Questa è Enida

Salam Aidilfitri from Moscow with lotsaluv!

Things that could go wrong, of all days, had to go wrong today. On my Raya. It would be a perfect “Rain On My Parade”, if I were to put a title on my day. I thought not having to cook for this Raya was going to be the best decision yet, for I was about to pig-out at the Malaysian Embassador’s Hari Raya Open House. (Excuse the animal, but really… what other animals eat more, in quantity and in vulgarity, than those oinks? If you can name one, do let me know. I shall lobby against the term ‘pig-out’, for oinking outloud, and rewrite some English dictionaries. Bah!)

Well, it started late. The Raya. All of us slept in so that we would have breakfast around lunch time, timed just right for the Open House which was going to be our lunch+snack+supper+dinner = schnackupslunchschner. But by the time our little clan was all nicely donned in Baju Raya, Be and Kitreena were still coughing like there was no Raya Kedua! I knew then, that I wasn’t going to drag two walking phlegm machines to some embassador’s house! Na’ah! So after a collaborative effort with Be making a Salmon and Scrambled Eggs on Toast brekky, it all became very clear to me that Rendang was easier made at home than going to some embassador’s open house for.

While thawing out the goulash beef which I bought some time ago in a very ambitious  attemp to make Russian Goulash (of course the ambition remains an ambition), I grabbed whatever spices I had accumulated over the last 2 months here in Moscow. And with only two stalks of lemongrass, some old old old old frozen galangal, some onions to substitute shallots, and can you believe it… no kerisik, I dumped everything into the slowcooker and prayed really really hard that the next four hours when I opened the cooker, I would have a Krazy Lazy Beef Rendang.

And oh, good thing I had this little jar of curry powder. Though it is not what I’d  usually use, sprinkling it all over the beef coating it for a little flavor might help, I thought. I was just so ready to be gone hoping (for a tasty magic Rendang)! That’s right. I did not even bother opening the recipe book, as I knew I had nothing but beef and whatever you can see in this picture, to make Beef Rendang out of.

At the end of it all, honestly… it still is the thoughts that count when I counted what I put on the dinner table for my family. And so, at the end of it all and at the end of the day I did change the title of my day to “Raindang On My Parade”.

Selamat Hari Raya, luv!

Glossary for Neil:
kerisik = grated desiccated coconut kernel, pan-roasted until golden, and pressed to get greasy fine coconut crumbs (usually pounded in lesung batu)

lesung batu = mortar and pestle

Raya Kedua = second day of Eid celebration