Keeping Our Malay Kuih

The heritage of making Malay traditional kuih during festive seasons may make way for convenient alternatives.

One night on Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year, my father wanted to visit his old friend but my mother and I were not agreeable. Both of my younger siblings
also expressed their desire to go home.

“Tak payah lah pergi. Bukan kita kenal sangat pun,” I remembered myself saying in the car. Because my father already had made the call to inform his friend, there was no choice but to drop by his house for a short visit.

As expected, we sat quietly with our polite facial expressions and kept looking at one another, as if time would pass faster that way. Only my father and
his friend were reminiscing about their memories together while his friend’s wife was serving other guests.

The only thing that we could do to entertain ourselves was to try out the spread of kuih with a myriad of colours that were served on the table. It was not
long before we realised we could not stop eating the kuih.

Unsurprisingly, the first question in my head was “Did she make the kuih or……?”

We could not resist asking if his wife made all the kuih and I was expecting her to disappoint us by saying that they were actually ‘kuih tunjuk’. But she did not disappoint.

When asked if she could share her recipes, she took out an old-looking notebook filled with numbers and scribbles, put on her spectacles and said to me, “Ok, I give you pen and paper. You write down what I say.”

We connected well over the kuih she made considering that we did not know her at all. So instead of a 10-minute visit that we made our father promise us, it became an hour long. On the ride back, I remembered my younger sister saying, “His wife is so kind. It’s such a nice surprise that she is willing to share her recipes with us although we are practically strangers. If not for her delicious kuih that she makes herself, there’s probably nothing to talk about.” Well, there were no handsome boys to mingle with after all, I added silently after her.

Malay  kuih  not  only  has  the  potential  of  fostering  ties  between  friends,  families  and neighbours, but can also connect people meeting each other for the first time. “Did you make this kuih?” is a question not uncommon during Hari Raya celebrations.  More often than not, you would hear them answer ‘kuih tunjuk’—kuih that people buy and not make. Because when you buy, you point (tunjuk) to what you want. If many Malay families resort to buying kuih  for  Hari  Raya,  does  it  spell  the  declining  of  the  skill  of  kuih-making  in  Malay households and the weakening of Malay familial relationships?

Supporting the kuih-making industry

I set out to interview Chef Siti Mastura Alwi. She has hosted baking show Vanilla for three seasons on the national Malay television channel Suria, conducts classes at her own baking

school for those who want to learn how to make different types of kuih and has been invited twice as a guest judge at Masterchef Malaysia. It would be interesting to hear what she has to say, I thought. Not only does she make kuih for her own family, she also makes kuih to be sold to her regular customers.

Chef Siti Mastura Alwi for one does not feel that buying kuih during the festive seasons would lead to such negative scenarios— much less the Malay community ‘lose’ its heritage food. She makes a small case for how familial ties may be weakening as not many families are making kuih together during the fasting month. “When you make kuih with your family, you have the opportunity to congregate with siblings, in-laws and cousins,” she said. “The kuih you make together can then be divided among your family members to be served during Hari Raya.”

However, the prevalence of ‘kuih tunjuk’ is not totally undesirable. From a seller’s point of view, she asserts that it has its benefits. When people buy kuih, they are supporting not only those established kuih-selling shops but also small kuih businesses and entrepreneurs who are

vying for a space in the kuih-making industry. Chef Siti adds, “Personally for me, I’m hoping that by buying kuih, we can help those single mothers to have a better life out there.”

At this point, I agree with her but I am still not convinced. So what if the Malay kuih-making industry prospers? It can ensure that the Malay community will not ‘lose’ its food. However, it also means that kuih-making activity in Malay households declines and yet the Malay kuih- making industry prospers and that the recipes only circulate among those who have a craft in making kuih and procured high stake in the kuih-making industry. The culture of buying will still overpower the culture of making. Right?

Buying kuih due to time constraints

Meanwhile Chef Siti presents a more nuanced picture. Looking from a consumer’s point of view, such ‘kuih tunjuk’ is prevalent because of the difficulty in making these kuih and having little passion to bake. More importantly, time is of the essence.

