IPOH: For more than a century, the Ipoh Indian Muslim Mosque has continued its tradition of cooking and distributing bubur lambuk (spiced rice porridge) to the public during Ramadan.
Mosque chairman Shaik Mujibur Rahman Mohd Yusoff said they have kept to the tradition introduced by the mosque’s founder, including following the dish’s original recipe since 1908.
Shaik Mujibur Rahman said the act of distributing the porridge was a tradition to give back to the community, while ensuring that the people, especially those who are underprivileged, are able to break fast with a hearty meal.
“We welcome people of all races to come by our mosque to get the porridge, not just Muslims.
“We’ve also given out to some foreign tourists who visited our premises,” he said in an interview.
“We encourage people to bring their own containers to take the porridge home, to do our part for the environment,” he added.
The mosque was founded by Shaik Adam Mohammad Ghaus, a prominent Indian Muslim entrepreneur and philanthropist in 1908.
Located on Jalan SP Seenivasagam, it is also one of the attractions of the Ipoh Heritage Trail.
Shaik Mujibur Rahman said the porridge was popular because of its 118-year-old recipe.
“We have kept the same recipe since it was introduced by our founder.
“We put a lot of beans, including mung beans, red beans, chickpeas and various spices,” he said.
“Instead of using beef, we use mutton, so that it can also be enjoyed by majority of the community.
“As we are also located in the centre of the city, our premises is easily accessible to people.”
He said about 75kg of porridge would be prepared daily in the morning, with distribution starting at 4.30pm.
“We will cook until the last day of the fasting month.
“There are also folk who come back to the city from Kuala Lumpur or Penang for the (Hari Raya Aidilfitri) celebrations, who wanted to taste our porridge,” he said, adding that the porridge could be given out to about 800 people.
