT, BUT BUT Tabby is still not back..If only Kissinger can talk and tell us where he is.

Kak Teh said...

Jasmine, oooh you must be 'senak perut' like i was three days ago. I am sure your shild will do you proud too. Insyaallah and selamat berpuasa to you and family.

Ena, selamat berpuasa to you and family. kalau makan yang sedap-sedap tu, ingatkan kami di sini, ya? and be careful when you go to BSC!

Kak Teh said...

Oldstock, ikan bilis in small packets under 1 kg is okay i think. But i ddidnt want the tension, the explanation, the dogs sniffing around my bags. I just didnt want that hassle. depa la ni dah very fussy.

My son's first choice was LSE - his father went there and it is quite near compared to his second choice - Queen mary. But he missed LSE by 6 marks!!! we were all prepared to pay for remarking - £50 per paper..but he is happy to go to Queen Mary. and as long as he is happy, we are happy.

Shahieda said...

I'm sure that would be an awesome experience Kak Teh. Ramadaan spent in CT is something one should experience too, it is like none other!!

Kak Teh said...

Shahieda, many a times i have been invited by friends to go along with them to CT but I have never had the chance to say yes, who knows, one day.

Shahieda said...

Insha-Allah Ameen!! Looking forward to the day that you get the opportunity again.

And you've made changes to the look of your blog, hehehe. Pure torture I tell you, Kak Teh, pure torture hahahaha!!