Northern taste: Visitors flocking to Pasar Pagi Kelantan in Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur from as early as 7am, as the market sells and serves up authentic Kelantanese produce, specialty dishes and desserts, including the famous nasi dagang, ready-cooked for consumption as breakfast for some. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Every Sunday morning, the atmosphere at an area in Pantai Dalam here evokes the feel of a state 400km away, with traders chatting away in the distinctive Kelantanese Malay dialect.
Just name any Kelantan delicacy you want, and you will definitely get it at Pasar Pagi Kelantan near the Pantai Dalam Komuter station, either brought directly from the state or made fresh here.
From various delicacies like peria, tapai, ketupat and lompat tikam to fresh vegetables such as ulam-ulaman, solok lada and cucumber, the market also offers a variety of famous breakfast food like nasi berlauk and nasi dagang.
Street food lovers will get to enjoy etak salai and fish satay or popularly known as “lokcing” while browsing and shopping at the market which is open from 7am.
Etak salai seller, Hazren Hazim, 27, said the freshwater clams were brought here all the way from Kelantan by an express bus a day earlier to be processed by a friend in Shah Alam.
The site supervisor, who has been selling etak salai as a side job for a year, said the demand was so high that he is able to sell around 30kg each time, at a price of RM5 per pack.
“The majority of the buyers are Kelantanese. In less than three hours, etak in various flavours such as tomyam, lemak manis and original were sold out. Maybe it is hard to get them at other places, that’s why they were selling like hot cakes here,” he said.
Kuih seller, Latipah Jaafar, 53, who is one of the earliest traders at Pasar Pagi Kelantan, told Bernama the market has existed since the 1990s and was founded by Kelantan folks who migrated to the federal capital.
“At that time, it was difficult to find goods from Kelantan here, so some of them took the initiative to sell some products on the sidewalks like morning market traders in the state. Over time, it became popular and the number of sellers also increased. Even though we had to move several times due to development in the area, we are still known as Pasar Pagi Kelantan everywhere we go,” said Latipah, who lives near the Pantai Ria People’s Housing Project.
Another trader, Yusri Yahya, 42, said there were about 20 to 30 Kelantanese traders at the market and most of them were looking for a side income despite having permanent jobs.
“We hope this place will remain as a location for people from the east coast to find a source of income. Moreover, it has become a popular spot among the surrounding community,” he said.
