Chef Shukri ran a popular cookery programme for budding chefs called "Cook with Shuk for a Cultural and Culinary experience", attracting people from all over the world who have come to the legendary island of Langkawi, just off the northwest coast of West Malaysia, for a "sun, sand and saute" hobby holiday to learn a cooking skill while on vacation. He holds the cookery classes in his beautiful home designed in a traditional Malay architectural style reminiscent of royal palaces and homes of the nobility. On my visit to Langkawi, I pay homage to this celebrated chef.
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| Malay Traditional House Architecture |
Driving down a dirt track through a small village flanked by a padi field on one side, an imposing wooden house looms in the distant through a metal gate. It is surrounded by trees and lush undergrowth at the edge of a forest where monkeys frolic like naughty school boys on the trees and the trills of the birds sound like a ringtone from a mobile phone.
Butterflies with colorful wings flutter over fragrant herbal bushes and ginger and lemon grass shrubs planted around the house. These are Chef Shukri's home-grown fresh ingredients for his famous dishes which he would show his students before they worked the wok. I have arrived at "Vistana Atas Bukit" or "View on Top of the Hill", Chef Shukri's homestead.
This much celebrated abode has been featured in magazines and television programmes for its unique architecture. This palatial home is probably the last traditional Malay wooden house built on the island. Chef Shukri greets me warmly like a long lost friend and shows me round his home explaining the ritual and customs in the construction of the house. Most cultures in Asia have their own house-building rites and this house is constructed according to the Malay geomancy similar to Chinese Feng Shui.
Tradition and culture played a major role in the building of the house. A bomoh or shaman was engaged to survey the land and to select the most auspicious site for the house, and at the same time to pacify the spirits of the land with spiritual cleansing. When the site had been selected and the land cleared and prepared, the villagers assembled to help erect the main pillar of the house known as the "Tiang Seri" or "beautiful pillar" after a gold coin is buried underneath it to bestow good fortune to the family. This pillar forms the heart of the house from which all the rest of the house is built round.
Before the roof is constructed, three pieces of handkerchiefs in red, black and white are place on the pivot of the pillar, denoting black for valour, red for courage and white for purity, blessing the occupants with these attributes.
As in all traditional Malay houses, it is built on stilts, originating from ancient practice of safety for the occupants protecting them from floods, attacks from wild animals and intruders and for sheltering livestock or for use as storage. Chef Shukri has utilized this airy space for entertaining and socializing with his guests and cookery students. There is even an antique brass bed for guests who want a quick snooze after a hearty meal.
The majestic building is built on a five-acre piece of land on a low hill where the forest has been cleared but still surrounded by a swathe of verdant vegetation harnessing the energy of the lush environment. It has a big open space at the front enjoying a splendid 'bright hall effect' where accumulates and disseminates into the house. It is skillfully designed for both style, substance and comfort, oozing with charm and tradition in harmonious proportions to the land. This ends Part 1 of Malay Traditional House Architecture. You can read more at the next post.