Family craft: The Khok siblings steaming a batch of buns at their shop in Gat Lebuh Macallum, Penang. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: For the three Khok siblings, whose combined ages nearly reach 230, it is finally time to close the chapter on their 72-year-old family-owned steamed bao (bun) business.
Wai Heng, 80, Khai Ming, 77, and Khai Keong, 71, plan to retire at the end of this month after devoting most of their lives to running Yik Keng Traditional Bao Shop at Pasar Borong Pulau Mutiara in Gat Lebuh Macallum here.
They still produce their signature favourites – tua bao (large pork bun), bak bao (pork), char siu bao (barbecue pork), as well as custard and black sesame buns.
“Enough... we have worked so hard for so many years.
“There is nobody to inherit this labour-intensive craft.
“We start early in the morning and finish only in the afternoon just to prepare these five types of bao,” Wai Heng said recently.
After decades in the business, they have made so many bao by hand that weighing scales are no longer needed.
“We rely on feel and touch to get each proportion right. Everything flows naturally now, almost second nature,” she said.
As they can only make limited quantities, most orders are now placed in advance.
Regarded as one of Penang’s last old-school purveyors of traditional Cantonese steamed buns, the family’s craft carries a long history.
Their father, Khok Keng Chiung, came to Penang in 1946 after leaving Guangdong province during the turbulent years after World War II and the Chinese Civil War.
He first worked at a Cantonese teahouse along Swatow Kay, now known as Lebuh Kimberley.
When the teahouse closed, he opened his own steamed-bun stall in 1953 at Sia Boey – meaning “end of the village” in Hokkien – then a bustling trading hub along the Prangin Canal in George Town.
Despite decades of redevelopment and relocation, the family kept the tradition alive until settling in their final location at Gat Lebuh Macallum.
Wai Heng recalled the difficulties her father faced as a Cantonese speaker in a predominantly Hokkien area.
“Communication was a challenge at first, but the warmth of the community and the quality of our bao helped bridge the gap.
“Over time, people came not just for the food, but because they knew and trusted our family,” she said.
When asked if they might reconsider retirement, Wai Heng said there is a possibility – but only after she travels to China to reunite with relatives she has not seen in many years.
“We are thankful for the support from everyone throughout these years and hope they enjoyed our bao.
“It’s time to take a break first before we decide what comes next,” she said.
