I was invited to the Charity Iftar at Mamanda, Kg Gelam. It is a new restaurant which should be opening soon. It is situated at Gedung Kuning, near Arab Street nearby Sultan Mosque. This event also marked the end of the event organised by the Malay Heritage Foundation in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival.
The first course for this break fast session is Ramadan Porridge and a medley of fresh fruits and dates. The rice porridge was tasty with a hint of spice. Topped with curried minced beef, spring onions and fried shallots, there were bits of nuts in this porridge as well. It was an interesting combination of texture with the slight crunch of the nuts and the thick porridge.
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| Ramadan Porridge |
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| the floral centrepiece |
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| Table setting |
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| Malay gentlemen traditional outfit |
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| Oxtail soup with banana shoots |
The oxtail soup was tasty with bits of oxtail, off the bone and spring onions. The soup was not oily and the oxtail was tender. If it was served piping hot, it would have been delicious but it must be quite challenging serving so many guests at one time. The event was attended by around 160 guests.
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| Wrapped fragrant Yellow Rice |
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The fragrant yellow rice was served with Ulam Diraja (Royal Herbs) and Bunga Kantan Ulam Bestari (Ginger Flower/ Torch Ginger Intelligent Herb? :) The salad/ herbs are finely sliced and added a wonderful flavour to the yellow rice. The fragrance of the Ginger flower or Torch Ginger is lovely and has an extremely refreshing taste.
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| Fragrant yellow rice |
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| An array of sambal |
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| Cincalok |
The array of sambal includes sambal belacan, cincalok and another sambal that I am not sure of the name. I was told it's really spicy so I did not touch any of it :) The cincalok (fermented tiny prawns) usually served with a squeeze of lime to cut the pungent flavour. However, this was served without.
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| Terung Bestari/ Spicy Eggplant |
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The spicy eggplant is spicy, well it should as it's a sambal. It is cooked with red chillies and onions. The eggplant was well cooked and soft.
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| Daging Rendang Mamanda |
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I must say the Rendang was excellent! It is slightly drier than what I prefer but it was extremely delicious and the meat was superbly tender. I think this is a "must order" when the restaurant opens. I hope they will maintain this standard.
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| Gado- Gado |
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Gado-gado is best described as a Malay salad. This dish is also popular in Indonesia. It is a combination of raw and boiled vegetables with fried tofu, topped with peanut sauce. A refreshing dish that is perfect for vegetarians.
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| The tray that came with the dishes. |
The Ayam Lemak Chilli Padi (the yellow sauce above and luckily it was not too spicy :P is a dish with spices, birds eye chillies and coconut milk. The chicken is cooked till tender and this dish is very popular amongst the Malays during Eid or celebrations.
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| Sambal Goreng Petai Desa |
Sambal Goreng is a combination of fried tofu, soyabeans, long beans and this version has petai, aka. the stink beans. Petai is also an "ulam" and widely used in native cusines in South East Asia. The petai adds an interesting edge to the sambal goreng.
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| Udang Kara Rempah Selatan/ Specially spiced crayfish |
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The crayfish was coated all over with the special spice which tasted slightly like fish curry. The crayfish was soft and smothered with the spicy sauce with mustard seeds and coriander.
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| Laksmana Ikan Berlada |
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Sambal Fish Laksmana was a tad spicy for me but not spicy enough for my friend :). Again, its cooked with chillies and if I am not wrong, I could detect the belacan in the sauce. The Stingray was well cooked but not overdone. Therefore, it is still tender and moist on the inside.
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| Kuih Tradisi Melayu/ Malay Traditional Kuih |
An assortment of Malay kuih as dessert was served on a tray.
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| Koleh-Koleh |
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I like Kole-Koleh. It is a combination of green bean flour, palm sugar and coconut milk. I must say that this Koleh-Koleh was really good. I enjoyed it very much :)
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| Kuih Bakar berlauk |
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This kuih is usually served with mince beef and chillies on top. This is a Malay quiche if you ask me. :)
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| Kuih Lapis |
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| Bubur Biji Nangka |
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This is called bubur as well but it is not the same as the first dish as this is actually a dessert, more like a pudding or trifle. It was served with slivers of jackfruit. This particular dish is more like a drink as it does not have the thick consistency of a pudding.
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| Kuih Dadar |
The filling of Kuih Dadar is made up grated coconut and palm sugar. The dough is made from flour, corn flour and pandan paste. This delightful traditional kuih is rather sweet though not overpowering and the slightly crunchy filling of the grated coconut makes this an enjoyable snack.
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| Cempedak goreng |
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Cempedak Goreng is deepfried jackfruit dipped in batter. This is a favourite with many Malays as well. You can normally buy them from shops selling Goreng Pisang or Banana Fritters.
It was indeed a good spread of traditional Malay cuisine. When Mamanda opens, bring your visiting friends if they would like to sample traditional Malay food. Selamat makan! :D
