Enjoy a buffet of activities at AidilFEASTri Raya Festival 2024
Food transcends cultures, bringing people together over shared flavours and traditions.
This year, the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) takes this sentiment to heart with a special edition of their Open House, AidilFEASTri Raya Festival 2024, centred around the vibrant culinary heritages of both Malay and Indian cultures.
For the first time, it will be held at the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) at Little India and will offer 14 programmes over two days on April 27 and 28.
Ms Asmah Alias, general manager of MHC, shared how they want to celebrate the similarities of Malay and Indian cultures for Hari Raya.
"Through this collaboration, we will also serve a more diverse programming that showcases the commonalities between the two cultures, something you can see over the weekend, through the culinary traditions as well as through food demonstrations," she told TNP.
From crafting adorable miniature food figurines to mastering the art of pulling the perfect teh tarik, there's something for everyone. Admission is free, with special workshops starting from $10 per ticket.
Ms Rashidah from Sherry's Minis will be holding a workshop ($25) to share how to make tiny food creations using polymer clay.
She said she would be teaching participants how to make a platter of kuih raya that can be converted into a brooch or fridge magnet.
At the media preview for the event, this reporter was impressed at how quickly she demonstrated how to form a mini kuih makmur and a pineapple tart.
Ms Rashidah entered the world of miniature food about 10 years ago, so it is no wonder how nimble she is with her fingers. She loves creating miniatures of her favourite dishes.
"It's a way to replicate food that I like to eat and to preserve and present Malay heritage," she said.
For the event, she spent a few evenings and sacrificed sleep creating mini replicas of popular Hari Raya dishes such as sayur lodeh, sambal telur, rendang, sambal goreng.
Visitors can also learn how to brew and pull the perfect teh tarik ($15) from Tarik.SG's Ali 'Sheikh' Redha and discover how to enjoy the perfect cup of tea.
Foodies may be interested in attending a cooking demonstration ($10) by MasterChef Singapore finalist Ilya Nur Fadhly who will explore the similarities between Malay and Indian culture with dishes like nasi tomato, ayam bakar and begedil and soto pani puri.
Don't forget to take photos with supersized food replicas of local favourite dishes mutton biryani and sayur lodeh.
AidilFEASTri Raya Festival 2024
Where: Indian Heritage Centre, 5 Campbell Lane
When: April 27 and 28, 10am to 6pm.
Admission: Free. Register for workshops at https://malayheritagecentre.peatix.com/
Visit MHC's Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.
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