Century-old Apam Legacy Earns Michelin Bib Gourmand Honour

By Siti Azila Alias

GEORGE TOWN, May 17 (Bernama) -- For nearly four hours each day, 65-year-old R. Neelamegan stands over open flames, enduring intense heat without complaint, his determination unshaken as he carries on his family’s apam manis business, a legacy that has endured for more than a century.

Operating from a coffee shop on Jalan Burma here, Ravi’s Claypot Appom Manis stall is often packed with both locals and foreign tourists as soon as it opens at 6 am, with some even willing to queue to get a taste of its apam manis, a delicacy rarely found elsewhere.

Using charcoal as fuel and clay pots imported from India, the traditional cooking method gives the apam a distinctive aroma that has become its signature, making it a daily breakfast favourite passed down through generations.

Neelamegan, better known as Ravi among customers, said his father N. Rajagopal, who came from Tamil Nadu, India, started the apam manis business in 1922, alongside the opening of the coffee shop, which then charged a rent of just half a cent.

“I am from the second generation and took over the business from my brother about 35 years ago, and we have never moved from this location since my late father started it more than 100 years ago,” he told Bernama recently.

The father of five said that although modern methods now allow apam to be cooked using gas stoves and ordinary pans, he continues to use charcoal and clay pots to preserve the original aroma and taste.

Ravi, who is fluent in Hokkien, said the recipe has been slightly adapted over time but still uses key ingredients such as rice flour, sugar, coconut milk and eggs.

“The rice flour batter is prepared by hand the night before to ensure it rises properly. Early in the morning at the stall, I then mix in eggs, sugar and fresh coconut milk bought from a nearby market,” he said, adding that they use around three to four kg of flour each day and can sell between 500 and 700 pieces of apam, with slightly higher sales on weekends.

Ravi said the biggest challenge is controlling the charcoal embers, which requires skill and stamina, as well as standing for long hours in the heat while preparing the apam.

He added that the apam manis is more than just a traditional dish, describing it as a quiet symbol of unity in Penang’s multi-ethnic community, where it is enjoyed daily by customers from all walks of life.

Ravi said one of his fondest memories from running the business was being invited on several occasions to the Pahang palace to prepare apam.

The business is now being passed on to his fourth child, 30-year-old N. Balasivan, who will continue the family’s apam-making legacy into the next generation.

Balasivan said the traditional apam-making method has also been recognised, with the business receiving a Michelin Bib Gourmand award last year.

“After receiving the recognition, I felt even more responsible for continuing the business and preserving its tradition and authenticity, especially as fewer people now use clay pots and we even have to bring them in from India,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sophie Goh, 53, from Tanjung Bungah and a regular customer at the stall for more than 20 years, said she grew up enjoying Ravi’s apam manis, which she described as creamier, softer and fluffier than apam she has tried elsewhere.

-- BERNAMA