KUANTAN: With Chinese New Year just around the corner, the demand for nian gao or kuih bakul, a sweet, sticky glutinous rice cake, continues to grow as it is one of the must-have delicacies for an auspicious celebration.
Cashing in on the demand for this traditional sweet treat, Wong Kok Fui, 60, and his wife Lai Yoke Lian, 53, have been toiling long hours in the kitchen to make this Chinese dessert.
Although the process is quite tedious including cooking the cake at high heat in a hot wok, but the couple are not complaining as it has been their routine, when Chinese New Year rolls around, for the past 10 years.
The couple start their day as early as 5.30am and they prefer the traditional method – firewood stoves to steam the glutinous rice flour, in order to obtain the best flavour and aroma.
Lai described it as a hard and laborious work, since it requires a lot of patience as the cake has to be steamed for over 14 hours.
"The glutinous rice flour is the main ingredient and I believe using the traditional method will help preserve the taste and quality of the cake.
"As part of the preparations for the cake, every year we will prepare 10kg of glutinous rice flour and 12kg of sugar before the sticky dough mixture is steamed in a giant wok," she said when met here today.
Lai said once they are cooked, the cakes are taken out and left to harden in containers of various sizes before it is sold between RM6 and RM16, according to the size of the container.
She said once the cakes were packed, her husband will send them to the Sungai Lembing market or deliver them to customers who have placed orders.
Lai said although there were a variety of cakes, cookies and pastries in demand during Chinese New Year but Nian Gao remains a constant, especially among the Tionghua community.
"I have no plans to quit and will continue to prepare the cakes every year. Although my husband and I get very little sleep during this time, it is worth the effort especially when our customers compliment us."