Open house Eid
Fazly Juffa Kamal
Malaysian
My first Eid in Dubai, back in 2005, was definitely different from the large Eid gatherings we used to have back home. But since my wife, Sharifah Lubna Alsaqaff’s paternal family have their roots in Hadhramaut, Saudi and Singapore, and many of them are in the UAE now, we have an extended family here.
We also discovered a large thriving Malaysian community in Dubai. So even though our close relatives are far away, the community makes Eid just as joyous as it is celebrating the festival back home. Back in Malaysia, a few days before Eid, most city dwellers return to their parents/ family home. We call it ‘Balik Kampung’ (return to the village). After the morning Eid prayers, we have a family session where everyone seeks forgiveness from one another, especially from parents and the elders in the family. The elders then indulge in ‘Duit Raya’ (money) – a tradition where gifts in cash are inserted in decorated and colourful envelopes (similar to ‘Eidiyah’ in UAE) and given to children and family members.
A hearty meal prepared at home is enjoyed together after which the day is spent visiting homes of family and friends. The concept of ‘open houses’ is common in Malaysia where friends and families from all walks of life get together. The celebration continues as folks arrange open houses and gatherings over the next few weekends.
Ever since I came to Dubai 19 years ago, our first Eid ritual is the obligatory Eid prayer, for which we go to the Malaysian Dubai Consulate at the Malaysian Trade Centre near Wafi Mall. Most of the Malaysian community gather there at around 8:30am and celebrate together with the food being arranged by the consulate.
‘Pot Luck’, where families bring food to share with one another is also popular. Eid isn’t complete without being grateful for the food that we’ve been given. Apart from the traditional Malaysian dishes, my wife also cooks Bamia, a recipe inherited from her maternal grandmother, for our family Eid meal. This recipe is our own take on the okra stew and beef/ chicken/lamb served with fresh baguettes from the local bakery.
As expats, we miss our relatives dearly, and therefore regularly organise group calls with family back home, sending our regards and prayers to each other. We have two sons Muhammad Harraz, 22, and Muhammad Sa’ud, 21, who are very attuned to their Malaysian roots. Living in Dubai, what brings us the most joy is the ability to pay gratitude to the country’s leaders with regard to pracitising our faith. Dubai’s landscape is such that a mosque is present at almost every corner, so we can offer prayers with ease.
The layout of the city too is convenient so indulging in open houses around the city can be done with ease – enabling us to spend more time with close family and friends, particularly from malaysia and Singapore.
BEEF RENDANG (MALAYSIA)
INGREDIENTS
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2.5 cm fresh ginger (roughly chopped)
4 large cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
200 grams shallots (4 large roughly chopped)
3 tbsp chili pepper flakes (to taste)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
900 grams beef shanks or shortribs (cut into
large cubes)
2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, smashed)
4 kaffir lime leaves (cut into thin strips)
2 pandan leaves
2.5 centimeters galangal (sliced into coins)
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoons palm sugar
METHOD
Add the salt, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, shallots, and chili flakes to a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Add oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium high heat.
Fry beef in batches, allowing each surface to brown before turning. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl and repeat until all the meat is done. In the same pan, heat oil and add lemongrass, lime leaves, pandan leaves and galangal and fry until fragrant.
Transfer to the bowl with the browned beef, leaving the oil in the pan. Turn down the heat to medium low, and then add the spice paste. Fry, stirring constantly until fragrant and most of the moisture has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). If the paste starts burning, reduce the heat and add a bit of water. Add coconut milk and stir. Add this to the pot with beef.
Add palm sugar and return the beef and herbs to the pot, stir to combine. Turn the heat down to medium low and loosely cover with a lid (you want some steam to escape). Stir the rendang periodically and simmer for 3-4 hours until the meat is very tender. Once meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated (about 4 hours), remove lid and turn up the heat.
At this point there should be quite a bit of oil in the pot from the meat so you’re essentially frying the sauce and concentrating the flavors. Stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from burning, but you want to evaporate as much liquid as you can without burning the meat. The rendang is done when there is almost no sauce left and the meat is dark brown.
Ideally you’ll let this sit overnight for the flavors to evenly distribute into the meat. During this time, the meat will turn chocolate coloured and the flavours will deepen.
Serve beef rendang with glutinous rice.
Eid by the Nile
Samar Ahmed Said
Egyptian
I lived in Abu Dhabi briefly for two years back in 1989 as a child. I remember during Eid we had a big gathering mostly with our Egyptian friends. A barbeque was a regular fixture during those times. Eid in Egypt, however, is one of a kind ... very unique, joyful and very familial.
Egyptian people tend to have family gatherings, usually at grandparents’ house, and enjoy breakfast and lunch after finishing with the cattle sacrifice and its distribution for charity and friends. We buy new clothes for Eid Al Fitr and abstain from doing so for Eid Al Adha, but our family is used to celebrating even Eid Al Adha with new clothes. Taking a feluka down the river Nile is also a popular habit for many Egyptian families during a holiday, and for Eid, it is even more memorable as people are in a festive mood. Also new Egyptian movies are usually released on first day of Eid and most of us make sure to watch it in the theatre.
Generally, I find Eid out here to be relatively quiet and not as boisterous as Egypt.
I have two children Taim, 14 and Tamara, 11. For Egyptians, Eid Al Adha is all about meat. Every household looks forward to enjoying our traditional meat dish Fattah, made of rice, crispy bread, tomato salsa and lamb. In 2009, as it was my first Eid as a mother, I made Fattah too. I am a bakery owner and a food blogger.
