JULY 26 — It’s that time of the year again! Hari Raya was celebrated with so much joy and happiness that even the GST could not take it away from us.

Although Malaysians across the board exercised greater care and frugality in their Aidilfitri expenses, the celebrations were nevertheless joyous. From colourful new clothes to scrumptious kampung delights, Malaysians somehow always find a way to make it work.

One of my favourite Raya delicacies is ketupat and rendang. Nothing can even come close to the smell of wonderful, aromatic rendang permeating throughout the house – a sure sign that Raya has arrived. Although it is high in calories, there is no such thing as dieting where Raya is concerned.

Rendang is, of course, never devoured alone. Accompanying it would be either lemang or ketupat. Lemang is made with glutinous rice cooked in bamboo over fire, while ketupat is glutinous rice in woven coconut leaves cooked in a pot of santan and pandan leaves until it becomes a rich and fragrant rice cake.

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The coconut leaves used in wrapping ketupat are usually shaped in triangular or diamond forms. After they are cooked, they are left to hang in bunches in the open air.

The shape of the ketupat allows moisture to drip downwards while the porous coconut leaves ensures the rice is aerated, yet provides enough protection from flies and other insects.

The key to a perfect ketupat is, of course, in its weaving – a dying art form. Today, the availability of instant ketupats that come in square plastic packets have all but rendered us ignorant about the traditional art of ketupat weaving.

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Although these machine-made ketupats are convenient to make, it does not even come close to tasting the same. Besides, nothing beats peeling coconut leaves with your bare hands.

Now, it is not easy to weave a ketupat. It takes patience and flexible fingers. An unskilled person may require up to 20 minutes to weave just one, and even then it would look awful.

Fortunately, my father taught me this skill when I was young. It is something passed down from generation to generation, and he was happy that I was eager to learn, unlike my mother who found it too cumbersome.

Basically, ketupat weaving comprises three vertical and three horizontal interlocking loops. Just one loose loop is all it takes for the rice to fall out. Therefore, every weave has to be perfect in order to avoid deformed or half-empty ketupats. However, someone skilled enough can fix loose loops by tightening the leaves.

Ketupat weaving reminds me of Malaysia’s inter-racial relationship. It took many years for our ancestors to build the foundation of what we have today. They came together, accepted one another, and learned to love each other. Eventually, our cultures intertwined and our nation was born.

All the different races came together and fought for our country’s independence. It was certainly a collective effort, and not one that was led only by one race. We had Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Sambanthan and Tun Tan Cheng Lock.

Before them, Rentap, Mat Salleh, Antanom and Datuk Maharajelela fought to free us from colonial rule. Their struggle was not easy – it took time and much effort to weave the many different cultures and races together to form a solid and united nation.

Hence, we should not allow a loose loop to destroy all that we have built. That leaf needs to be tightened immediately, and not left to cause a leak or get looser. It is imperative that we restore the shape of our country and ensure that our shell does not end up half-full. That leaf is our country’s inter-racial relationship and those loosening them are the racists and extremists from all quarters.

Remember this when you devour your next ketupat this Raya: racism is the enemy of all Malaysians.

Selamat Hari Raya and maaf zahir dan batin!

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.