Mi Loka, special taste of Adat Lingkungan dessert during Ramadan

KUALA PILAH: Mi loka may not be familiar to many but the Negeri Sembilan traditional dessert is a perennial favourite among the Adat Pepatih community, especially during Ramadan.

Mi loka is a type of Malay sweet porridge that is mixed with a type of noodle known as ‘mi siput’.

Ibu Soko (female leader) of the Seri Lemak Minangkabau Lingkungan clan, Nazariah Mohd Noh, 68, said despite not being widely known, mi loka is actually a quite popular Adat Lingkungan dish among the Adat Perpatih community in the state.

“Mi loka is a highly favoured dish here, especially among the elderly as it is very easy to prepare.

“All you need is gula enau (palm sugar), sugar, pisang nangka (banana), pandan leaves and coconut milk.

“It can also be eaten with bread or pulut (steamed glutinous rice),” she told Bernama after a cooking demonstration of traditional Adat Lingkungan desserts in Seri Menanti, here, recently.

Nazirah said mi loka is also among the muchawaited desserts during Ramadan as it is only can only be found in certain areas.

In fact, she said nowadays, the Negeri Sembilan heritage dish could hardly be found in many local restaurants or food markets, making it less popular among the people, especially the youngsters.

Nazirah, who acquired the skill of making mi loka from her mother hoped that the younger generation would learn to cook the traditional dish, to ensure it does not go ‘extinct’,

Another sought-after traditional Adat Lingkungan dessert during the fasting month is kuih sopang, which is made of glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, gula enau and freshly grated coconut.

Housewife, Limah Ali, 73, of the Tanah Datar Lingkungan clan said many have mistakenly equated kuih sopang with badak berendam as the two dishes share some similarities.

“They are actually different, badak berendam is round in shape, while kuih sopang is shaped like a karipap.

“Kuih sopang is also served with thick coconut milk gravy and only takes an hour to cook,” she said.

Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan Museum Board director Dr Shamsuddin Ahmad said the cooking demonstration was aimed at introducing iftar dishes that represent every Adat Lingkungan clan.

It is also to revive the tradition of exchanging food, especially kuih that are made by ibu soko with neighbours, during the month of Ramadan, he said.

“We invited experts like ibu soko who has the skills and knowledge in making Adat Lingkungan traditional desserts such as puteri mandi, kelepung gula enau, kuih sopang, kuih koci and mi loka to do a cooking demonstration,” Shamsuddin said.