Serunding maker expects to beef up business
KOTA BARU: The aroma of serunding, the popular meat floss dish, greets visitors as they step off the jetty at Kampung Laut.
Accessible by a half-hour boat ride from here, the village frequented by locals and visitors is where more than 50 serunding operators run their stalls by the banks of Sungai Kelantan.
With the general election just around the corner, the store owners are set to experience a spike in business.
One of them is Wan Asmariah Wan Muhammad.
“The orders have started to come in as we approach the election month when parties hold major programmes for the rakyat,” she said.
The forty-something prides herself on using fresh local fish, meat and chicken to preserve the authentic taste of the fare.
Wan Asmariah revealed that she learnt to cook it from her mother, using a family recipe that has been shared for three generations.
Despite the modern times, the mother-of-four said she still prefers to cook her serunding the traditional way, over a wood stove, instead of using gas or electricity.
“This makes my serunding stand out from among the competitors,” she said with a smile.
The price for her serunding has remained unchanged for the past few years, even after the Goods and Services Tax was introduced.
“To stay competitive, I can’t sim- ply up the price.
“Others are using machines to cook so I am competing with them too,” she added.
Wan Asmariah said large orders will usually pour in as the fasting month nears.
“For now I cook about 100kg a day and I can still manage alone.”
She hoped the Government would come up with a special mechanism or incentives for small business owners like her.
“I applied for loans to improve my business but did not get any.
“With the increasing cost of living, I hope to get some assistance,” she said.