By Mohd Azrin Muhammad
KUALA SELANGOR, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- Pakora, a traditional recipe, continues to be a top choice among Hindu devotees and visitors attending the Thaipusam celebration at the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple here.
Manpreet Singh, 35, who runs a business named Punjabi Sweets, said the taste and authenticity of the over 20-year-old recipe, were the main factors behind his stall’s consistent popularity each year. And over three days in conjunction with the festival, he could earn more than RM20,000 by selling pakora and over 20 types of traditional sweets.
“We do not have a permanent shop, but my father has obtained permission to trade at this bazaar site every Thaipusam for the past 20 years,” he told Bernama, and according to him, some of the food was prepared earlier at home, while the rest was fried on-site to ensure customers could enjoy dishes that were hot and fresh.
He believes his stall’s popularity is not due solely to its strategic location, but also due to the taste of his delicacies that suit his customers’ tastes during the festive atmosphere.
“The recipe we use has never been changed, and that is what keeps long-time customers coming back every year,” he said.
Manpreet, who is from Klang, said Thaipusam also serves as an ideal platform for local and international visitors to savour a variety of traditional sweets, with pakora being one of the snacks made from vegetables, meat or other ingredients coated in batter before being deep-fried until crispy.
Meanwhile, another trader, P. Sathiavani, 31, said she and her family are continuing her father’s legacy of selling sweets at the same temple since 1997, and one of the most popular sweets at her stall is laddu, made using an original family recipe passed down from her father for more than 30 years.
“Each sweet has its own uniqueness, but our laddu remains the top choice among customers, allowing us to earn profits of up to several thousand ringgit,” she also said.
She added that although she is not a full-time trader and only operates once a year during Thaipusam, customers always flock to her stall for the special laddu.
-- BERNAMA
