Feeling festive: (From left to right) Preeti, Chandrika and Vishaal sharing a light moment while making bundhi ladoo for Deepavali at their house in Jalan Kampar, Penang. — K.T.GOH/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: When Pravinabahen Manoj Kumar first started her hands in the Indian sweetmeats, it was just to help her mother-in-law in the kitchen to prepare for the festive period.
The 54-year-old housewife, fondly known as Preeti, said her mother-in-law Chandrika Taratiawala, 82, would make sweets such as Gujarati samosa, bundhi ladoo, jelebi, paal kova, gulab jamun and others.
“My mother-in-law is from Gujarat and arrived here as a bride in 1962.
“When I started helping her, we decided to sell it to friends and expatriates who wanted to try real homemade Indian sweetmeats,” said Preeti, who is also from Gujarat, India. She came to Penang in 1992.
Besides getting the recipes from her mother and Chandrika, she also got some ideas from YouTube clips to improvise the recipes.
She said a month before Deepavali, orders started pouring in not only from Penang, but also from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Melaka and even Singapore.
Preeti, who loves taking part in vegetarian food cooking competitions, won one of the top 10 spots in the Asia Vegetarian Chef Competition in Penang last year.
Preeti, who has a 30-year-old daughter and a 25-year-old son, aspires to open a shop selling the sweetmeats and snacks one day.
Her son Vishaal Manoj Kumar, who is a content creator and also in the sales line, acts as her online marketer by uploading pictures of her sweets, snacks and dishes on social media platforms.
“I thought why not help my mother promote and market her items online to boost sales and increase revenue,” he said, adding that they have seen an overwhelming response.