The number of women working in Singapore has increased. This should be understood in the context of Singapore’s shrinking population and the government’s strong urge for women to take up jobs in order to promote economic growth. In 2001, women made up 40.7% of the labour force but in 2011, they constituted 43.4% of it. Hence, there was a substantial 2.7% increase of female participation in the labour force over the decade.

The strong employment performance of women reflects the improvement in their educational profile as higher educated women are more likely to embark on their desired career paths. Moreover, the higher cost of living plays a part in encouraging more women to work to assist

their husbands who are traditionally the sole breadwinners. This is shown from the figure for consumer price index (CPI) which stood at 88.4 in 2001 and increased to 108.2 in 2011 thus reflecting a 22% increase in the cost of living of Singapore.By  having  ‘kuih  tunjuk’,  the  consumers  can  get  what  they  want.  They then  might  be motivated to find out the recipes and try making the delicious kuih themselves when they are satisfied with the products. This is where Chef Siti’s baking lessons come in useful – not only by helping people who want to get additional income through selling kuih but also teaching people how to make kuih that they want to serve other people. In looking at the phenomenon of ‘kuih tunjuk’, it is relevant to see how the taste and preference of the Malay community has changed over the years.

Due to higher purchasing power, people are now more conscious of the quality and taste of the kuih that they buy. “Don’t be surprised if you taste kuih from Simpang Renggam or Johor and discover that they taste nicer than the kuih sold here. It’s because the ingredients used there are fresh and less of the processed ones,” commented Chef Siti. She added, “It is important for consumers to get a sample of the kuih to ensure that the purchases are up to their standards.”

I have to admit that kuih from Johor are not only cheap but delicious. I remember my grandfather’s sister-in-law “promoting” the kuih she bought there to my mother. “Nor cuba kuih ni. Sedap. Cik beli dekat Simpang Renggam. Murah dan boleh tahan rasa dia,” she said.

Cheap price does not determine lack of quality or taste. People now are more open-minded towards  serving  different  types  of  kuih  such  as  biscotti  or  cheesecake.  What is  more

important is to be selective of the kuih that they want to buy and be sure of the net savings that can be obtained from ‘kuih tunjuk’.

Riding on the evolution of Malay kuih

Similar to clothes and shoes, kuih also go through the ‘highs and lows of fashion’. In the

90’s, London almond biscuits were popular during Hari Raya but now they are forgotten. Indeed, the must-haves are kuih tart, kuih makmur and kuih suji. And now, we can see more and more Malay households serving ‘modern’ desserts such as cheesecake, brownie and crème brulee. Won’t the emergence of these kuih threaten our kuih tart, makmur and suji?

Chef Siti shares how kuih too needs to adopt some new features to adapt in this ever- changing world. For example, you can have cheese tarts but these tarts still have pineapple fillings. The ‘core’ of Malay evergreen kuih tart remains the same but only the ‘base’ changes to suit the taste and preference of different people. Taste is important in maintaining the popularity of the kuih. If taste is not given attention, the kuih will die out slowly.

Preserving our kuih heritage

When certain kuih such as kuih baulu, batang buruk and wajik are no longer popular in Malay households during Hari Raya, then they are seen as part of our heritage. We reminisce, talk and read about these kuih but the recipes merely remain in books or magazines. And it remains that way—don’t people want to make such kuih anymore?

In the book ‘Malay Heritage Cooking’, it contains researcher Rita Zahara’s family recipes that have been passed down from one generation to another. Although her book is not about kuih per se, there is still much to know and learn from it.

When people get their hands on her book, they read the inspiring stories and look at the recipes. They then try preparing both the Malay kuih and dishes for Hari Raya (and of course, any other special occasions) to be served to their guests. And it is ok to choose simple recipes Rita shares—though what is more important is that when you meet your friends and family, you want to entertain them as best as you can for this once a year celebration.“One way is through preparing good food,” Rita said. “It is the hard work that you put in behind each and every stage of preparing that good food that counts.” What about ‘kuih tunjuk’ then?

“Yes, people buy kuih instead of making them because it’s convenient, cheap and they have not enough time to make the kuih for Hari Raya,” she responded. I nodded my head in agreement and could not help feeling impressed when she continued with this: “But look at me, I have two media companies and two children to manage,” she said. “I am a very busy person but I still make time to bake kuih. During Hari Raya, I have 35 types of kuih on the