Pulut Udang King a hit in Kuala Kangsar

Size does matter: Cik La showing the giant delicacy she has been selling for 10 years at her stall in Padang Rengas, Kuala Kangsar. — Bernama

KUALA KANGSAR: For the last decade, Salasiah Osman has been producing oversized pulut udang, or glutinous rice with a spicy sambal filling, known as “Pulut Udang King”, creating a distinctive appeal for customers.

Fondly known as Cik La, the 64-year-old trader said her customers are often amazed by the “extraordinary” size of her pulut udang.

“Customers are amazed by the size of the pulut udang rice I sell, because unlike the usual finger-length pulut udang, mine is almost a foot long.

“Maybe this is what attracts them. We’re also pleased because the uniqueness we offer is well received by many customers,” she told Bernama when met at her stall in Kampung Padang Rengas here.

When asked about the process of making pulut udang, the mother of three said she set aside about six to seven hours daily to cook the glutinous rice and the sambal filing, made with shredded coconut and dried shrimp.

“The glutinous rice takes two to three hours to cook, while the filling takes four hours. The process takes a long time as we want the sticky rice to have a soft structure.

“The sambal filling also needs to be cooked at low heat to ensure a well-blended mixture without any burnt aroma.

“We also need at least seven to 10kg of glutinous rice and about five kg of coconut per day to make pulut udang,” said Cik La, who runs her business every day from 10.30am to 7pm.

Cik La added that only the leaves of pisang abu are used as wrappers for her pulut udang due to its sturdy nature and the pleasant aroma it releases when grilled.

“If other types of banana leaves are used, it won’t work because they are softer, and when grilled, they tend to burn quickly, causing the pulut udang to become charred,” said Cik La, who sells 150 to 300 pulut udang a day.

The Padang Rengas native said her pulut udang, which is sold at RM3 each, attracted not just Malays, but also other races, particularly the Chinese community.

“I even have a regular customer from the Chinese community who will order my pulut udang for Chinese New Year,” she said.

On her future plans, Cik La intends to produce frozen pulut udang to expand her business network and increase her income.

Meanwhile, customer Roshamilla Khalid, 39, learnt about Cik La’s Pulut Udang King through a social media site.

“I saw it on TikTok, and with the stall conveniently located along the route I use to travel from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar, I decided to stop by. I’m buying it for the second time, and it’s one of the best pulut udang I’ve ever had,” she said.