Family. Community. Food. For Anna Belle Francis, these three things define the beauty and essence of Hari Raya.
The 47-year-old restaurant co-owner, content creator, and former host-actress first celebrated Hari Raya as a Muslim in 2000, a year after she converted to Islam and married her husband, rapper-actor Sheikh Haikel.
Now, 26 years after embracing Islam, Francis has a deeper and more personal understanding of what makes her Hari Raya traditions special.
“Before marrying Haikel and learning more about Islam, I thought Hari Raya was just an occasion. I didn’t think too much about its significance or how Ramadan carries so much meaning and importance,” Francis, who posts on Instagram under the handle @belleamafia, told CNA Women.
Francis at her conversion ceremony in 1999 at Darul Arqam, or the Muslim Converts' Association of Singapore. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
“Now, Hari Raya is incredibly special – it’s a beautiful time for family, community, and lots of wonderful food!” she said. “At the same time, it’s also a way to celebrate and bid farewell to the blessed month of Ramadan.
“Ramadan used to be about managing my fast and figuring out how I could ‘survive’ the day. Now, I see more of its blessings – it’s a time when I can focus on being a stronger and better Muslim for my family and community.”
To her, Raya and Ramadan come together, and each makes the other more meaningful.
Francis, with husband Sheikh Haikel and their three kids, celebrating Hari Raya in 2024. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Francis with her family and in-laws sharing a meal. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
“Family has always meant so much to me,” said the mother of three. “I had always prayed to grow in, and nurture, a loving family.”
She said she felt incredibly blessed to be able to do that when she married Haikel and became part of his family.
“Rojak is the best way to describe my family now – we come from many backgrounds, and food means the world to us.”
Growing up in a Eurasian household with a maternal grandmother who is Peranakan, Francis was taught from a young age to be proper and respectful when preparing food.
“I remember sitting on the kitchen floor lined with newspaper, peeling tau geh (bean sprouts) meticulously because that was how my grandmother – my Embah – taught me to respect the food we prepared. She always said it brought soul and flavour to our dishes.”
Francis with her Embah, who taught her how to love and appreciate food. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
“Seeing her home-cooked dishes on the table meant the house was filled with love,” she added.
“My favourites were her ayam buah keluak (a dish consisting of chicken, tamarind gravy and buah keluak nuts) and her pineapple tarts and kuehs – the best I’ve ever had to this day.
“After I became a Muslim, she even replaced the ingredients of Peranakan recipes like babi buah keluak and babi guling (roast pork) to make sure they were halal.”
Francis’ deep-rooted appreciation for food shaped her approach to family life. When she became part of Haikel’s large Arab family, she wanted to bring the same childhood appreciation for food she learnt from her Embah to Ramadan and Hari Raya.
“During my first few Raya celebrations, I was still navigating life as a new Muslim,” she said. “I loved my faith so much, but the newness can be a little disorienting, so food was a lovely, familiar grounding force.”
So, in her first year celebrating Raya in 2000, Francis made it a point to find out what dishes Haikel and his family loved.
“The funny thing about Hari Raya food is that every year we talk about it, but every year, it’s always the same,” she laughed. “Sayur lodeh (vegetable stew in coconut milk), rendang, ayam masak merah (chicken in sambal) – they never change, and we love them all.”
Francis (right) with her mum-in-law (left) at a ceremony to celebrate her daughter’s birth in the early 2000s. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Seeing how Haikel was also raised on home-cooked meals lovingly prepared by his mum and late grandmother, whom she affectionately called Aunty Baba, Francis was inspired to do the same mere months into her marriage.
“Aunty Baba’s food was sacred – a whole-family favourite that many distant relatives would travel all over the country just to have,” she said.
Francis became determined to master these dishes for Hari Raya and other special occasions.
“I told Aunty Baba that I wanted to learn all her recipes. More importantly, it had to be kept a secret so I could surprise Haikel, his parents and his siblings,” she recalled.
To achieve this, she spent countless late nights and evenings while Haikel and his family were out learning from her grandmother-in-law’s ‘air tangan’ – a Malay term that roughly translates to sweat or water from the hand, to signify the hard work, love and affection that goes into home-cooked meals.
