Going Into Business With Ketupat, Lemang and Rendang

Kith and kin of Hamdar Bagindourus have been recruited to help with her ketupat and rendang business this festive season.

HARI Raya is just a few days away and no one is more pleased about this than six-year-old Uswatul Hasanah.

The little charmer is planning to turn heads in her new baju raya, a blue baju kurung, while mum Haslina Mihad, 28, has set aside a stockpile of sparklers for Uswatul to share with her cousins.

The force behind the business: Grandma Hamdar was the one who got the ball rolling.

Another thing to look forward to will be her grandmother’s ketupat. Not that Uswatul will not be partaking in her fair share of ketupat, lemang and rendang, her family has been in the business of making them for the past six years.

Of course, it’s all thanks to her grandmother, Hamdar Bagindourus, 72.

The formidable family martriach, who is of Minang descent, had bandied the idea of going into business just so that the “young people” (meaning her 15 grandchildren) will gain something out of the experience.

Nimble fingers: The making of a ketupat case.

“There is not much prospect for extra income if one remains in the employment of others,” said Hamdar.

She roped in the whole family for an enterprise comprising solely of lemang, ketupat, rendang and good faith.

Her son, Bujang Abdul Malik, 45, is tasked with sourcing for coconut fronds to be used in the weaving of ketupat cases, plus the bamboo for the lemang. Bujang remembers the early days as “adventurous”.

Perhaps it had something to do with coming across a python during one of his sojourns into the jungle. These days, he buys all the peripherals at the wholesale market in Ampang. Much easier and certainly safer.

Offroad adventure: Bujang used to cut off the fronds from coconut trees for making ketupat himself. Now he buys them from the wholesale market.

As for her nephew (Haslina’s husband), Hamdar made him chief cook and for at least 15 days before Hari Raya, Mohd Aidil M. Nasir, 32, will oversee the cooking of lemang at their two stalls located along a stretch of road leading to Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

The stalls are open 24 hours and a rotational shift will see no less than three staff manning each stall round-the-clock.

Now you know why lemang vendors bring along a sofa with pillows and a guitar to work. It’s to relieve stress.

“This is indeed a time for teamwork. Minding shop for such long hours is no joke but being surrounded by family members makes it bearable,” said Haslina.

Hamdar’s “anak buah” (godson), a bodybuilder who prefers to remain anonymous, takes care of security, travelling back and forth between the two stalls on his motorbike to ensure that everyone is safe as the cash may attract robbers.

The ketupat weaving, however, remains a home concern. Men, well the most of them, aren’t very good at it so Hamdar and the rest of the womenfolk team up for this job.

This year, Haslina, who heads the sales team, revealed that they will be targeting no less than RM5,000 in ketupat sales alone.

Considering that Hamdar has pegged the price of one ketupat at 30 sen, they will be looking at a production of 16,667 ketupat cases. For their own consumption, another 200 cases will be needed.

“That’s not a lot actually, because everything finishes on the first day itself,” shrugged Haslina.

Perhaps Hamdar has a folklore to share about the ketupat?

“Honestly, I don’t know the roots of this rice cake. All I know is, come Raya, if it’s not on the table, it isn’t Raya at all,” she said.

But in all probability, to her searfaring ancestors, the ketupat may have been likened to todays’ version of canned food.

Due to its long cooking time which can take anywhere between three and six hours, the compressed rice within the case can keep without spoiling during long sea voyages.

The coconut leaves, in addition to keeping flies and other insects at bay, also facilitated the escape of moisture and kept the rice aerated.

Hamdar’s abode in Kampung Dato’ Keramat is a hive of activity this time of the year.

The aroma of beef rendang permeates the air and smoke from burning coconut husks underneath the large pot necessitates the quick flinging open of windows.

In a day, no less than 10kgs of beef will go into the pot. Rendang and ketupat. They are inseparable.

Hamdar’s current idea is to convince the retail team to cook the rendang at the stalls. “But feedback from the young people was that it would be too bothersome. Still, I think it’s a grand idea,” insisted Hamdar.

Meanwhile, Uswatul has been a keen observer of her grandmother’s business.

She has also overheard a conversation among the womenfolk that there will be duit raya from Gran. Discussing plans for the big day has become a habit for the womenfolk during the ketupat weaving sessions, not to mention the generous exchange of gossip.

Of course, her mum would rightly chase her out of the room when something juicy is mentioned because little girls are known for their big ears and their big mouths.

Uswatul is a good girl and does not sulk or disobey her mummy when this happens. Afterall, she has her “abah’ to run to and there are no guesses as to how he will put a smile on her face.

With a plate of ketupat, of course.

To order ketupat, lemang and rendang from Grandma Hamdar, call 016-6826103.