DAY 4! :)

The very last day in Malacca- THURSDAY.
So on Thursday We do not have any activities as the Diploma and degree students have to do their presentation but we don't. Hence, today is our free day! Everyone was really tired so we actually woke up at 12pm! Hahaha. What's our plan today? To CLAUDIA"S HOUSE! Claudia is our Portuguese friend, a local citizen of Malacca. We were all craving for the yummy traditional Portuguese food- DEVILS CURRY.( CURRY DEBAL)

I'm really in love with this 'DEVILS CURRY'.It is actually  a blend of Portuguese, Indian, and Chinese influences, hits all the right notes: spicy, tangy-sour, with a little kick from mustard seeds. It's a curry that tastes neither quite Malay, nor quite Indian. It's the addition of vinegar that makes the difference.

Claudia's aunt cooked this for all of us! OMG The curry taste so good!

All the delicious dishes cooked by her aunt. We were so blessed!

To satisfy my curiousity for this dish, I've search for the recipe for the DEVILS CURRY!

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. (2 lb) chicken
• 1 tsp thick soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic (peeled)
• 3 stalks of lemon grass
• 1/4 tsp tumeric powder
• 20 dried chillies (presoaked in hot water) or 2 tbsp. chilli powder
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 30 g young ginger julienned
• 2 large onions peeled & quartered
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 6 potatoes (peeled and quartered)
• 6 whole cabbage leaves
• 20 French beans
• salt & sugar to taste

Curry paste:

• 1 tsp. oil,
• mustard seeds;
• 300 g shallots;
• 30 g candlenuts, 
• peeled galangal

Method:

1. Cut chicken into large pieces and marinade with thick soy sauce, vinegar, and 2 tsp of curry paste for 20 mins.
2. Heat oil in a pot, fry strips of ginger until golden brown and remove, then add onions for 30 seconds and remove, then saute red chillies and remove.
3. Add mustard seeds into same pot, and cover until seeds stop popping.
4. Then add curry paste and fry until oil floats to the top.
5. Drain marinade from chicken into bowl and add marinade to pot gradually, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
6. Add the chicken pieces and potatoes and toss in pot until well coated with paste.
7. Add tamarind juice and water to cover.
8. Boil rapidly for 10 mins then lower heat.
9. At this point add vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are done & chicken is tender.
10. Add 2 tbsp. vinegar, sugar and salt to taste. Add more water to make gravy and simmer for 5 mins.

It is actually very complicating for me as I'm not really good in cooking but I'm showing this to you just in case you want to try cooking your own DEVILS CURRY. But trust me, You definitely have to go to MALACCA for the most original taste of this dish and it will definitely not fail your expectations!  Visit some of the local restaurants in the Portuguese Settlement to look for this dish such as Papa Joe's, 88 Restaurant .   The best thing would definitely be THE LOCAL PORTUGUESE FRIENDS COOKING IT FOR YOU! OM NOM NOM! 

Claudia's family member welcomed us with open arms. They are really nice people. Claudia's mum is a mix of Dutch and Portuguese. She invited us to come back to Malacca again for the fisherman festival. They also have the water festival which was happening in February. According to Claudia's mum, Visitors and foreign tourists come to Malacca to join-in the 3,000-odd residents in songs, dances, fun fairs, game stalls, the decorated boat festival and the solemn procession of the statue of St. Peter. The annual fiesta, from June 24 to 29, held since the settlement’s founding in the l930s, is the only carnival celebrated by the local Portuguese-Eurasian community. 

I'm kind of interested after knowing the happenings in Malacca and I decided to find out more about the festivals. Here's some information about this fiesta.

The fiesta observes the feast of St. Peter the patron saint of fishermen. Its special position in the community dates back to the days when fishing was the main livelihood of the settlement’s residents and those living at Praya Lane and Kampong Bandar Hilir.

Back in the l930s and l940s, practically three-quarter of the settlement’s adult population were involved in the fishing industry either directly or indirectly. With the catch becoming less plentiful, there are now only about l5 - 20 diehards who continue to fish. SO actually what is the highlight of this fiesta? 

The highlight of the fiesta is actually the religious facets!  Following the Eucharistic celebration on the actual feast day, the blessing of the decorated boats, where candles were lighted, is the main focus. For the fishermen, the lit candles signify the Light of Christ who guides them through the storms of life whether at sea or land in their journey home. This is really important for all the fishermen! FAMILY & HOME. 

The blessing of the boats and procession where the statue of St. Peter is carried around the settlement demonstrates the request for God’s grace for a bigger and better catch for fishermen who depend on the sea for their livelihood.

The Settlement itself is tightly knit and holding out against outside influences but retaining age-old traditions, rituals, customs, practices and lifestyle dating back some 500 years ago.Even until today it still remains the same!

Besides the fiesta, other celebrations kept alive include Intrudo (water festival), Holy Week traditions and Bong Natal (Christmas). 

What is the water festival?  
According to Mr Richard, it is a festival where people splash water at each other. The teenagers use water guns, water balloons and pails to splash water at each other. Why are they doing so? It is because they're trying to seek forgiveness from the people where they actually made them mad of but did not have the guts to say sorry. After splashing water they will have a drink and cheers with each other and forget all the unhappy things happened in the past. I would love to join them for the water festival one day! Hehe

*These are the information that I've found from the website and I find it pretty informative to know more about the festival! 

Not to forget to mention Claudia's cute little cousin, Issac! He is such an adorable kid! We had so much of fun playing with him! He has huge eyes and long eyelashes. Oh my god! I really hope that we would have a chance to visit Malacca again during Christmas to see their Christmas Lights.