Cooking with love

their teen years in the 1990s, Nornadiatul Akmal and her two elder sisters used to grumble about having to help their mother make traditional Malay cakes, or kuihs. Their mother, Masitah Ismail ran a food stall at the Kuantan police barracks and she needed her daughters to help her with the many steps involved in kuih making.

The girls were younger then and didn’t fully understand the burden their mother shouldered.

“My sisters and I were between the ages of 10 and 14 years old when we started learning how to make traditional Malay delicacies. Emak was very particular about quality control, so everything was done from scratch. It was a tedious process and it seemed more like a chores. We were too immature to understand that we were helping Emak earn extra money to support the family,” recalls Nornadiatul.

Despite their complaints of slaving over the hot fire, Nornadiatul has fond memories of working in her mother’s kitchen. She still remembers her mother’s nagging when she accidentally burnt the caramel in the pot over the stove, and laughs at the memory of Emak chasing her older sister Norhidayah with a rolling pin for falling asleep while kneading the dough for curry puff.

“Although it was tiring, we had so much fun. My sisters and I worked well as a team, despite our usual squabbles. We also enjoyed listening to Emak’s entertaining stories of her younger days. It was a great bonding time between my mother, my sisters and I.”

Apart from needing her daughters’ help, Masitah was also determined to train her daughters to cook and bake, something she regretted not learning from her mother.

“Prior to my marriage, I was more interested in outdoor chores like gardening and planting padi rather than cooking. After settling down, I slowly learnt how to cook from my mother and aunties in the village. Back then, we couldn’t turn to Facebook or Instagram for recipes,” recalls the 60-yearold grandmother of 14, who is now living in Ipoh.

Not wanting history to repeat itself, she

ensured her daughters were exposed to cooking and baking at a young age.

“If I don’t teach my girls how to cook traditional dishes, who will? It is important for mothers to pass down our recipes as it is part of our culture and heritage,” says Masitah, who lives a stone’s throw away from Nornadiatul’s home. Her sisters Norhidayah, 34, now lives in Kuala Lumpur and Norbhaizura, 36, is based in Pantai Remis, Perak,

Masitah no longer runs a food stall. But she still takes orders for kuih from her home, as do her daughters.

Now 32 years old, Nornadiatul appreciates that she grew up learning how to make traditional kuih from her mother. Her sisters and her are now also custodians of their well-guarded recipes.

The sisters have mastered the art of making various sorts of traditional Malay cakes and cookies, much to the envy of their peers. They can whip up about 15 types of delectable delights like kuih dangai, badak berendam, kuih koci and kuih bom.

The sisters are among the declining number of youths with an interest to explore traditional Malay kuihs and its rich heritage.

Fewer people now know how to make traditional kuih like seri muka, kuih koci and bengkang, and Western fares such as cakes and waffles have become more familiar to our children and youngsters. The perception is that traditional treats are difficult and time-consuming to make.

“These days, many working mothers don’t have time to learn to make traditional cakes and cookies. They’d rather buy them from the supermarket or social media channels like Instagram and Facebook. However, these items don’t come cheap. I am grateful my mother has shared some of the families’ best kept recipes with my sisters and me. After all, this is part of my heritage,” says Nornadiatul, a kindergarten supervisor in Ipoh.

Masitah looks forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with her daughters this Sunday.

“Mother’s Day falls during Ramadan this year. I’ll most probably be busy in the kitchen finishing up orders from customers. My three daughters will be driving back to Ipoh to help me. Having them home with me during Mother’s Day is the best gift that money can’t buy.”