Malaysia marks Ramadan with ‘air-filled curry puffs’ to break the fast amid soar-away prices

The ever-increasing cost of dishes at Malaysia’s Ramadan bazaars has led some unscrupulous sellers to cut corners on fillings and food safety

Others have no choice but to pass the price hikes onto customers, who are set to be hit with even more sticker shock when Eid ul-Fitr rolls around

Reading Time:3 minutes

A seller at the Kampung Baru Ramadan bazaar in Kuala Lumpur prepares roti canai. Photo: Hadi Azmi

Published: 9:00am, 26 Mar 2023Updated: 9:24am, 26 Mar 2023

The price of a coconut is up by a quarter, buffets to break the fast are now a luxury and “air-filled curry puffs” are the wry talk of the bazaar as Malaysian Muslims marking Ramadan curb their spending amid surging food costs being passed onto customers.

More than 20 million Muslims in Malaysia are observing the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday.

Principally a month of spirituality and reflection, during which devout Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset, Ramadan is also a time when food bazaars sprout up around the country, drawing in those on the hunt for local delicacies.

But this year growing numbers are staying away from these Ramadan bazaars, or only looking rather than buying, citing surging prices and the declining quality of food as stallholders make savings by using cheaper produce or reluctantly raising prices.

A man reacts as he prays before breaking fast on the first day of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

“I picked up cooking during the lockdown, so now everything here feels expensive,” said Safira Naim, an accountant who visited the popular Kampung Baru bazaar, near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

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