Full moon means nasi kunyit | Food, travel, recipe & sights

Full moon means nasi kunyit

I am not sure about other states Chinese but in Penang, this is our traditional full moon package.  Depending on the sizes and number of pieces of kueh, it costs between RM8 to RM12.

A Chinese (especially nyonya) tradition.  A a newborn is one month old, the parents will give these packages to friends and families to celebrate.  It consists of nasi kunyi or tumeric rice, red eggs, red cakes and curry chicken.  (i wrote in my flickr site, too lazy to repeat again)

Red eggs signify good luck.

Angkoo.  It is a red coloured skin made from glutinous rice covering some mung beans paste.

Red peach or ang thoe is given when you have a baby girl.  Heh, I always have to give red balls because I only have baby boys.  One kiasu ex-colleague of mine gave away red balls (same skin but roundish balls with mungbean paste) instead of red peaches when he had his first daugther.  It is supposed to bring him sons for his future offsprings.  But heh, he still ended up with more daughters.

Curry chicken which goes well with the nasi kunyit.  I dislike curry chicken like this.  Too much spices smell.

Nasi kunyit is considered a very sacred offerings for the Datuk Kong.  In case you do not know, some Chinese offer this nasi kunyit to the tiny shrine housing the Datuk Kong (which is supposed to be a Malay man with beard and wearing songkok and sarong). Therefore, great care must be taken when steaming this rice.  These are just what I heard from the old, old folks.

If you are given a package of this, remember to return with some angpow or a baby gift.

Posted by lilian on May 3rd, 2006 under Festivals & Religious, Food

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7 Responses to “Full moon means nasi kunyit”

  1. Fashionasia Says:
    May 3rd, 2006 at 4:57 pm

    got recipe or not?

  2. maR Says:
    May 4th, 2006 at 12:13 am

    Looks so sedap… all of em…

  3. flower Says:
    May 4th, 2006 at 12:39 am

    Masa I kerja kat Malaysia dulu, I selalu nanti-nantikan my office mate celebrate full moon. I love angkoo. Dont be suprise that I bought angkoo from the Oriental shop near my home in perth. And of course nasi kunyit and chicken curry. Yummy…..

  4. SkyJuice7 Says:
    May 4th, 2006 at 12:14 pm

    Ah, turmeric rice. Lama dah tak makan nasi kunyit. My mum made nasi kunyit and chicken curry for my tok guru and fellow Al-Qur’an reading classmates when I finished khatam Al-Qur’an (completion of Al-Qur’an reading) at 7 (years old). I khatam again not long after, just about the same time with my younger brother who khatam for the first time. My mum made the turmeric rice and chicken curry again. It’s a norm for the Muslims in the northern states. I don’t know if this is still in practice, though. I hope so.

  5. Julie Says:
    February 21st, 2007 at 11:28 pm

    Anyone with authentic Penang/Nyonya recipe for Nasi Kunyit & Chicken Curry for Full Moon? I would like to make it for my first grand child!

  6. Caleb Says:
    April 18th, 2008 at 10:35 pm

    we have the same here in terengganu too :D

  7. elaine Says:
    July 16th, 2008 at 9:50 am

    Anyone here can provide me the contact number for ordering this package in penang especially in Bukit Mertajam. Because my cousin going to full moon but haven get prepare yet..
    Many thanks…

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