Penganan Gula Enau pride of three generations

KUALA LUMPUR: Dodol, or better known as penganan by the Negri Sembilan community is a Hari Raya staple food, often served to family members, friends and guests.

Making the chewy and caramel-like sweet Malay traditional treat requires strength, consistency and a high degree of patience. It is no easy task as it requires meticulous and rigorous methods, and takes five to seven hours to cook.

Furthermore, the cooking process needs a special skill in controlling the heat, using a stirring and manual mixing technique and is cooked using a huge wok. It is traditionally cooked over firewood that will produce a special smoky aroma that creates a nostalgic and distinct flavour of dodol.

GOTONG ROYONG

For Negri Sembilan folks, dodol making is a family gotong-royong activity, with proper planning ahead to ensure that every member has a task at hand.

Some family members will prepare the ingredients, starting with old coconuts and santan in large quantities. Other ingredients include glutinous rice and a 'secret recipe' of refined sugar together with gula enau (palm sugar) which sets Negri Sembilan's dodol apart from others with its unique aroma.

Back in the old kampung days, 'sahur' was a hive of activity with family members using the coconut grinder to grind white coconut kernel pieces into coconut flakes. The flakes are then squeezed to obtain coconut milk. Once ready, those in charge will prepare the fire. After Subuh prayers, a huge steel wok is placed over firewood before all ingredients are tossed inside.

Beginning with a watery texture, the mixture has to be gently and continuously stirred until thickened. The process of stirring the mixture to get the dodol to just the right consistency is a test of patience for the 'stirrer' who would pass the baton to another, amid the blazing sun and burning firewood.

FAMILY HERITAGE

Dodol, the nostalgic and evergreen Malay traditional delicacy, has been listed as one of the endangered heritage foods in Malaysia.

Preserving the all-time favourite during Hari Raya is part of sustaining the Malaysian culture.

Determined to preserve the traditional menu from losing its "lustre", Nor Akmar Atan, affectionately known as Kema, 36, decided that the best way was to continue the legacy of dodol-making inherited from her grandmother or Wan.

"I was born and bred in Negri Sembilan and and grew up in Kampung Keru, Batu Kikir, Jempol. I studied Sotware Engineering at UniKL and underwent practical training for four months in South Korea.

"Before this, I was working in the automotive sector for seven years and later decided to quit my job in 2021 for a short break to take care of my parents, Mariam Duaji, 71, and father, Atan Wahab, 74, as I am the youngest among six siblings. I started to focus on making penganan then.

"I used to help my mother stir the dodol since I was 17 years old. Then, it was more of being forced to help as among us, only my fifth brother and I were skilled at stirring the dodol.

"But when my brother had other commitments, it was my duty to help my mother. Every raya or whenever we received orders, I would give my mother a hand," she shared.

"During my final year at UniKL I already owned a car and was selling dodol to pay for my monthly car instalments. I started selling penganan to my office colleagues and close friends," she told Bernama recently.

Kema said she gained satisfaction from selling penganan that transcends three generations labelled 'Kema Jual Dodol', and what kept her going was the positive feedback from customers, with remarks such as "this dodol tastes like my grandmother's cooking" and "this dodol tastes like the good old days".

"I believe this penganan has its own fans and is marketable. My late Wan cooked the penganan for the family and neighbours.

"Every time she started stirring, children from our kampung would gather at Wan's house to eat the penganan," she said, adding that her recipe was slightly modified to get the best taste and texture.

DODOL MAKING PROCESS

Sharing insights into the process of making the family's penganan at her parents' house in Kampung Keru, Kema said she used gula enau and the penganan is wrapped with leaves to impart a sweet aroma. This also makes the penganan tastier and creamier.

According to Kema, one huge wok ('kawah') can produce 15 kg or 30 containers, and each container is sold at RM17.

Her hard work has paid off as she earns a profit of about RM4,000 monthly from the sales of penganan.

"It takes at least four hours to cook the penganan and needs continuous, non-stop stirring. Once you stop, it is feared that the mixture may get burnt due to the high sugar content. So far, my husband is helping me out together with an assistant.

"Demand for penganan would usually increase three fold during festive seasons and our customers are from across Malaysia including Sabah dan Sarawak. For those orders which we can't deliver, the orders will be sent through the postal service.

"To date, delivery is only limited within Malaysia as penganan is non-durable as we do not use food preservatives to retain its original taste," she said, adding that, delivery services are provided for customers in Negri Sembilan and Klang Valley, depending on the distance and quantity.

COMMERCIALISING THE DODOL

Kema's penganan can last for 10 days without becoming mouldy, and it can last for two months in an airtight container in the fridge.

So far, one type of dodol is produced that is the original dodol flavour or what is known as 'penganan gula enau.'

"I don't produce other flavours such as durian, etc. But we usually receive requests for moist penganan, that is penganan which has not been thickened. We produce penganan based on demand and hence our customers will receive new penganan that has been cooked for a day or two.

"Previously, I used to cook thrice a week, but have now reduced it to during the weekends as I have just returned to work in the automotive field, with penganan as my alternative job," she said, adding that she also received orders for wedding events, etc.

Among the challenges, Kema said logistics and delivery issues especially to Sabah and Sarawak, given the longer delivery time needed to these states, could affect the quality of penganan received by customers.

"I harboured a dream to commercialise my family's penganan gula enau to bigger markets starting from my own village. I also want to help children from this village get job opportunities," she said.