Kuih bakul or 'nian gao', especially the traditionally made ones, are in high demand during the Chinese New Year.
A 53-year-old housewife, Lee Li Yong, who lives in Jalan Tun Sardon, said she inherited the traditional method of making kuih bakul from her grandmother.
The rice cake represents prosperity, as the words 'nian gao' sound like 'getting higher year on year'.
"I started learning to make it when I was in primary school by wrapping banana leaves on a cylindrical tin, and after almost 10 years, I was allowed to handle every process to make the sweet and sticky glutinous rice cakes," she said.
Lee said she had been making kuih bakul for more than 30 years and demand is particularly high during Chinese New Year.
She added that her family used to make flour from scratch by grinding the glutinous rice by hand, which was the most difficult process in making kuih bakul.
"That is why I have decided to buy a machine to make it easier to make more kuih bakul to sell," she said.
But Lee said most of the process of making kuih bakul was still traditional, such as using firewood for slow cooking and steaming up to 14 hours as well as using banana leaves to wrap the cakes.
"It is a long and slow process, but we want to keep the original taste so that everyone can enjoy the kuih bakul as prepared by the last three generations," she said.
Lee said she was assisted by her family members who made 400 various sizes of kuih bakul daily to be sold between RM4 and RM10 to customers.
Meanwhile, in Padang Besar, Perlis, fond memories of helping his late mother in the kitchen to bake kuih bakul had motivated Chaing Chai, 66, to continue the tradition of making this traditional delicacy.
"For me, Chinese New Year celebration is not complete without kuih bakul, which is a must-have every year.
"I still remember sharing kuih bakul with my Malay friends as a child, and they shared their special rendang and ketupat dishes with me," he said.
Chaing said making kuih bakul required patience, as the process of steaming the cake took 10 to 12 hours.
"The perfectly cooked kuih bakul can be stored for a long time, almost two years, and does not spoil quickly.
"To preserve the aroma and fragrance, the kuih bakul must be cooked with firewood," he said. --Bernama