A wide variety of Malaysian gastronomic delights were the highlight of the annual Ramadan Bazaar organised by the Malaysian Association of Qatar (MAQ) at the food court of Hyatt Plaza yesterday.
Two more bazaars will be held on June 9 and 16 at the same venue starting from 2pm to 5pm, according to MAQ vice-president Maizatul Lina bint Mustapa. The Malaysian Ramadan Bazaar is an initiative of the MAQ, which was started in 2011.
“With the theme ‘Bringing Malaysians Together’, our main objective is to ensure that Malaysians in Qatar continue to enjoy our traditional culinary delights, which we also want to introduce to the rest of the world,” Mustapa told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the bazaar, which gathered at least 12 Malaysian sellers.
Mustapa said more than 10 traditional Malaysian cuisine were prepared by the sellers, and were designed for Iftar. Some of the dishes include mie goreng (spicy fried noodle), nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves), satay (skewered chicken or beef served with peanut sauce), and pulut kuning (yellow glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk served with beef or chicken rendang), among others.
The event also saw raffle draws and traditional games, said Mustapa, who noted that the first instalment of the event drew around 500 Malaysians to Hyatt Plaza.
“Since our country’s tourism campaign is ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’, this annual event is also attracting other nationalities, which is an opportune way for us to introduce Malaysia through our culinary delights. We’ve also had visitors from the US, the UK, the GCC, and from the Southeast Asian region,” Mustapa stressed.
She added: “Since we’ve started this event, we’ve recorded a 20% to 30% increase in the number of visitors every year, even among our fellow Malaysians because I’ve also seen some new faces; and we’re happy to see that other nationalities also come to our event.”
Visitors of the annual Malaysian Ramadan Bazaar line up to buy some of the food on offer during the event. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed
