Break Your Fast With Bubur Lambuk
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This is the holy month of Ramadhan for the Muslims who observe a full day of fasting, abstaining from food and water, from dawn to dusk. Malaysia, being the land of gastronomic delights, has an amazing array of food for breaking fast and a myriad of Pasar Ramadhan all over KL. Boolicious of Masak-masak fame has a fantastic feature on most of the Pasar Ramadhan around town with mouthwatering pictures if you would like to learn more about the traditional Ramadhan food the Muslims traditionally break fast with and non-Muslims feast on for tea!
One of the most popular foods to break fast with is the traditional bubur lambuk or savoury porridge which is light and easy on the stomachs for those who have been fasting the whole day and yet nourishing as it is filled with all kinds of herbs and seasoning. Several mosques in town will always cook vats of this everyday to be given to the public for free. I’ve always used to wonder what it tasted like as it looked really interesting but never really got a chance to try it until this Ramadhan.
A colleague managed to get several packs of bubur lambuk from the famous Kampung Baru mosque and offered me a pack as she had some extra packs. I was really pleased and brought it home to let the rest of the family try. It smelt really good and had a lovely savoury aroma with a hint of richness from coconut milk which is added to it for flavour.
How did it taste?
Well, it was pretty interesting. It’s similar to the Chinese style porridge or “jook” albeit a more savoury and herbal version. I noticed lots of little spices in it such as cumin, fried onions and parsley. That, together with little pieces of beef are added into the porridge for a distinctive and rich flavour. Coconut milk is added as a final touch to give it a rich texture and that aromatic flavour and smell.
It was a rather interesting dish to sample and it was a nice insight into traditional Ramadhan fare for a non-Muslim like me!
Related posts:
- Scenes from the Pasar Ramadhan
- Acar Buah - Savoury Fruit pickle
- Lemang - Traditional Malay Bamboo Rice
- Taiping Char Kuey Teow
- Sweet Potato Rice Porridge (Congee)
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Comments
It depends on how you perceive iftar should be. The thing about Ramadhan is that people have the misconception that you have to have a “grander” iftar which really shouldn’t be the case and I don’t want to sound that I am preaching or anything like that. To each their own.
Great to know that you finally had a taste of bubur lambuk. Simplicity at its best. 
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Taiping Char Kuey Teow »
no disrespect, but bubur looks so “normal” for buka puasaing, i always think that buka puasa being your first meal of the day, should be more “grander”
PE says: Welcome, Max! I wouldn’t know as I don’t puasa but I would think that bubur is nice for breaking fast as it’s liquid and hence easier to swallow after a day of fasting. Just as an opener before the feasting starts!