Every year without fail, Francis bakes the kuih sugee she learned how to make from her grandmother-in-law. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
About a year into her “training”, after mastering a few dishes, she finally felt confident enough to put her own spin on Aunty Baba’s recipes. She laid out a full spread on the table and let the food speak for itself.
As her family ate, they realised something was subtly different – this wasn’t Aunty Baba’s cooking. That’s when she revealed her secret project.
“I still remember how stunned they were – and how incredible it felt when they said the dishes tasted almost like hers.”
Even now, more than 20 years after Aunty Baba’s passing, Francis still occasionally makes her sambal goreng pengantin (a Malay and Indonesian spicy stir-fried dish), the fried chicken based on a secret family recipe, kuih sugee (semolina biscuits), and kuih lapis lapan (a layered cake named after its shape, which resembles the number eight).
“I don’t intend to forget,” she said.
She also plans to handwrite these family recipes to pass down to her children as heirlooms.
The kuih sugee that Francis loves to make is one of the many family recipes that she hopes to handwrite to pass down as family heirlooms. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Baking and cooking is a labour of love Francis feels proud to do for her family, especially during Hari Raya. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Cooking has also deepened her love for Haikel over the years.
“When we were dating, a few weeks before Raya, he asked me to accompany him at five or six in the morning to go out. I thought he was crazy – what’s even open that early during Ramadan?” she laughed.
“He told me to trust him, and we ended up at Onan Road buying flour, eggs, and yeast for his grandmother. He wanted to run food errands for Aunty Baba for Raya.
“My heart melted right then and there. It showed me how important family was to him and how getting the right ingredients was crucial to making food taste perfect.”
This year, her restaurant Hai Ge Ji organised donation drives and food distribution exercises to different organisations. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
For Francis, the spirit of Ramadan and Hari Raya isn’t just about family – it’s about community. She learned that her religion valued selflessness and generosity, so whatever she cherishes at home, she hopes to share with others, too.
“Growing up, I loved celebrating my birthday by giving back,” she said, recalling how she worked with girls’ homes, mosques, and orphanages to distribute food on her birthday.
“For my 40th, I spent the day at an orphanage, working with staff and volunteers to provide meals for the children.
“In the early years of our marriage, my house felt like a community centre, especially during Ramadan and Hari Raya,” she said. “It’s a big thing in my very generous extended family – both my side and my in-laws’ – to give all kinds of dishes to our neighbours, whether it’s spaghetti or lemak cili padi.”
That generosity was something she had experienced long before she married Haikel.
“Growing up as a young child in Ang Mo Kio, my neighbours would hand-feed me their food, and when I was a teen living alone in Singapore while my folks were overseas, my neighbours took care of me by cooking for me.”
Even the food stalls below her home played a role: “I practically lived on ‘downstairs hawker food’.
“I’d eat chicken rice almost every day, and the hawkers would make sure I was well-fed. It meant everything to me, and it’s why I was inspired to sell chicken rice, too.”
One of the food distribution exercises Francis organised with her restaurant, Hai Ge Ji, was for an orphanage. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Having been on the receiving end of such care, she now feels a responsibility to pay it forward. “Knowing there are children without families or those struggling to afford meals, especially during Ramadan and Hari Raya, how could I not do something?”
That desire to give back has fuelled the numerous donation drives Francis and Haikel have organised over the years – first through their now-defunct burger joint, Fat Papas, which opened in 2017 and closed in 2021, and now through their chicken rice restaurant at Kampong Glam, Hai Ge Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice.
These food distribution exercises involve sending chicken rice meals to orphanages for the children to break their fast.
“Chicken rice is one of our favourite comfort foods, and we love how it brings people together,” she said. “Sharing rice, wanton dumplings, crispy chicken skin – it’s the same spirit of togetherness we feel during Hari Raya, except now, it’s something we can do all year round.”
For Francis, food is also about beautiful connections and creating meaningful moments.
“You could be fighting with your spouse or children the day before Raya, but the moment everyone sits down to eat a meal everyone loves, suddenly, all the tension melts away. That’s the power of food – it brings people back to love.”
