Sweeten Your Hari Raya With Strawberry Heart Cookies

The hustling and bustling on the eve of Hari Raya Puasa, the aroma of freshly cooked succulent dishes, what is considered the final preparation before the day of Eid is a common tradition amongst many Malay household here.

Source: Google Images

Besides the fancy and colorful decorations, the food plays a monumental part on the festive day. Apart from the classic rendang daging (spicy beef stew), the rendang can also be cooked with chicken or mutton, other traditional dishes include Ayam Masak Merah (chicken in spicy tomato sauce), Lontong Sayur Lodeh (vegetables cooked in coconut milk), Sambal Tumis Sotong (squid cooked in chili paste), Serundeng (meat floss), and Sambal Goreng (stir fried tempeh, bean curd and long beans). All of these cuisines are ordinarily eaten with the ketupat (rice cake) or as a substitute the lemang or lepat. In addition, the toothsome kuih muih such as kuih tart widely known as pineapple tart, kuih makmur, kuih lapis (layered cake), and honey cornflakes.

Source: Google Images

Aside from the variety of food, another habitual custom is asking for forgiveness for the wrongdoings one has committed over the past year from their elders and relatives on the morning of Raya. The most common greeting by Singaporean Muslims is “Selamat Hari Raya” followed by “Maaf Zahir dan Batin” which translates to “I seek forgiveness (from you) for my physical and emotional (wrongdoings)." This joyous and heartwarming occasion is where many would put on their new outfits namely the baju kurung, baju kebaya and baju Melayu. Families would either choose to wear similar color themes or opt out from it.

Source: Google Images

Of course, Hari Raya is more than just food, forgiveness and new clothing. The Muslim community in Singapore are also encouraged to be charitable during this festive period by helping the less fortunate to not only create bonds but also giving back to the community.

Strawberry Heart Cookies is one of my favourite recipes that my family and I would usually make during Ramadan. Maybe this serves as an inspiration for you to try out something new:

Ingredients:

150gm butter

20gm strawberry ice-cream powder

110gm sugar

200 gm top flour

50gm ground hazelnut (bake for 7 minutes and chill it)

40gm corn flour

A pinch of salt

¼ tsp. emplex or lecinta

½ tsp. raspberry essence

Decorative heart flakes

Steps:

Stir the butter, strawberry ice-cream powder, sugar, salt, emplex and raspberry essence well.
Add in the top flour, ground hazelnut and corn flour. And mix the dough well.
Roll out the dough and use a heart shape dough cutter.
Bake in the oven on 160℃ for 15 to 20 minutes.