Delicious food for flood victims an imperative for Tunku Azizah

By Nurul Ain Nadhirah Basharudin

KUANTAN, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- The look of happiness on the faces of flood victims when savouring delicious food at evacuation centres has long given satisfaction to the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

The queen is well known not just for her culinary expertise but also for her interest in the welfare of flood victims housed at relief centres in the state, where she had been fondly known as the Tengku Ampuan Pahang until the king's installation on July 30 as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. 

Her caring nature is such that she has even ordered the reopening of an evacuation centre for the purpose of enabling people displaced by floods to taste delicious food, to make up for the previously served meals which did not meet the exacting taste buds of Tunku Azizah when she had visited the centre, recalls Mohd Norsham Nisam Abd Malik, 46, a good friend of the queen.

"The queen wanted the disaster victims who were facing a terrible situation to at least have the opportunity to receive good food during their time of need...so without wasting any time, Tunku Azizah rolled up her sleeves and with the support of palace staff, began cooking and whipped up a meal quickly because she did not want the victims to wait any longer," Mohd Norsham Nisam told Bernama recently.

The corporate and industry manager at Kolej Yayasan Pahang, Mohd Norsham Nisam shared that only those who had accompanied Tunku Azizah during her visits to evacuation centres knew the depth of care given by the queen to flood-displaced communities as this was part of her nature.

Mohd Norsham Nisam first knew the queen in 1994 when he was asked to organise a birthday party for one of the queen's sons, Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, and since then, he has been tasked with managing various events for the palace, particularly culinary functions. 

Catering entrepreneur Datuk Hanizah Ghazali, 61, shared similar accounts about the queen's culinary creations, which she said are always looked forward to with anticipation by the queen's friends, particularly when she tries out a new recipe.

Having known her for the past 15 years, Hanizah shared that the queen can always determine if an ingredient is missing from a dish or if it has been replaced with something else, adding that when sampling a dish that is not tasty, Tunku Azizah "will improve on it by adding a little of this and a little of that until it tastes better!". 

The queen, Hanizah shared, does not have any do’s and don'ts in her kitchen, except for cleanliness and good quality cooking, and of course, Tunku Azizah makes it a point to prepare all ingredients herself when cooking a dish.

The same care which she shows in preparing meals for flood victims can also be seen in her own kitchen at the palace, Hanizah said.

-- BERNAMA