Malay "kuih bakul" maker wants to have own factory

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malay maker of "Kuih bakul" or 'Nian Gao' in Kampung Bukit Kuang, Kemanan, is hoping to expand her business by opening a factory to produce this delicacy, a type of glutinous rice cake which is a must for the Chinese community during the Chinese New Year celebration.
Wheelchair bound, Haziqah Nurul Huda Harun, 20, or "Yaya" as she is popularly known, never allows her physical disability to be a hindrance, with orders for her "Kuih Bakul" coming from all parts of the world.
She said she received orders for between 15,000 and 20,000 pieces of "kuih bakul" a week for delivery to Singapore, Russia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, China, Australia, Brunei, India, Thailand and also South Korea.
"Alhamdulillah (Praise to Allah) , I'm able to earn more now, before, I received orders for between 2,000 and 4,000 pieces of kuih bakul a week, and now, the order can reach up to 20,000 pieces a week.
"InsyaAllah (God willing), I want to open a small factory, hopefully within the next two years, and also have distributors for my kuih bakul, thus creating employment for others," she said when contacted by Bernama.

Yaya also produced "kuih bulan" or moon cake, with 29 flavours in all, which she said was gaining popularity and there were also orders from abroad.
"For September alone, about 20,000 to 30,000 of the moon cakes will be flown to Singapore for the moon cake festival, " she said, adding that to maintain the quality of her products, they are packed in airtight plastic bags and special boxes.
Despite having to process up to 2,000 kilogramme of glutinous rice flour for making of the kuih bakul, and more than 100 kilogramme of wheat flour for the moon cake a month, Yaya said it was done manually with the help of her mother and sister.
Haziqah Nurul Huda, who became paralyse following a high fever four years ago, said she learned the techniques of making "kuih bakul" from a Chinese national Facebook friend who is from Beijing. — Bernama