KUALA KRAI: Age is not a barrier for a 74-year-old septuagenarian to continue with her family's tradition of making kuih bakul or the traditional Chinese delicacy called 'Nian Gao'.
Lee Le Kim said she has been making Nian Gao for more than 20 years at her home in Jalan Chin Hwa, here.
She said her traditionally made kuih bakul is in high demand during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
"For this year, l have received about 10,000 orders for my kuih bakul. I started to receive the orders end of last month.
"In two weeks, l managed to complete the orders with the last 500 kuih bakul made on Monday," said the mother of three.
When met by reporters at her home yesterday, Lee said she learnt the traditional method of making kuih bakul, which carries the symbol of luck and prosperity for the festival, from her late grandmother who had been making it for many years.
Lee said most of the process of making kuih bakul is still traditional, such as using firewood for the slow cooking and steaming process which can take up to 13 hours.
"My workers use a machine to mix glutinous flour with sugar to make their work more easier and to make more kuih bakul.
"We will use banana leaves to wrap the cakes. This is a long process but we want to keep its original taste," she added.
Lee said she was assisted by eight workers including four Malay workers who made 70kg of kuih bakul daily.
"Last year, the kuih bakul was priced between RM13 or RM14 per kg but this year, l have to increase the price to RM17 per kg," she said.
She added her customers were normally retailers and individuals including those who lived outside the state.
"My kuih bakul is also sold on social media like Facebook.
"For me, the Chinese New Year celebration is not complete without kuih bakul, which is a must-have every year," she said.