Malaysians Abroad Can't Get Enough Of This Woman's 'Ketupat Bachok'
Ketupat living the life.
By Selena Chua — 14 Aug 2019, 06:03 PM
'Ketupat Bachok' is making headlines all over the world as Malaysians abroad are ordering them to be sent to the UK, New Zealand, and even Egypt
'Ketupat Bachok' is a fried version of ketupat palas - a traditional delicacy made from glutinous rice packed inside a diamond-shaped pouch made from fan palm leaves.
With almost 20 years of experience in ketupat making under her belt, Salmiah Ismail has been receiving plenty of orders, especially during the festive season
"More than 5,000 pieces were ordered during the Aidilfitri and almost 3,000 for the recent Aidiladha celebrations," the 43-year-old told Bernama.
"Just yesterday, a couple placed special orders for their children living in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Egypt."
To keep up with demand, Salmiah's husband often helps her with the long process
47-year-old Mohd Faris Ab Rahman helps her with 'mixing' the steamed glutinous rice with coconut milk and sugar, which requires a great deal of energy.
The rice must also be steamed multiple times, for about an hour each time.
After the rice mixture is cooled and filled in daun palas casings, they are deep fried for five to 10 minutes.
Even though her ketupat are ordered in large quantities, Salmiah ensures that her food is softer and more delicious than those found in markets
This is because her ketupat are larger in size, do not go easily stale, and can be frozen.
Her ketupat are also cheaper than those sold in markets as she charges between RM1 and RM1.30 per piece, whereas it is usually sold for RM1.60 elsewhere.
Interestingly, ketupat is distinguished as male or female depending on its shape. "Our specialty is to wrap the female version which looks neat, unlike the male version which is easily available in the market," she told Bernama.
