"Ramadan" news and stories

Saturday was the 13th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, so I decided to celebrate by visiting a Malaysian burger shack. And I didn't need to hop on a plane to do it either. Thanks to Dave Cook of Eating in Translation I learned of Bazaar Ramadhan just hours before the event kicked off. It was held in the Banquet Hall of the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations. There was all manner of Malaysian home cooking on offer, including several varieties of the famous rice dish, nasi lemak. In addition to the traditional accompaniments of salty dried fish, peanuts, cucumber and hard-boiled egg I got some sambal sotong, a dark black mess of squid that had been cooked in the pungent Malaysian paste, sambal. It was good, but as you've no doubt guessed by now the food that excited me most was Malaysian hamburgers.

I first heard of Malaysian hamburgers from my friend Zak Pelaccio whose restaurant Fatty Crab slings some wonderfully juicy and well-spiced Malaysian-inflected sliders. He'd always told me they were inspired by the Ramly Burger, a traditional Malaysian street food. Until I saw this video detailing the construction of "The Sloppiest Burger in Malaysia," I had no idea what a Ramly Burger was. Apparently it involves grilling an egg in a pool of margarine dropping a slice of cheese on top of the egg and enfolding a patty inside.

When I approached the cheerful group of kids working the Burger Shack stall my heart skipped a beat as I saw copious amounts of margarine being spread on to whole-wheat buns that were being griddled alongside beef patties and eggs in ring molds. "Ramly burger?," I asked. There was no response but the kid in the blue shirt kept calling out, "Get your genuine Malaysian fast food right here."

It is time for the almond harvest in California, and the Chronicle has a few recipes: Almond-Breaded Chicken Cutlet with Capers and Lemon, Dried Apricot & Almond Bars, Almond Granola Clusters, Fresh Pear & Almond Dessert Pizza, and Ancho-Almond Mole Sauce.

The holy month of Ramadan begins Saturday, in which Muslims fast every day from sunrise to sunset, then break their fasts each evening with a meal called iftaar. A couple of recipes for the iftaar table: Fruit Chaat and Badam Dood (Milk with Almond Meal).

The Working Cooks recommends braising as a foolproof way to cook fish and provides a recipe for Braised White Fish & Vegetables in Lemongrass Coconut Milk. Also fast and fresh are Chipotle Beef Tacos. To go meatless, try portobello mushrooms in a sandwich.

Three-month-old Xyclo in Oakland gets two stars (**) for its "modern meets Mekong" Vetnamese-style cuisine. Two stars (**) also awarded to Katia's: A Russian Tea Room. Michael Bauer re-visits Mecca, and says that "We shouldn't have to suffer for good food, but in the case of Mecca, it might just be worth it." He gives it three stars (***).