I am the founder and owner of Circus cookies and milk. (instagram: circuscookiesnmilk) Over the years, I have experimented with my recipes during Eid. This year I changed things a bit and instead serve Taqlia casserole, a tasty dish that originated in upper Egypt.
This tagine is usually eaten with Upper Egypt’s Roqaq (a thin tasty soft bread similar to tortillas) or with vermicelli rice.
TAQLIA CASSEROLE (EGYPT)
INGREDIENTS
1kg lamb meat (preferably a shoulder), cut
into medium size cubes.
750g sliced or roughly chopped onions.
1 tomato, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 kg spiced & simmered tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 whole cardamoms
1 teaspoon mastic
Bay leaf
Paprika
Salt and Pepper
4 tbsp ghee
METHOD
Heat a pot, and add the meat, cardamom, tomato, 750g chopped onions, mastic and bay leaves. Add hot water and keep it on low heat until it is almost cooked.
In a separate pot, heat ghee. Once it melts, add the onions sautéing it over very low heat until it is golden and caramelized (about 15-20 minutes). Add the spiced cooked tomatoes and tomato paste to the onions, and stir well. Allow to cook for a few minutes.
Take the meat out of its broth, strain and add to the onions, with about one cup of meat broth along with the paprika then stir. Cover it and let cook it over low heat for about 20 minutes or until it is thoroughly cooked, finally add the salt.
Move this mixture to a casserole (preferably a clay one) and put it in the oven for a few minutes. Finally, turn the grill on for 3-5 minutes to give it a nice color.
Multicultural Eid
Fatima Ezzahra Igli
Moroccan
When I arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2017, I was astonished to see the diverse population, festive atmosphere, decorations in the streets not to mention the discount sales during Eid.
I also had the chance to meet new people and try different things during the Eid holidays, Eid in Morocco is always special, especially the gathering with family and friends. Everyone is in a happy and celebratory mood. In the morning, we cook a special dish called Boulfal, made of lamb liver and fat. We wear traditional clothes like Moroccan Caftan for women and Jalaba for men.
The day is spent visiting our beloved family, exchanging gifts, and giving a part of the sacrificial lamb to the family and poor people. My husband Mohammed, daughter Tasneem and I have never felt that we are far from home during Eid, since UAE is also a Muslim country.
I love being surrounded by the multicultural people of UAE and the camaraderie and mutual respect we share. Moroccan cuisine has a plenty of incredible and tasty dishes, but there some are specific for Eid Al Adha. Every region in Morocco has its own Eid recipes.
GRILLED RIB IN THE OVEN
(MOROCCAN)
INGREDIENTS
One rack lamb rib
1-inch piece ginger
1 tbsp tumeric
1 tsp cinnamon
A few strands saffron
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp olive oil
Moroccan ghee, according to taste
2 onions
Parsley, a small bunch
METHOD
Mix all ingredients (except onion and parsley and a few strands of saffron) and rub into the whole lamb rib. Keep it aside for one hour so that all ingredients are absorbed.
Cook in a pressure cooker along with the onions and dried parsley until done.
Once cooled, remove from the cooker and rub it with some safron and ghee. The grill on an oven until done. Best served with a salad, Moroccan bread and Moroccan tea.
Traditionally it is eaten by hand directly from the platter, using pieces of bread instead of a fork.
Family and fun
Dr Taghreed Mohammed
Sudanese
I came to Abu Dhabi in 2014.
My first Eid in Dubai was a bittersweet occasion as I was missing my family a lot but was a bit excited to experience Eid in this country as well. Back home in Sudan, Eid has many rituals such as preparing sweets and cookies days in advance, and buying new clothes and jewellery for all members of the family. On the eve of Eid, women of the household adorn their hands with beautiful henna designs.
Sudanese black henna is distinct in its colour and fragrance, and a class apart from the rest. On Eid day, the men head to the mosque for prayers. Later they visit the graveyard to pray for deceased relatives.
They even take some traditional sweets to share with friends. Right after Eid prayers, we drop by homes of friends and relatives. The scent of bakhour (incense) pervades all homes and pastries and baked goodies are offerd to guests in the finest crockery. The women will be busy in the kitchen cooking up a feast.
After that, we all gather at the table for a joyous meal with fun and laughter. In many cases there will be a marriage of a relative in the first three days of Eid, and the discussions will be mostly of that occasion.
Here in Dubai my husband Elmiuz Saleh and three sons Yassin, 8, Abubakr, 6, and Omer, 1, go to the mosque early in the morning.
We wear our tradition costumes which is Sudani toub for women and jalabia for men. We visit all our relatives during Eid so that the children can form good ties of kinship. After that it is usually a trip to the mall and dinner with friends. During Eid, we make dishes like Gorassa Be Dama (traditional Sudanese beef stew) and Shaya (pan-fried beef, lamb or goat meat which has been specially slaughtered for the occasion).
GORASSA BE DAMA (SUDAN)
INGREDIENTS
3 large onions, chopped
1 can tomato paste
Extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely
chopped
500g beef, cut into
1-inch pieces
3 cups water
5 small vine ripe
tomatoes
1 medium green bell
pepper
3 serrano peppers, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
METHOD
Heat oil until it just begins to smoke and add onions. Fry until translucent, about 5-6 minutes then add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add tomatoes, steak, peppers, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir well, season.
Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, adding additional water if the sauce is too thick, and simmer for around 10 minutes or until the steak is cooked through and the peppers are tender. Keep warm.
Have with goraasa, soft, doughy bread.