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
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The 47-year-old restaurant co-owner, content creator, and former host-actress first celebrated Hari Raya as a Muslim in 2000, a year after she converted to Islam and married her husband, rapper-actor Sheikh Haikel.
Now, 26 years after embracing Islam, Francis has a deeper and more personal understanding of what makes her Hari Raya traditions special.
“Before marrying Haikel and learning more about Islam, I thought Hari Raya was just an occasion. I didn’t think too much about its significance or how Ramadan carries so much meaning and importance,” Francis, who posts on Instagram under the handle @belleamafia, told CNA Women.
Francis at her conversion ceremony in 1999 at Darul Arqam, or the Muslim Converts' Association of Singapore. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
“Now, Hari Raya is incredibly special – it’s a beautiful time for family, community, and lots of wonderful food!” she said. “At the same time, it’s also a way to celebrate and bid farewell to the blessed month of Ramadan.
“Ramadan used to be about managing my fast and figuring out how I could ‘survive’ the day. Now, I see more of its blessings – it’s a time when I can focus on being a stronger and better Muslim for my family and community.”
To her, Raya and Ramadan come together, and each makes the other more meaningful.
Related:
MADE WITH LOVE: FOOD THAT BRINGS FAMILIES TOGETHER
Francis, with husband Sheikh Haikel and their three kids, celebrating Hari Raya in 2024. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Francis with her family and in-laws sharing a meal. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
“Family has always meant so much to me,” said the mother of three. “I had always prayed to grow in, and nurture, a loving family.”
She said she felt incredibly blessed to be able to do that when she married Haikel and became part of his family.
“Rojak is the best way to describe my family now – we come from many backgrounds, and food means the world to us.”
Growing up in a Eurasian household with a maternal grandmother who is Peranakan, Francis was taught from a young age to be proper and respectful when preparing food.
“I remember sitting on the kitchen floor lined with newspaper, peeling tau geh (bean sprouts) meticulously because that was how my grandmother – my Embah – taught me to respect the food we prepared. She always said it brought soul and flavour to our dishes.”
Francis with her Embah, who taught her how to love and appreciate food. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
“Seeing her home-cooked dishes on the table meant the house was filled with love,” she added.
“My favourites were her ayam buah keluak (a dish consisting of chicken, tamarind gravy and buah keluak nuts) and her pineapple tarts and kuehs – the best I’ve ever had to this day.
“After I became a Muslim, she even replaced the ingredients of Peranakan recipes like babi buah keluak and babi guling (roast pork) to make sure they were halal.”
Francis’ deep-rooted appreciation for food shaped her approach to family life. When she became part of Haikel’s large Arab family, she wanted to bring the same childhood appreciation for food she learnt from her Embah to Ramadan and Hari Raya.
“During my first few Raya celebrations, I was still navigating life as a new Muslim,” she said. “I loved my faith so much, but the newness can be a little disorienting, so food was a lovely, familiar grounding force.”
So, in her first year celebrating Raya in 2000, Francis made it a point to find out what dishes Haikel and his family loved.
“The funny thing about Hari Raya food is that every year we talk about it, but every year, it’s always the same,” she laughed. “Sayur lodeh (vegetable stew in coconut milk), rendang, ayam masak merah (chicken in sambal) – they never change, and we love them all.”
Francis (right) with her mum-in-law (left) at a ceremony to celebrate her daughter’s birth in the early 2000s. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Seeing how Haikel was also raised on home-cooked meals lovingly prepared by his mum and late grandmother, whom she affectionately called Aunty Baba, Francis was inspired to do the same mere months into her marriage.
“Aunty Baba’s food was sacred – a whole-family favourite that many distant relatives would travel all over the country just to have,” she said.
Francis became determined to master these dishes for Hari Raya and other special occasions.
“I told Aunty Baba that I wanted to learn all her recipes. More importantly, it had to be kept a secret so I could surprise Haikel, his parents and his siblings,” she recalled.
To achieve this, she spent countless late nights and evenings while Haikel and his family were out learning from her grandmother-in-law’s ‘air tangan’ – a Malay term that roughly translates to sweat or water from the hand, to signify the hard work, love and affection that goes into home-cooked meals.
