Last Minute Raya Potluck Ideas in 30 Minutes

When it comes downs to it, the ingredients for a perfect Raya are sugar, spice, and everything nice – and that includes a spoonful of firecrackers, a sprinkle of decorative lamps, an array of sinful-yet-worth-every-calorie Raya food (how dare you say no to a divine plate of temptation decorated with rendang and lemang!) and not forgetting Raya open houses.

Here are some festive-themed potluck ideas in case you’re invited to your friend’s open house at the very last minute!

Ja-moo selera with Beef Rendang

🕑 30mins - 1hour

Just like there isn’t nasi lemak without ikan bilis, what is Hari Raya without rendang curry? Often paired with ketupat or diamond-shaped rice cakes, this popular Malay delicacy usually features beef or chicken as the main star of the dish.

Believe it or not, you don’t have to be Chef Wan to master your opah’s secret rendang recipe, you can also experiment with simpler, beginner-friendly cooking methods using slow cookers or pressure cookers just under 30 minutes! All you need is beef, coconut milk, and a packet instant rendang paste.

Instructions:
1. Sauté your choice of instant rendang paste in a heated pot and mix 300ml of water until it boils.
2. Add beef and coconut milk into the gravy.
3. Simmer on low heat until the meat is tender.

Take your tastebuds on a trip to Indonesia with Soto Ayam

🕑 15mins

A rich blend of savoury and salty flavours birthed from herbs and spices, soto ayam or spicy chicken broth is a hit dish among Malaysians and Indonesians. This Indonesian dish can be paired with nasi impit or vermicelli and voila – you’ve got yourself a tasty potluck dish!

Soto ayam is fairly simple – all you need is a pot, water, instant soto paste (To the inventors of instant cooking pastes, thank you!) and about 600g chicken meat. You can also add random chicken parts and scrap pieces to bring out the flavours.

Instructions:
1. Mix instant soto paste and chicken parts into a litre of water. Let it boil for about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked.
2. Serve soto broth with condiments of your choice such as peanuts, dry tofu, shredded chicken, hard-boiled eggs.
3. Top it off with spring onions or fried shallots as garnishing.

Get high on sugar rush with Malay cakes and kuih

🕑 20mins

There is no Raya without kuih Raya or Raya cookies! Some favourite potluck dishes include batik cake, pulut (glutinous rice) with coconut, and homemade cookies. You can whip your own batch of Almond Cornflakes Cookies with chocolate chips in just under 20 minutes.

You’ll need butter (150g), flour (150g), sugar (75g), honey cornflakes (60g), chopped almonds (25g), 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence, chocolate chips.

Instructions:
1. Add butter, sugar and flour into a bowl and mix well.
2. Combine cornflakes, almond bits and one teaspoon of vanilla extract into the mix.
3. Shape the cookies on a flat tray with a spoon and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
4. Bake in the oven at 163°C for 15-20 minutes until it turns golden brown.

Load up your tummy with Lodeh

🕑 30mins

Best served hot with lontong (cylindrical compressed rice cake wrapped in banana leaf), or its counterparts ketupat or nasi impit, lodeh is a flavourful, greenish vegetable-based gravy cooked with coconut milk.

The usual suspects in the making of the lodeh include eggplants, long beans, tempeh, tofu, cabbages, carrots, among others.

Instructions:
1. Sauté your choice of instant lodeh paste with oil until aromatic. Add 600ml of water and let it boil.
2. Throw in your desired vegetables and add 500ml of coconut milk.
3. Cook until the vegetables are tender.