Monday, August 23, 2010

BazRam in Sydney?

Sweet lass hawking their wares....yummy pau goreng inti sambal there.

We got quite excited when we heard the news. Who would have thought that Malaysian culture would spread that way....

Anyway, Mama took us to the Bazaar on Sunday. Of course, compared to TK's or Pak Mat's depiction of bazaars in their place, this one is sooooo teenie weenie and only happens on Sundays. However, it's the spirit that counts, people.

Sibuk macam pasar...at the bazaar.

Mooted by the Malaysian Consulate in Sydney and held on the grounds of the Malaysia Hall in Randwick, students or their spouses were encouraged to set up stall and show us their culinary skills. Considering some ingredients for Malaysian cooking are hard to come by, the "entrepreneurs" didn't disappoint too much. While some dishes are way too different compared to the original (too much adaption here and there due to lack of ingredients I guess), some are quite authentic.

Hmm...their mothers would be proud of these blokes.

And people come from all over. We met people who came all the way from Penrith and Blacktown (about an hour and a half drive away) and there are those who come from Liverpool and Prestons (one hour away). Amazing, really, because publicity was none and the news spread through words of mouth only.

People came from all over to the bazaar.

If they were to hold more of the bazaars, the organisers should think of advertising it more. And it should be opened to everyone, not just Malaysians in Sydney. The Bangladeshi guys at the Caltex station next door thought they won't be allowed in....poor blokes. Mama took pity on them and gave them some of the "kuih" we bought. We got "Terima Kasih" and "Malaysia Bagus!" for that. Those blokes must have visited Malaysia in the past.

Food wise, there was a lot on offer. From Nasi Lemak to Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Permata (kinda like Nasi Minyak) and Nasi Ambang, and there was Soto Ayam, Mee Rojak, Pulut Kuning, Gulai Kawah, Kerabu Perut....and lots of "kuih" varieties - sweet and savoury - pau goreng, pulut udang, koleh kacang, bingka ubi, cara, seri muka etc etc etc.

Gulai Kawah in Sydney? That humongous wok (kawah) came all the way from Malaysia we were told.

We try to limit ourselves in the buying though...note that nobody was selling fish of any kind... for a cat, that's a tad disappointing. If there's another one next weekend, we'll surely be there again. purrr....meow!

Only one stall sells drinks though.

28 comments:

TK said...

Wah..Ramadhan Bazaar in Sydney! Anybody selling bubur lambuk???. I love Gulai Kawah. Would buy GK every time I go back to KB.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

TK Sensei,
Unfortunately, no bubur lambuk. I think coz there's no way we can get paku miding here. But at home, Mama will make it with spinach and plenty of fish.... yummm.... Oh, the GK sold at the bazaar was meat with rebung...yummy... purrr....meow!

mokja said...

Dell: They dont sell fish? Grrrrr.Too bad yeah?

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Dell, we were told that there was kerpok lekor last weekend and so was looking forward to that. But this week, none. So disappointing. purrrr....meow!

Ellen Whyte said...

There's nothing like food from home!

Unknown said...

..way to go, my dear cats..and for the Malaysians out there, keep up the spirit..and those sweet smiles..do they greet old coots like me 'abe', too..
..had a feeling it will blossom out into a full-fledge bazram in no time..cheers..

sherry said...

C-I-S.

Wow...bestnyer ke BazRam yer. Sure ada ramai Nona manis di sana! Meow. Meow.

Cheqna said...

So special..our culture all d way to Sydney...may be ur mama shld set up her own stall, surely hers would sell like...err..."pisang goreng panas"..

and may I suggest someone prepare solok lada for u..leave d lada for ur mama of course..hehe

:-)

p/s - solok lada n nasi kerabu..bubur lambuk n budu, ish ish ish...

~CovertOperations78~ said...

How good of your Mama to buy kuih for the Bangladeshi guys! They must have felt so surprised and touched! Extra pahala for Mama since it is the fasting month, but then again, I know your Mama doesn't do it for pahala... she does it cos her heart is as big as the apartment complex... and because nobody within a mile of your Mama is allowed to go hungry. Hee hee hee!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Au dear,
Nobody sells fish! my only complaint. purrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Abe Mat,
I bet those young girls would even call you "love" if you patronise their stall. Anyway, it's normal for shopkeepers to call you "love" i.e. How can I help you today, love? or "darling" i.e. Oh...you're such a darling (after you've purchased something from them, of course). So, wanna move here and be called "love" and "darling" everyday? purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Sherry,
Balak hensem pun ramai! purrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Cheqna,
As I wrote, some of the dishes are too wayyyy out...e.g. the Nasi Kerabu seller didn't put budu with it and the "daun-daun" so lacking. So we didn't buy that. Mama setting up a stall? Errr....siapa nak masak? purrrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

CO78,
Hmmm...it's as if you know my Mama well...yes, she loves feeding people. And cats! purrrr....meow!

Pat said...

I'm so glad that you've found something close to home, so far away in Sydney. The list of dishes boggled my mind! Wow!

Pi Bani said...

Got air mata kucing or not? ;-)

kay_leeda said...

Your Momma missing home already? Hey..no fish but was there laksa? Laksa got fish what *wink*

How come Momma didn't take up a stall? She could sell her famous otak-otak (or was it pais ikan? U know lah the one with the kadok thingy)

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Pat,
By Malaysian standard, this Sydney bazaar is nothing. So many of our favs not available...you know...ikan bakar, ikan goreng, ikan sweet sour, ikan steam.... purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Pi,
As far as we know, no kucings were harmed in the preparation of the dishes....or forced to cry. So, no air mata kucing. purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Kay,
As we complained, no fish or anything fishy, even laksa atau kawasan sewaktu dengannya. Hey...maybe Mama should open Nasi Dagang stall, eh? We haven't seen daun kaduk for a while so...no otak-otak too. purrr....meow!

Monyet King said...

what... no pengat pisang :(

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Your Highness,
No pengat of any kind. Not just pisang... purrrr....meow!

Lee said...

Hi Cat, wow! Thats nice having kampong folks to have Malaysian style food stalls.
Pity no such happenings here, or never heard about it.
Maybe our frigid winters not good for sarongs, ha ha.
I can imagine the fun of eating local dishes....

Come to think of it, hardly see Malay people here...there a lot, but Sri Lanka Malays, and lots of Indonesians. None from Trengganu or Gua Musang.
You have fun and a pleasant buka puasa, Lee.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Uncle Lee,
Wish you were here too....The SYTs need someone like you to liven up their lives! purrrr.....meow!

Wan Sharif said...

La tak ada akok, cikanang, hati sokma, jala mah, bronok, loklik.. molek jugak kalu ayoh wang suruh kawang ayoh wang buka cawangan di sana.. mesti lebih umph

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang,
Pasa takdok oghang gganu gamoknye hok beniage tuh... That's why there was no fish or anything remotely fishy at all. purrrr.....meow!

Zendra-Maria said...

if not for the warm clothing people have on, i couldn't tell that this bazram is somewhere down under - the containers and baskets are so typically Malaysian :)

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Zen,
Now that you've mentioned it...betullah... The only difference is that the "ayer" wasn't sold in plastic bags but in take away plastic cups. purrr....meow!