Every year without fail, Francis bakes the kuih sugee she learned how to make from her grandmother-in-law. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
About a year into her “training”, after mastering a few dishes, she finally felt confident enough to put her own spin on Aunty Baba’s recipes. She laid out a full spread on the table and let the food speak for itself.
As her family ate, they realised something was subtly different – this wasn’t Aunty Baba’s cooking. That’s when she revealed her secret project.
“I still remember how stunned they were – and how incredible it felt when they said the dishes tasted almost like hers.”
Even now, more than 20 years after Aunty Baba’s passing, Francis still occasionally makes her sambal goreng pengantin (a Malay and Indonesian spicy stir-fried dish), the fried chicken based on a secret family recipe, kuih sugee (semolina biscuits), and kuih lapis lapan (a layered cake named after its shape, which resembles the number eight).
“I don’t intend to forget,” she said.
She also plans to handwrite these family recipes to pass down to her children as heirlooms.
The kuih sugee that Francis loves to make is one of the many family recipes that she hopes to handwrite to pass down as family heirlooms. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Baking and cooking is a labour of love Francis feels proud to do for her family, especially during Hari Raya. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Cooking has also deepened her love for Haikel over the years.
“When we were dating, a few weeks before Raya, he asked me to accompany him at five or six in the morning to go out. I thought he was crazy – what’s even open that early during Ramadan?” she laughed.
“He told me to trust him, and we ended up at Onan Road buying flour, eggs, and yeast for his grandmother. He wanted to run food errands for Aunty Baba for Raya.
“My heart melted right then and there. It showed me how important family was to him and how getting the right ingredients was crucial to making food taste perfect.”
EXTENDING THE LOVE TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY
This year, her restaurant Hai Ge Ji organised donation drives and food distribution exercises to different organisations. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
For Francis, the spirit of Ramadan and Hari Raya isn’t just about family – it’s about community. She learned that her religion valued selflessness and generosity, so whatever she cherishes at home, she hopes to share with others, too.
“Growing up, I loved celebrating my birthday by giving back,” she said, recalling how she worked with girls’ homes, mosques, and orphanages to distribute food on her birthday.
“For my 40th, I spent the day at an orphanage, working with staff and volunteers to provide meals for the children.
“In the early years of our marriage, my house felt like a community centre, especially during Ramadan and Hari Raya,” she said. “It’s a big thing in my very generous extended family – both my side and my in-laws’ – to give all kinds of dishes to our neighbours, whether it’s spaghetti or lemak cili padi.”
That generosity was something she had experienced long before she married Haikel.
“Growing up as a young child in Ang Mo Kio, my neighbours would hand-feed me their food, and when I was a teen living alone in Singapore while my folks were overseas, my neighbours took care of me by cooking for me.”
Even the food stalls below her home played a role: “I practically lived on ‘downstairs hawker food’.
“I’d eat chicken rice almost every day, and the hawkers would make sure I was well-fed. It meant everything to me, and it’s why I was inspired to sell chicken rice, too.”
One of the food distribution exercises Francis organised with her restaurant, Hai Ge Ji, was for an orphanage. (Photo: Anna Belle Francis)
Having been on the receiving end of such care, she now feels a responsibility to pay it forward. “Knowing there are children without families or those struggling to afford meals, especially during Ramadan and Hari Raya, how could I not do something?”
That desire to give back has fuelled the numerous donation drives Francis and Haikel have organised over the years – first through their now-defunct burger joint, Fat Papas, which opened in 2017 and closed in 2021, and now through their chicken rice restaurant at Kampong Glam, Hai Ge Ji Hainanese Chicken Rice.
These food distribution exercises involve sending chicken rice meals to orphanages for the children to break their fast.
“Chicken rice is one of our favourite comfort foods, and we love how it brings people together,” she said. “Sharing rice, wanton dumplings, crispy chicken skin – it’s the same spirit of togetherness we feel during Hari Raya, except now, it’s something we can do all year round.”
For Francis, food is also about beautiful connections and creating meaningful moments.
“You could be fighting with your spouse or children the day before Raya, but the moment everyone sits down to eat a meal everyone loves, suddenly, all the tension melts away. That’s the power of food – it brings people back to love.”
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...