'Pulut kucai' could be potential tourism product for Visit Perlis year

KANGAR - ‘Wajik’ is a sweet glutinous rice delicacy that is served at every festival and wedding in the country, but in Perlis, the same delicacy is known as ‘pulut kucai’ which is believed to have the potential to draw tourists to the state.

In the southern peninsula, people call the delicacy ‘wajik’, while in the northern peninsula, it is called ‘pulut kucai’ or ‘pulut kacau’

Traditional kueh entrepreneur, Roshamiza Meli, 39, from Kampung Behor Gonchar uses palm sugar to make her special version of ‘pulut kucai’ and believes it has the potential to be a tourism product for the Visit Perlis Year 2024- 2025.

Speaking to Bernama, Roshamiza, who is fondly known as Kak Chik, said her glutinous rice delicacy and ‘dodol’ are different in terms of their soft texture and taste because she uses nipah sugar instead of white sugar to enhance the aroma.

She said the people of Perlis know it as ‘pulut kucai’ thus she intends to maintain the name so that people know it is made by a native of the state, adding that she would also ensure sufficient palm sugar supply which is a challenge to source because not many people make it nowadays.

She said she is currently in the process of applying for MeSTI and Halal certification to be able to export the products.

"The process of making ‘pulut kucai’ involves soaking the glutinous rice for four to five hours first, then steaming it on banana leaves for two hours. Then a mix of brown sugar, gula melaka, and palm sugar are added to the steamed rice and stirred continuously for 40 minutes,” she said, adding that a packet of 350 grammes costs RM15.

She said it is not only a favourite with locals but also received encouraging responses from foreign buyers from Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore at the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro Tourism Exhibition (MAHA) in which she participated in Serdang, Selangor last year.

"Before 2018 I was just selling it on a small scale. However, my business grew from 2018 onwards with the guidance of MADA (Young Agricultural Development Board) which also helped me participate in MAHA,” said Kak Chik.

She said she has agents to expand the sales of her products in Perlis, Kedah, and Kuala Lumpur.

Kak Chik said in addition to MADA, several other agencies such as the Perlis Social Welfare Department, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, and the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council provided her with assistance as well. - BERNAMA