Unusual Mud Prawns Become Source Of Livelihood For Young Man

JERTIH, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- What began as a search for udang pusu (mud prawns) to prepare a meal for his family has turned into a source of income for a young man in Kampung Limbongan, near Kampung Raja here, who is now receiving orders from customers, including those outside Terengganu.

Mohd Azuan Mahadi, 31, who has spent the past 11 years making a living catching river creatures such as eels, mud snails and giant freshwater prawns, developed an interest in udang pusu after visiting Riau, Indonesia, two years ago.

During the visit, a friend introduced him to fried udang pusu served with oyster sauce, and he was immediately taken by its sweet-tasting flesh, which he said was almost similar to that of mud crabs.

"My first taste of the prawns, which my friend cooked in Riau, made me appreciate their delicious, sweet flesh. I ate about 10 of them but still wanted more because they were so tasty," he told Bernama when met in Kampung Limbongan here.

Mohd Azuan said he also learnt how to catch the brackish-water creatures during his visit, using a mixture of water and edible lime poured into their mud burrows to coax them out. 

The prawns would usually emerge after about 45 minutes to an hour.

Upon returning home, the father of three began searching for udang pusu in the nipah palm swamps near his house, initially just to prepare meals for his family.

However, the activity gradually became an additional source of income after he shared his catches on social media, attracting interest from potential customers.

Today, he receives orders for about 80 kilogrammes of udang pusu a week, selling them for between RM25 and RM30 per kilogramme, depending on their size.

However, he said the catch was unpredictable, and finding larger prawns remained a challenge as most customers preferred bigger ones.

"The catch is not always consistent, and I am not always lucky enough to find large udang pusu. That is the challenge I face because most customers prefer the bigger ones," he said.

Although still relatively unknown to many, udang pusu typically inhabit brackish-water areas in mangrove and nipah palm swamps, where they dig burrows and build mud mounds known locally as pusu.

Mohd Azuan said the prawns usually emerged from their burrows during the flood season and could be found on their mud mounds or among the trees.

"Previously, I thought they were not edible because of their rather unusual appearance," he said.

Catching udang pusu has since become part of his daily routine, with Mohd Azuan usually heading out from 8 am to 1 pm to fulfil customer orders.

He also cleans every prawn thoroughly to remove mud and dirt, including removing certain organs in the head to prevent customers from feeling dizzy or nauseous after eating them.

With demand continuing to grow, he is now assisted by his friend, Shahrul Izwan Mat Ghani, 39, to ensure orders are fulfilled on time.

-- BERNAMA