Lebaran@NYC: Halal bihalal

Rasanya...lebaran tanpa halal bihalal laksana sayur ketupat tanpa santan...Ngg komplit :)!

Begitu juga untuk kami di sini :). 

Being away from home does not stop us from continuing this wonderful tradition. 

Well,  who would say no to a lovely gathering with people you know or even meeting exciting new friends with the flow of  super delicious Indonesian food? With a bonus of perfect weather and fashion parade of colorful attires?

I won't miss it for the world :)..

So, days after Eid AL-Fitr, we gathered at New Rochelle mansion and  enjoyed beautiful day in the green lush surroundings.

And the food? It's awesome....

Let me try to recall what we have at that day...

We had a buffet of Indonesian traditional cuisine...a pure taste of home. I miss it dearly and how glad I am to find them there on that beautifully-adorned-with-batik main dining table...

We had sayur asem - Indonesian most-sought sweet and sour vegetable stew; ayam goreng lengkuas - fried chicken with that special hint of galangal; daging serundeng - marinated beef with spicy grated coconut; ikan asin - salted fish; teri kacang - spicy fried anchovies with peanuts; and tempe goreng - fried soy bean cake. All my fave! I know back home this might be considered as the 'usual' food, but here in New York, it's a treasure :). aah...and one more thing...kerupuk! That crunchy crackers will never be forgotten..so Epic :)

For the dessert, a wide range of Indonesian traditional delicacies were also served. Starting from Lapis Surabaya - Indonesian layer cake; centik manis - sweet rice flour steamed cake; to the savory risoles - salted crepes with beef bacon, mayo and eggs; lemper - chicken-filled steamed sticky rice; and kue talam - steamed rice flour cake garnished with dried shrimp and chilli. Oh yuuum yuuum...Not to forget nastar and kaastengels - the famous pineapple - filled and cheese cookies. I sincerely hope my tummy won't hurt me from eating too much :)...

Later that evening, we also managed to meet at Greenway South for another soiree of friendship and fun. 

Here, the menu was fantastic as well...another display of Indonesian fantastice cuisine...starting from Rendang, our one-of-a-kind spicy beef curry slowly cooked with Indonesian herbs and coconut milk. Then Ikan Pesmol - Indonesian fried red snapper fish with spicy turmeric sauce and vegetables. 

For sure, sweets and savory delicacies were part of the menu as well...where we have lumpia and layer cakes as well here...

So, all in all..it was a lovely day. Surely the fun goes beyond the fantastic food being offered, but for the ambience of friendship, love and forgiveness.

Eid Mubarak, people...