A dodol maker in Kuala Sungai Pinang has given the traditional dish a new twist with pineapple, making it a festive favourite.
Nur Aimi Razak, 34, who left her career in banking to join her siblings in the family business, said the idea came about three years ago after attending a Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (LPNM) course.
She said fresh MD2 pineapples were combined with glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and sugar to make the fruity dodol.
“The Malaysian-grown MD2 is chosen for its natural sweetness and premium quality.
“If the pineapple is too ripe, the acid content is higher and over time, the dodol will be less sweet or will be slightly sour.
“It also tastes different if we use other varieties such as Josapine or Morris,” she told Bernama.
The dodol, she said, took 10 to 12 hours to make and required careful heat control to achieve desired results.
“The heat cannot exceed 150°C. If the cooking fire is too strong, the texture will change, becoming dark and more like caramel.
“A good dodol should be golden yellow,” she said, adding that it took over a year of research and development before she deemed the product market-ready in February last year.
Nur Aimi said she could produce up to 65kg of dodol per batch using 28kg of pineapple.
She said that enzyme-based processing technology learnt from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) helped produce a softer and chewier texture.
The eldest of four siblings said Dodol Tok Bri in Penang was started by her mother Rozaidah Mohd Kasim, 59, in 2011 with help from the Agriculture Department.
The name “Tok Bri” was taken from her late grandmother, Sabri whose real name was Siti Supiah Awang, who passed away in 2020.
Initially, the family sold coconut-based products such as rendang paste, kuah kacang and dodol. When they saw the strong demand for dodol, they decided to focus solely on it.
Besides the pineapple dodol, Tok Bri also sells traditional dodol and durian dodol made with D24 and Musang King.
Production can hit 1.2 tonnes during the festive season, with pineapple dodol totalling 400kg.
The products received halal certification from the Penang Islamic Religious Council in 2023.
The company has agents nationwide and even receives orders from abroad, such as the UK, Singapore and Indonesia.
