Buka Puasa Time!

Ramadan sure brings out the appetite in you! With fasting month for the Muslims means that many food stalls are set up to cater for the breaking of fast. Yep, whether in Cameron Highlands or anywhere else in Malaysia, we will get a good variety of goodies for a yummy feast!

Now, these stalls aren’t just for the Muslims only, even for us non-Muslims, we get to savour these mouth watering foods as well.

Ramadan is the period where the Muslims do their obligatory duty to fast. Fasting is not just abstaining from food only, drinking water is also not allowed, no smoking and a few more other rules among others. Of course there exception for people who cannot fulfill the fast, such as sick or traveling people where fasting will aggravate their hardship. But they must replace the missed fasting on another day.

Fasting starts from sunrise and ends by sunset. As the time draws near to break the fast, starting by about 4 o’clock, the traders start setting up their food stalls. Smoke rising from the charcoal grill can be seen from afar! Fortunately there’s no haze about, so you can’t blame it on the grill! But the area does take on a hazy look, but this haze smells good!


The kinds of selection available would surely make Alain Bourdain want to come here and try them out! We got the usual assortment of curry chicken, beef rendang, that goes with white rice. Ikan bakar, nasi lemak, roti chanai, murtabak, satay, kuih-muih, otak-otak, etc. The list goes on…

Definitely spoilt for choice here!

And the aroma… Just breathe it in and smell it, smoke and all! Just can’t stop yourself from drooling! Excuse me; pass me the tissue please…


Before the office closes for the day, the people already start to come out to pick out their selection before there is not much choice left. And yes, the ever popular popiah store, the queue is so long! And long queue means it must be tasty, right? Every year I see this same stall with its ever long queue. Just my colleague luck, she wanted to try some one day, so she wait patiently in the queue. When it was her turn to take her order, it was all sold out! Just too bad.

Ikan bakar (translated literally: burn fish!), just about everybody’s favourite. Choice of seafood can be stingray, squid, or fish; marinated with spices and sauce, placed on a banana leaf then cook over a steel hot plate. Sizzling away, while you wait for your turn to take the order. Mmm… just can’t wait to take it back home and ‘makan’ (eat)! This is good and should not be missed!

Satay, yeay! What is it about food grilled over charcoal fire that makes it so yummy? These are diced chicken or beef pierced on a bamboo stick and grilled over charcoal fire. Order as many or as few sticks as you wish in any combination. Though the meat is marinated, the satay sauce is what makes or breaks its savoury taste.

And after a main meal, it’s time for dessert! Assortment of kuih-muih (cakes) to try, or how about apam balik, which is something like pancake with nuts & corn added? I like this, and can be very filling.

And after that, wash it all down with crushed sugar cane juice. Ugh, I think after Ramadan is over, I will need to go on a diet!