Tepung suji: An increasingly forgotten traditional dessert
The sweet smell of pandan (pandanus) leaves, coupled with the delicious, creamy taste of this traditional kuih known as ‘tepung suji’, is a popular dessert among the people of Pekan district in Pahang.
However, due to its tedious preparation method, tepung suji is seen to be too time-consuming to make, as it requires the right technique, and the delicacy – often used as a dessert at weddings in the past – is seen to be increasingly forgotten and less known among the current generation.
In a bid to ensure that tepung suji does not disappear, two friends in Pekan took the initiative to promote the delicacy to the community by participating in cooking competitions and taking orders.
Sharing their story, Siti Baizura Shk Husin, 49, said she and her friend Noor Farahida Ifdal, 34, coincidentally have in their possession a similar recipe of tepung suji, kept by their mothers in their respective recipe books.
“If you search for the recipe of this ‘kuih’ (cakes) on social media, it is quite difficult to find. Many people do not know and don’t even bother to try to make one, but we are both interested in trying this recipe, and once people know that we can make it, they are welcome to order it from us.
“Noor Farahida will prepare tepung suji, and I sometimes get involved in decorating or shaping it to make it more attractive,” she said when met by Bernama at the ‘Karnival Rakyat Pahang’ here yesterday, which saw them both secure second place in the Dessert Preparation competition.
Mother-of-four Siti Baizura said when this tepung suji was displayed at the competition, many people asked about it, which indirectly helped them recognise the traditional dessert.
Meanwhile, Noor Farahida said that the way to cook tepung suji is using five ingredients – ‘suji’ flour, granulated sugar, eggs, coconut milk and pandan leaves – and requires the right technique and patience.
“I blend ingredients such as sugar, eggs, coconut milk and pandan water first, then add suji flour little by little and cook on medium heat, these ingredients need to be constantly stirred so that they don’t lump, sometimes it takes up to half an hour.
“The ingredients must use fresh coconut milk, not those sold in a box, and must use pandan leaves instead of artificial colouring to make it last longer... many people I shared the recipe with, but it didn’t work, because they didn’t follow the ingredients and methods correctly,” she said.
The mother of three said tepung suji, sold for RM70 per kilogramme, is suitable as gifts and souvenirs for various occasions and events.
“In the old days, this tepung suji was rolled and stuck together with ‘bunga telur’, but now we have innovated it into various shapes according to the suitability and requests of customers.
“We hope that this dessert would become more known after this and become the choice of the public as their favourite,” she said.