KUALA KANGSAR: Twenty-eight-year-old Muhammad Ahsan Hanafi Khairisazizi's desire for the younger generation to always remember and savour the delights of traditional Perak food has led to him including penjan ubi kayu (a traditional dessert made from tapioca) to the menu of his Mat Rezeki Cafe & Bistro restaurant six years ago.
The Kuala Kangsar-born assistant restaurant manager even added his very own twist to it by adding caramel to replace the white or brown sugar used in producing the tapioca-based traditional serving.
"It was our intention to produce penjan ubi kayu using caramel to give it a difference and breathe new life into this traditional dessert and, at the same time, pull in the customers.
"In terms of taste, the use of caramel produces a sweet taste that is lighter, creamier, more fragrant and delicious compared to using white or brown sugar," he said when met by Bernama at the restaurant recently.
He said the process of making the dessert is also not too complicated compared to other traditional food and it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to prepare.
"After the tapioca is boiled until soft, it is mixed with the caramel liquid and mixed with pandan leaves to enhance the smell until it blends… all the time using medium heat," he said.
In terms of demand, Muhammad Ahsan said his restaurant sells the dessert at RM5 per bowl and it is enjoyed by people from all walks of life and different backgrounds.
"We can sell about 500 bowls of this dessert a week. Demand for this desert usually spikes during weekends and public holidays.
"We also have a regular Indian customer who usually comes to our restaurant twice or three times a week. Each time he is here, he will surely ask for the penjan ubi," he said.
He said the penjan ubi also received a lot of outside orders, especially from customers around Ipoh and Taiping.
"They order the dessert mainly to be served during thanksgiving and wedding receptions. Some also order it for their workplace celebrations," he said.
In addition to the caramel-flavoured penjan ubi kayu, the eldest of four siblings explained that the restaurant also offered different sets of boiled tapioca desserts.
He added that customers could choose whether they want to taste it with a touch of anchovy or sardine sauce or the beef or mutton curry.
"Usually, the boiled tapioca is dipped into sugar or dried fish (sauce) but here we present it a little differently by giving a choice of either anchovy or sardine sauce or beef or mutton curry.
"Each set is priced at RM5, except the one with mutton curry is RM6. This is one of the traditional desserts that we have given a new twist to," he said.
Asked about the feedback from customers, he said many liked the desserts, with some describing them as evoking nostalgia.
"Some of our customers said that when they tasted the desserts, it reminded them of their childhood days when it was their family's main dish when times were hard," he said. --BERNAMA