‘Kuih tepung suji’, an increasingly forgotten traditional dessert

Siti Baizura (right) and Noor Farahida showing off kuih tepung suji they prepared for a competition at Pahang People’s Carnival 2024. — Bernama

THE sweet smell of pandan (pandanus) leaves, coupled with its delicious creamy taste, kuih tepung suji is a popular dessert among the people of Pekan district in Pahang.

However, because of its tedious preparation method, the traditional dessert is considered too time-consuming to make, and the delicacy which is often served as a dessert at weddings in the past, is increasingly becoming less known among the young generation.

To ensure that kuih tepung suji does not disappear, two friends in Pekan took the initiative to promote the delicacy by participating in cooking competitions and accepting orders for the kuih.

Siti Baizura Sheikh Husin, 49, said she and her friend, Noor Farahida Ifdal, 34, coincidentally had in their possession similar recipes of kuih tepung suji, kept by their mothers in their respective recipe books.

“If you search online for the recipe of this kuih, it is quite difficult to find.

“Many people do not know and don’t even bother trying to make it, but we are both interested in trying this recipe, and once people know that we can make it, they order from us.

“Noor Farahida will prepare the tepung suji, and I sometimes get involved in decorating or shaping it to make it more attractive,” she said at the Pahang People’s Carnival, which saw them secure second place in the Dessert Preparation competition, reported Bernama.

Siti Baizura, a mother of four, said when this kuih tepung suji was displayed at the competition, many people asked about it, thus bringing attention to the traditional dessert.

Noor Farahida said the dessert was made from semolina, sugar, eggs, coconut milk and pandan leaves, and cooking it required the right technique and patience.

“I blend ingredients such as sugar, eggs, coconut milk and pandan water first before adding semolina little by little, and cook on medium heat.

“These ingredients need to be constantly stirred so that they don’t clump; sometimes it takes up to half an hour,” she said.

Noor Farahida said fresh coconut milk must be used, not the ones sold in cartons, and pandan leaves instead of artificial colouring would make it last longer.

Many people with whom she shared the recipe didn’t follow the instructions correctly, and thus didn’t produce the kuih they wanted, she said.

The mother-of-three said kuih tepung suji was priced at RM70 per kilogramme and was suitable as gifts.

“In the old days, the kuih was rolled and stuck together with bunga telur, but now we have innovated it into various shapes according to the suitability and request of customers.

“We hope that this dessert will become better known after this,” she said.